Exponentiation 03

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Exponentiation

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This is War 

When we look at our situation in the world as individuals, we must 
recognize that we are dependent upon the world around us. If our 
atmosphere goes away, or war comes to the land, we cannot escape it by 
changing the channel. Reality is here and will affect our future as well 
as our feelings toward how well our lives are spent. Knowing that we 
die, we wish meaning from life, but we would want it otherwise, as the 
alternative is emotional entropy a.k.a. boredom. 

The heroic versus the machine 

Nature is a large machine, if viewed in terms of function: sunlight hits 
plants, plants feed animals, animal droppings feed plants, and through 
natural selection better animals and plants emerge, culminating in 
sentient organisms. With sentience, we have the ability to choose our 
future: it is a dimension added to natural selection. If we choose 
badly, it will take many years for the truth to be known but the 
consequences will be felt. 

We live in a world where most people not only do not think but believe 
themselves to be powerless. If they knew what lurked unnoticed inside of 
them, the inner potential to be heroes or vagrants, they would waver 
with a sense of vertigo: each decision is a potential castle built or 
leap off a precipice. They see modern society as something that has not 
only happened to them but will never change. If this magazine 
accomplishes anything, it is to remind them that they have _choice_ and 
can wield that. 

Nature's machine has an ultimate goal, namely itself; it seeks to make 
itself better constantly so it can produce new dimensions of existence 
such as consciousness (choice). In contrast, the machine of modern 
society is both a mindset and a reality based on the idea of material 
product. Our goal is not to rise, in a sense of our personal abilities 
or spiritual growth, but to produce material objects and wealth and thus 
to enjoy comfort -- the pursuit of pleasure. 

There is no greater pleasure however than rising above the trivial to 
find the transcendent, those moments of peace in which we see that not 
only is life worth living but that we enjoy it for its struggle, the 
overcoming of doubt and material sensation in order to achieve greater 
things. Giving birth is painful, and children die, but to raise children 
is a quest that approaches the religious in its ability to deny the 
risks and aim for a goal: that each generation be better stronger 
brighter more noble than the past. 

Our quest is not to rage against the machine, but to replace it. We do 
this by making ourselves better via discipline and the kind of hope that 
is grounded in what our minds and hands can do. We do this because we 
believe in life. Life is not merely function and comfort, but a process 
of putting our failures behind us and becoming stronger in infinite 
ways. To a writer, it is describe reality more fully and to inspire 
others; to a musician, it is to make music that both transports us from 
our world and makes us see it with new eyes that can perceive the 
potential for greater things in every moment. 

We are not talking about objects and sensations here, but 
_significance_. A moment of great personal victory -- climbing a 
mountain, writing an album, triumph in battle -- involves discomfort and 
suffering and loss, but the significance of having achieved that victory 
outweighs all else. Modern society does not recognize this viewpoint. It 
is a machine that takes raw materials and makes products 
that people want to buy. When we say we are at war, we are fighting 
against that mindset and its eventual outcome, which will be the 
consumption of all earth and human souls by the machine. 

Moderndoom 

Why would anyone object to this society? We have better medicine, more 
comfortable homes, cheaper food. Yet as anyone who has goofed off in 
class while the teacher was absent knows, there are eventual 
consequences. We can put them off but they will happen nonetheless. As 
our natural land disappears, our climate changes and species vanish; the 
earth can no longer renew itself as it once did. And suddenly we're 
surrounded by people, most of whom we would not care to know -- faceless 
drones, prone to opportunism either behind a desk or with a weapon, 
driven only by their desire for comfort and pleasure. 

Steadily the progress of modernity has revealed itself. But more than 
any physical destruction is the loss of our souls, what both makes us 
human and makes us inclined to rise above human failings to achieve the 
great works of art and action that mark our history. We no longer 
believe in life as a pursuit of learning and accomplishment; it is rote 
task, making money and having a "life" in which all goals are set by 
others and there is no chance for the finer things such as 
transcendence. 

In becoming modern, we have traded material discomfort for spiritual 
discomfort, in that we are no longer sure our lives as _experience_ are 
a fair trade for inevitable death. What is great in being promoted, or 
in starting our own business in a model that's well known? No frontiers; 
no space left to conquer; only places in the machine. This dulls our 
spirit and makes us see the entire world as material, and thus love 
becomes sex, cuisine becomes large portions, satisfaction becomes 
comfort and wide-screen TV, religion becomes having the "right" 
opinions. When we make war, we make war against this mentality. 

Heroism 

To go into battle is to be ready to die not for one's own comfort but 
for an ideal. Whether it is the survival of a tribe, or the 
establishment of a political or philosophical position, it is a willing 
sacrifice: to say "I believe in life enough that if my life is lost it 
is a fair trade." There are many ways to describe what we believe 
(traditionalism, existentialism, nihilism, idealism) but ultimately it 
is this process of putting ideas before comfort. We can design a better 
reality. We can apply design to ourselves and make ourselves better as 
people. 

This is a creed that applies in every time period because it is inherent 
to the nature of being a thinking being. We call it heroism. 
The goal of this magazine is not to amuse you or to pass the time, but 
to inspire you to see that in yourself the possibility of this heroism 
is dormant, much as even in our world of endless concrete and plastic 
there is the potential for something better. There is no material proof 
for this. Only you can motivate yourself to make what does not now 
exist, but can be had for the price of some suffering and loss. And 
since with death all is lost at any rate, why do you hesitate? This is 
war -- together we raise our hands to better ourselves and our 
world.						 

CONTENTS 
I. News 
II. Culture 
III. Features 
IV. Self-Sufficiency 
V. Literature  

------- 
News 
------- 

Mall Escalator Malfunctions; Sixty Perish 
June 21st, 2006 

CROSS CITY, FL – Sixty citizens perished and countless others were 
injured in a tragic escalator accident at the Cross City Mall on the 
morning of Monday June 19th. "This is the worst tragedy our city has 
ever seen,"remarked Cross City city councilor Roy Ingram. 

On Monday morning a two-story escalator inside the Cross City Mall 
grinded to an unexpected halt. Customers aboard the escalator, carrying 
heavy shopping bags which made climbing stairs unreasonable, stood and 
looked around at each other in confusion. The escalator then started 
with a jerk, and riders with loose shoe-strings were caught in the 
device, kicking and screaming in peril as their feet were ground up 
through the accelerated machine. 

The jolt sent other consumers flying, plummeting to their deaths. Obese 
shoppers with 0% trans-fat lite veggie burgers wrapped in McDonald's 
bags rolled and crushed other riders, including six members of the 
morning division of the elite "Senior Citizen Mall Power Walking Team" 
(SCMPWT). 

Cross City resident Janie Smits recalls the incident, "I was eating my 
typical Monday morning energy booster of five scoops of Häagen-Dazs 
double chocolate fudge ice cream in the food court when I suddenly heard 
a loud banging noise followed by a lot of people cursing, then there was 
a loud grinding and the most horrible screams I’ve ever heard in my 
life."Smits continued, "it was horrible, there was blood being sprayed 
everywhere, and what was worse, some of it got all over my ice cream, 
but I guess ce le vie cause I was able to lick around most of it." 

The incident has caused an outrage among human rights activists of the 
United Homosexual Church of Christian Migrant Non-denominationalists. 
Spokesperson for the group, Aaron Tite, gave the following comment, "Our 
citizens should not have to go through the shopping mall in mortal 
terror. We can’t allow this travesty to occur a second time. It’s 
immoral and inhumane what has happened here and we at the Homosexual 
Church see the mall management as a group of cold-blooded killers for 
not inspecting their escalators closely enough.” 

Cross City city council called an emergency meeting in order to deal 
with the problem of mall escalators. One of the proposed solutions is to 
raise a bill that will ban all escalators in Cross City. Other members 
of the city council vehemently opposed the idea, claiming that citizens 
should not be forced to burden themselves by walking up two flights of 
stairs with heavy shopping bags. 

The custodial engineers of the Cross City Mall have looked directly into 
the escalator's problem and have implemented a temporary remedy 
involving bubble gum and twist ties. "If I finished the job now," says 
subordinate custodial mechanic Raum Mohammed, "I would have nothing to 
do tomorrow, and I'd be out of a job--they'd fire me. I have kids to 
feed. Five of them! I have to make money somehow. Besides we placed a 
little two by two sign about three feet away from the escalator with a 
danger warning painted on it, that should be good enough for now." 

The escalator is currently in operation. Consumers oblivious to the 
dangers of such devices are still riding them nation wide. 

-=- 

Nation’s Frats Experience "Genital Leprosy"Epidemic 
June 20th, 2006 

HARTFORD,CT (UCONN) - Scientists have determined that an extremely 
virulent strain of gonorrhea is responsible for the outbreak of what has 
been dubbed "Genital Leprosy"among the nation’s college fraternities. 

The bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae is believed by experts to have 
altered its genetic character. Bacteriologist Harvey Whitfield claims 
this mutation is "due to exposure to high levels of known mutagens 
present in cheap beer such as Bulldog Light."Whitfield went on to say, 
"when the cheap beer is consumed in large quantities by male revelers 
carrying the infectious agent, a breeding ground is created for this new 
strain, which in turn is passed on to girlfriends, 
girlfriends-on-the-side, intoxicated party chicks who think they’re 
bisexual, and other frat brothers ‘on the down low.’” 

Initial symptoms include feelings of fatigue, penis complexes, and a 
general lack of motivation, which leads to a mental, emotional and 
spiritual numbness that keeps sufferers from ever doing something about 
their self-inflicted epidemic. Symptoms soon progress to swelling and 
numbing of the genitals, and finally gradual sloughing off of tissue. 

"Frat brothers engage in a self-medicating/denial behavior involving 
more Bulldog Light and grooving to 50 Cent on their trash and bodily 
fluid-caked dance floors,"notes Whitfield. Current studies show this 
practice does not have any healing effects. Some experts believe such a 
response by carriers of the genital ailment makes the disease worse. 

Those at risk are not letting their lives be run by fear. Despite there 
being no current treatment, students are taking it in stride, and 
continuing to have sex for status while getting drunk on cheap alcohol. 
Says Krystal, a sophomore at Dartmouth College and girlfriend of an 
Omega Chi Pi member, "I won’t let this disease stop me from dating the 
only real men around here. If I had to stop going to the frats, who else 
would I hook up with? Those art fags? My boyfriend is in a frat, which 
will help him become CEO of Earth Pavers Inc. so he can make lots of 
money to spend on me.” 

Currently 65% of college frat boys are confirmed as being carriers of 
the disease. Estimates are that 85% of fraternity males will have the 
disease by the end of the year should the standard frat party behavior 
continue. 

---------- 
Culture 
---------- 

Music: 

Aphex Twin-"Selected Ambient Works 1985-1992. Vol. 1"(2002 Pias America) 

On volume one, it’s a mixed bag between uplifting minimalist ambient 
techno and more rhythmically oriented club fodder. Songs here are 
clearly designed to meet pop expectations of electronic music, with 
incessant 4/4 beats, heavy repetitive bass lines, and airy synth patches 
now familiar to the genre all rendered in spacious clear production 
values. In other words, one might be inclined based on this description 
alone to totally dismiss this album as knob-twiddling tripe. Not so. 
While some tracks do verge toward populist, style-over-substance 
tendencies, the better ones here show micronarratives of thematic shift 
within the kind of consistent sonic patterning characteristic of ambient 
music. Most of these pieces consist of a pair of dominant melodic 
themes: one anchoring rhythmic structure and the other a tangentially 
developing phrasal pattern floating into aural space to carry the 
initial motion to its final conclusion. Minute details flush out the 
rest: pauses and subtle manipulations of timbre to provide the contrasts 
necessary to keep the listener’s interest. Like the best ambient, it’s 
about using details and subtly developing thematic counterpoints to give 
more depth and complexity within consistent mood as if going from 
viewing a two dimensional picture of a scene to actually being immersed 
in it. Highlights: Tracks 1-3, 9. 

Aphex Twin-"1994 Selected Ambient Works Vol.2"(1994 Sire/London/Rhino) 

It isn’t until this second showcasing that we see more consistency in 
quality along with some degree of aesthetic advancement from simple 
ambient techno. The bass-heavy techno rhythm tracks have largely been 
replaced with more subtle percussion, or often, a total lack of it in 
order to emphasis the newfound sense of negative space that brings us 
another dimension of musical expression. 

Overall this is a more contemplative affair, featuring fluid melodic 
soundscapes of digital yet warm tones that gently ease their way into 
the listener’s framework of perception. While still minimalist, this 
release employs somewhat more complexity in detail of layering. 
Prominent musical devices, as heard on tracks like to achieve this are 
delay and volume swells allowing fragments of minor key melody to 
overlap and momentarily express their significance in new ways while 
driving bass counterpoints may enter to resolve direction of mood under 
these shimmering textures of sound. 

The mood of the album tends to be darker in comparison to the former yet 
there is still a variety to be heard, perhaps to a greater extent. Songs 
like Cliffs and this reviewers favorite, Z Twig are uplifting singular 
moments of musical ideas enwrapping each other in baths of echo. Other 
tracks like Hexagon and Weathered Stone weave gentle melodic phrasing 
with brainy bass riffs as if contrasting humanity’s tendency toward the 
earthbound with their desire to aspire toward the higher yet less 
gratifyingly tangible. In fact this could be the common theme that 
unites all of Aphex Twin’s best ambient works providing the conceptual 
ground for their composition and elevation above that which is merely 
wall paper being passed off as ambient. Highlights: 1,3,5,7 of CD 1 and 
1,5,6,7,8 of CD 2. - No Fun 

-=- 

Ashtorath - "Darkstorm Entwined" (2002 Independent) 

Unheard of and celebrated only by underground dark ambient fans, 
Ashtorath is a unique ambient project coming out of Canada. While most 
ambient artists, at the time this album was recorded, used synthesizers 
and various technical editing to achieve an ambient atmosphere, 
Ashtorath focused on physical instrumentation and thereby actively 
engaged with the music itself to form a coherent listening experience. 
With delicate and noble emotion, Ashtorath set out to form a concept of 
classical music meeting metal. 

Ethereal and magical is the atmosphere found in these dark and romantic 
pieces that explore the romanticist side of life. Hanging ambient key 
tones flow between high and low points, switching from far away to close 
distance, serving as leading melodies to inflict an emotional mood upon 
its own basic structure. The rasping sound of a nail shaking a guitar 
string with ease fill the sometimes wondrous void, as a communicator of 
magical worlds and immersive myths and legends. 

Because this is what Ashtorath is a master at; creating magical moods 
and the ability to set the listener into a distant world where time is 
an illusion and romanticism is reality. The beauty stems not only from 
the harmonies between ambient and metal but also from the spirit of 
classical music that arises within each piece. The collaboration between 
the distant, fading sounds of guitar strings, blowing wind and soft 
church bells define each moment as special and unique, drenched in 
darkness. 

If one could use the word "art", one would apply it to "Darkstorm 
Entwined", and that rightly so. The influences from classical music is 
at most times benevolent and real, and gives the music a clear vision of 
what it tries to present. Lively but ambiguous, this music works at both 
an emotional and philosophical level; there are no restrictions 
regarding the expression of the music itself, only endless 
possibilities. 

The new guitar techniques found on "Darkstorm Entwined" were, at the 
time of the creation of this album, new and inspiring for numerous 
underground ambient and metal projects to come. As felt and heard when 
the finger rides on a string after a note within a larger melody is 
being played, these techniques are used to the advantage of the artist 
and turned into melodies themselves, voices of birds from afar. 

The sound of icicles meeting, thunderstorms roaring and strings played 
upon by a creature unhuman, unknown, are but few of the ways in which 
Ashtorath keeps the overall mood going. This gothic monument is as 
ethereal as it is enchanting and moving; there is no lack of emotion and 
dedication to art in this album. Competent, but not the least, true to 
itself and its creation, the words trying to express the poetry found 
within each statement are mere attempts to reach the height of 
abstraction felt and lived by the music and creator. When day turns to 
night and time passes, there will be nothing left but the echoes of a 
dimension beyond this one, upholding experiences that transcend physical 
reality. 

Breathtaking. - Alexis 

-=- 

Cocteau Twins – "Garlands" (1982 4AD Records) 

An adventure into the darker realms of ethereal music, this 1982 release 
from Cocteau Twins blends together elements of post-punk, punk and new 
wave to create endearing atmospheric music with a heavy Gothic 
sensibility. The music on Garlands is more straightforward and cut from 
the mold of the early post-punk scene than are later Cocteau Twins 
releases. Its atmosphere is less dreamy than future albums and is 
instead darker and grittier, however elements of this bands trademark 
sound can be found tucked away in nooks and crannies of this release. 

The bass guitar is the dominant instrument on this album, it shifts 
tones in the Gothic rock tradition while a guitar that makes full use of 
arpeggios and pedal effects layers ambient and ethereal atmospheres 
behind it. Simple and metrical drumbeats add backbone to the swift and 
haunting guitar melodies, but they also have a tendency to degenerate 
into simplistic dance beats that cover up the beauty of the harmonic 
sections. This is a minor gripe, as it does not do enough to detract 
from the beauty of the music as a whole. 

Of important note on Garlands is the wonderful vocal performance 
presented by Liz Fraser. Fraser’s vocals are playful and unique and add 
dreamy qualities to the guitar created atmospheres. As always Fraser’s 
vocals are one of the strongest aspects of Cocteau Twins’ music. There 
are not many vocalists in the world that have quite the dynamic range 
and beauty of her voice and her presentation is one of the most unique 
in all of music; her vocals are less about making lyrics audible and are 
more about creating unique sounds and sublime verbal textures. While 
Liz’s performances are always unique, her presentation on Garlands, 
though not her best, is one of a kind as she adds many laughs and 
giggles into the music that heighten its otherworldly qualities. 

While a great album in many ways, Garlands exemplifies a young band 
still finding its own voice. Musicianship here is more than competent, 
but the relationship between the instruments is not as integrated and 
harmonious as later Cocteau Twins albums, this is in part what causes 
this album to be less dreamy. The repetition of harmonies, melodies and 
rhythms can be this bands strong point as these musical elements lend 
themselves to creating a transcendental atmosphere but they can also be 
a weak point, as they can grow monotonous if not integrated properly. 
For example the repetitive drum section on Garlands has a tendency to 
undermine the harmonics. It occasionally becomes too pronounced and 
drowns out the ambient and melodic sections. Luckily on future albums 
they improved and downplayed the role of the drum machine. 

Even though this album has a few shortcomings in its structure and 
identity, it still lucidly expresses a band with a vision to create 
inspiring and atmospheric music. With Garlands, Cocteau Twins have 
successfully crafted a brooding and ethereal album that transports the 
mind to a mysterious realm. This is a top-notch album in the 
post-punk/gothic tradition and it is highly recommended. The music found 
here should appeal to fans of other 4AD bands such as Dead Can Dance and 
Bauhaus. - phantasm 

-=- 

Books: 

"Going Postal: Rage, Murder and Rebellion: From Reagan’s Workplaces to 
Clinton’s Columbine and Beyond" by. Mark Ames. 284 pages. Soft Skull 
Press (2005) 

It’s been one year since Jeff Weise, the friendless, husky teenager with 
a broad chin characteristic of his Chippewa heritage, murdered ten 
people, including his grandfather on the Red Lake, Minnesota reservation 
and high school in what remains the largest American teen-rage murder 
since Columbine. Last April, as the media storm lingered over the 
motives (video games) and interests (Goth music) of the sixteen year old 
shooter, Mark Ames, writing in New York Press, offered a view that was 
apparently quite ludicrous to his journalistic peers: 

"Jeff Weise is the offspring of an exterminated nation whose people 
suffer from rates of alcoholism, poverty and early death usually found 
in African countries. His father committed suicide; his alcoholic mother 
regularly beat him until she crashed her car and wound up a vegetable. 
It is easy to imagine that Weise connected his personal misery to the 
larger misery of his people...In that sense, Jeff Weise looks more like 
an insurgent than a simple psychopath."* 

Ames, dismissing the media’s generalization of a deranged "Nazi”, was 
only hinting at the widespread culture of bullying and intimidation 
assumed by America’s educational and corporate institutions. His new 
book, "Going Postal"offers a detailed analysis of the psychology, 
background and future implications of this largely stateside, 
middle-class phenomenon. Key to his theory is debunking the general 
belief that rage-killers, like serial killers, can be profiled. Indeed, 
Weise, a poor Indian from the reserve is not the only subject to deviate 
from the common illustrations of white male anomie. Since it’s 
impossible to lock onto a fixed criteria within the lives of these 
killers, common external factors must be the prime motivation. His 
argument is twofold; by attributing the contemporary environment of the 
workplace and high-school, a shift from paternal management toward an 
intentional climate of fear, to the economic practices of the Reagan 
presidency – cemented during Clinton’s term of globalization, Ames 
contextualizes the dispiriting environments and cut-throat ideals that 
pervade each generation since. 

For most Americans, work exists as a routine, not a vocation of skill. 
With its atmosphere of petty dictators, snitches, gossip-hags, cursed 
fluorescent lighting and forced cheerfulness implicit in customer 
service, employees trudge through their routine day after day, amongst 
tiers of both the sexless and sexually frustrated. These conditions are 
concurrent to all office-based jobs, increasing with the scale of the 
company. It’s a real-world sentence involving what Evola called an 
"artificial increase"of human needs.** For those young enough, lucky 
enough or willing to take a risk, it may only last a decade before 
they’re able to accumulate some savings and move on to something better. 
Most won’t, no matter the indignity. It’s this idea that consumes the 
second half of Ames argument, which draws comparisons between the 
contemporary employee and lowly slaves, touching on both the Romans and 
Arabs, but primarily concerned with America’s early history. In the 
colonies slave rebellions were a rare occurrence. The reason? While 
those uprisings that did occur were squashed almost instantly, most did 
not want to leave their masters at all; contrary to the triumphant 
pictorials of slaves in modern education (read: television). But it was 
not so much fear of the military or the White Man’s law which prevented 
escape; it was, as Ames reasons quoting Frederick Douglas, a fear of the 
unknown. 

There are many convenient traps offered by America’s quotidian model. 
For one, it fills an otherwise hapless existence with familiarity and 
responsibility. The same familiarity and defined space that helped keep 
slaves in tow, leading relatively untroubled lives so long as they 
conformed. Indeed, most Americans love work! It’s built into our 
National ideal, which in the last few decades has taken on grotesque 
dimensions. As Ames notes "Entertainment is no longer about joy or 
escape. It’s about reliving life at the office, even if you’ve just left 
the office fifteen minutes ago."But for all this dreary life of 
schlepping and sorting and keying in, it used to be more tolerable; at 
least American’s were well compensated for it, receiving benefits and 
earned vacation time. Even for the ones privileged enough to receive 
either of these more humane accommodations today, many are afraid to 
take the advantage; wouldn’t want to look like you’re falling behind. 
Thus, when this rigid, consuming life of eat, sleep, laugh, shit work is 
disrupted, often in degrading shows of pseudo-strength and corporate 
apathy, the consequences can be legion. Is this mere rhetoric and 
hyperbole? Ingest these gems from former Intel CEO Andy Grove and the 
Wall Street Journal and then think when they were applicable to your 
life. (Although if you’re European, with an average vacation time of six 
to seven weeks compared to American’s ten to fourteen days off, it might 
be tough). 

"The most important role of managers is to create an environment in 
which people are passionately dedicated to winning in the marketplace. 
Fear plays a major role in creating such passion. Fear of competition, 
fear of bankruptcy, fear of being wrong and fear of losing can all be 
powerful motivators.” 

"The workplace is never free of fear – and it shouldn’t be. Indeed, fear 
can be a powerful management tool." 

This sentiment has become manifest throughout decades in literal 
monsters like Andy Dunlap and sneering assholes like Neal Patterson down 
to the callous pit-bosses in Oklahoma, San Diego and Kentucky. And 
Columbine; for what are today’s schools but farming systems for the next 
crop of drones? Shifting focus from education to selective discipline, 
aggravated disaster’s like high-school were up until a few years ago, a 
place where bullying was just a fact of life -- preparation for the 
business world. Always concerned with teaching how not to think, one of 
the most curious themes explored by Ames is the media’s convergence upon 
racism as a motivation for teenage killers, often in place of the more 
logical activators, such as humiliation and alternative-less defeat. 
Says Ames, "It is as if the adult world needs to find racist motives in 
the school shooters and plotters in order to bracket them as 
exceptionally ‘evil’, rather than, as is usually the case, typical”. As 
The Misfit’s used to sing, "Blame it all on Nazi Youth!” 

*http://www.nypress.com/18/14/news&columns/markames.cfm 

** "The turning point was the advent of a new life that...adopted as 
it’s highest ideal an artificial increase and multiplication of human 
needs and the necessary means to satisfy them, in total disregard for 
the growing slavery this would inexorably constitute for the individual 
and collective whole."Men Among the Ruins pg 173. - Smog 

-=- 

Polar Shift 
by Clive Cussler and Paul Kemprecos (2005, Penguin, New York) 

Writers of mainstream books know that they are essentially making 
written television, but a handful have decided to eschew the Dan Brown 
route -- making the mundane seem profound -- and try its inverse, or 
encoding the profound into mundane form. Look at the surface of a 
Michael Crichton or Clive Cussler novel, and you see people shooting 
machine guns out of helicopters and chasing dinosaurs; look inside, and 
you will see a subtle discussion of the philosophical and political 
demographics of our time. It is not like Schopenhauer, which is written 
about the individual; it is about the ideas individuals share that thus 
change our world by their currency in assumption. 
  
"Polar Shift," like most of these books, combines far-out science with 
very real world conclusions, and in that alone are a warning for the Few 
Who Still  Think, but as this plot unfolds, it gains sinister 
implications that warn us about some of our illusory thinking and our 
tendency to accept that people's stated motivations are what actually 
drive them. Without giving away too much of the plot, this book is about 
the technology for shifting magnetic poles of the earth developed by a 
Hungarian scientist, and how years after his death, a tussle erupts 
between corporate interests and counter-Elite revolutionaries -- who 
have some problems with ideological clarity that lead them closer to the 
state of their enemies than their actual friends. The action is 
fast-paced; the words are simple; the emotions very basic and as always, 
there's a beautiful chick somewhere who in a nod to women's rights is 
also a brilliant scientist. It doesn't take a magnifying glass to see 
through the formula, but as a great writer said, a book is not the 
techniques it uses by the ideas it provokes. - vijay prozak  

-=- 

Cinema: 

Repo Man (dir. Alex Cox 1984) 

The culmination of postmodern thought is a kind of paranoia that is both 
figurative and literal: we cannot trust social institutions, or even 
universal abstracts like "truth" and "good," because they can be 
manipulated; part II is that, having said that, we have to assume most 
of our society is not only indulging itself in fantasy but, because 
deluded, is actually opposed to truth... Repo Man is a movie that makes 
good on this principle by showing us the empty path of growing up 
suburban in the 1980s. There is the easy life -- "normal people" as 
defined by Bud, the anachronistically witty repossessor -- represented 
by Otto's family, who are living out a _Brave New World_ satiation by 
drugs, religion, sex and wealth while important decisions are offhand, 
unnoticed and denied. In contrast to normalcy, which we see is as empty 
as eating two Big Macs instead of a single (1) quality steak, is the 
life of the underworld: punkers committing senselessly graceful crime, 
kids gathering for secret parties at abandoned industrial locations, 
repo men trying to at least fool themselves into a modern chivalric 
code. Otto is defining himself by the path he takes through this mess, 
and his ultimate guiding light becomes a sense of truth "in the Real" as 
he rejects the sordid amusements, passive untruths, and failing paths of 
others. Almost every character in this movie comes to self-destruction 
as a result of losing sight of the pursuit of Realism: Bud shot down as 
he pursues money, Duke dying in a holdup, Archie fried on a dare, J. 
Frank Parnell destroyed by the radiation he considered a friend, Leila 
never gets to examine the aliens, Kevin becoming a pointless toadie to 
Mr. Humphries. Like most postmodern works, this movie is a subtle 
assimilation of 18th-century Romantic ideals into a modern sense of 
duality brought about by the difference between reality as it is 
described, especially by bureaucratic institutions, and reality as it 
exists... the indefinable, unbureaucratic _now_. Characters are as much 
icon as human being, and re-appear whenever their particular traits and 
failings need airing. Their names are ridiculous, from the customer 
"Arthur Pakman" (Pac-Man defining the arrival of video games, and soon 
computers, as trend in the 1980s) to the repo men named after different 
beers (Lite, Bud, Oly, Miller). Characters and events also satirize 
characters and events as portrayed by movies: Lite, the macho man 
African-American male; Leila, the classic insane but passionate movie 
woman; Marlene, parody of women on shows like "A-Team" who were tough 
and carried guns but had few ideas. Other incidental parodies include 
the skewering of generic products, televangelism, new age religions, 
Hispanic culture, wealth, the emptiness of Anglo suburbs, the astounding 
ugliness of modern cities. Although it seems an unlikely source, this 
movie melds macabre humor and post-counterculture insight into a single 
clear voice, at a time when the world needed such a thing (and 
coincidentally, a time when the last postmodern works of any quality 
were written). With the mathematical-scientific metaphor of most 
postmodern movies, it summarizes how we have gone wrong ("Linear and 
inverse vectors merge in zero" -- one way of saying if you simplify life 
into a single variable like money or power, you bring it closer to death 
through repetition) while making us grin. In theory, it was about 
nuclear war -- as shown through the duality of harmful/helpful 
radiation, and aliens existing/being a hoax -- but it ended up being a 
critique not of an event or tendency but the underlying emptiness of our 
social and political outlook. Now that we once again have a president 
who talks fanatically about God while bandying weapons about, it's not a 
terrible time to view this snapshot of the 1980s that is dramatically 
relevant today. -vijay prozak  

-=- 

Dawn of the Dead (dir. George Romero 1978): 

"When there’s no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth” 

These haunting opening lines to George A. Romero’s epic horror film Dawn 
of the Dead foretell both the world of the film and the substance of our 
modern culture. Dawn marks the second film in Romeo’s "dead trilogy"and 
it is the most ambitious and competent of the three. 

Dawn of the Dead begins in a disgruntled newsroom full of hectic chatter 
and anarchistic fray as scientists bicker on the television over what is 
causing the plight of zombies to raid their beloved society. The cities 
in Dawn of the Dead are degenerating into hellish prisons and wastelands 
full of squabbling, degenerate humans and waves of the undead. The film 
follows two policemen and two media employees as they flee the cities in 
a helicopter in order to find a safe haven away from the growing chaos 
and ever increasing legions of the undead. 

Their trip takes them to an abandoned mall where they decided to take 
haven and create a society for themselves. Inside the mall mindless 
zombies wander aimlessly through the shops and along escalators as 
cheese-ridden mall music blares over the loudspeakers. While the 
mindless automatons we see in Dawn of the Dead are flesh eating zombies 
they are virtually indistinguishable from the living automatons that 
wander the malls daily. In this regard Dawn of the Dead removes the veil 
of western consumerism and exposes its hollow insides. 

The protagonists of the film eventually take on the consumerist 
characteristics of the mall culture and begin to revel in the material 
goods of the mall. They essentially become the mindless themselves in 
the process. The filmmaker pulls no punches in making this point known. 
He has his smiling protagonists run wide-eyed through open stores full 
of useless junk as if they are kids in a candy shop. The protagonists 
attempt to create a society for themselves out of all the goodies they 
have accumulated in the mall while the world outside continues to tear 
itself apart. 

Skillfully the film slows down the horror and terror in these sections 
and allows us to dwell in this new society along with the protagonists. 
We, like them, begin to forget about the dark underbelly lying just 
outside. The reality remains elusive to them as they indulge in mall 
junk. Eventually their mall wonder world comes crashing down as the 
terror on the outside finally manages to leak in. At that point the film 
resumes the terror in full and implies that as we grow fat on indulgence 
in the west this same end waits to leak in and finish us off - the 
illusion is only waiting to be striped away. 

Although the film at times makes its critique of consumerist western 
culture from a manipulatively liberal perspective and loses the subtlety 
of quality satire in favor of indulging in irony, it should by no means 
deter from the power of the main point of the film. When the 
manipulative aspects of the film are peeled away the value of the 
message shines though and stands as a resolute attack on the lost and 
materialistic culture we live in today. 

Dawn of the Dead is a rich allegory about modern consumerist culture and 
the degenerate and passive lifestyles most westerners joyfully engage in 
daily while remaining unaware of the doom waiting for them just around 
the corner. By utilizing the horror medium and turning zombies into a 
symbol for mindless consumerism, Dawn of the Dead manages to break down 
the illusionary walls of our modern society to expose the hell and 
emptiness that roams within. - phantasm 

-=- 

Food: 

Sourdough Bread 

Bread Basics 

Leavened bread is known to have been baked perhaps as early as 4000 
years ago, by the ancient Egyptians. It’s more basic counterpart, 
unleavened bread, stretches back far further, beyond history. It is not 
known how the Egyptians discovered methods of rising their bread, but we 
know they were also brewers, and the use of yeast could have easily been 
transferred to breads, either deliberately or accidentally. Bread has 
been a dietary staple across innumerable cultures ever since, being a 
lasting, portable and (until fairly recently) healthy food type.  

When the microscope was developed in the nineteenth century the 
leavening agent, a single celled fungi named yeast, was discovered and 
soon began to be produced commercially. With economic pressures, 
commercial yeasts were bred for speed, stability and lack of strong 
flavor. Also, another bacteria, lactobacillus, which lives in symbiosis 
with yeast, was not included in commercial developments of yeast as it 
was technically unnecessary, despite being present in all prior leavened 
breads. Combined with ever more refined flours, and the addition of all 
sorts of fats, oils and sugars, bread continually progressed (or 
regressed) toward the bland, white, sweet enclosure for sandwiches for 
know today, which coincidentally happens to be edible. This cheap 
impostor foodstuff has made baking at home redundant for most people. 

Mercifully, one can still bake bread in the healthy tradition, though it 
now sadly, and ironically, takes more effort than relying upon 
industrial processes. Baking one’s own is nutritionally superior, 
develops simple but important skills and lowers reliance upon industrial 
society (if only a tiny bit), tastes fantastic, and cultivates patience. 
It also makes the kitchen smell fantastic. For these simple reasons it’s 
a rewarding practice. 

Knowing the basic processes of leavening can be of aid for the would-be 
baker. Yeast is a single celled organism that feeds on carbohydrates and 
excretes carbon dioxide and alcohol. The carbon dioxide is what fluffs 
up the bread, whilst the alcohol evaporates in a bread-making situation 
(in a brewing situation it remains and the carbon dioxide escapes). 
Lactobacillus feeds on by-products of yeast fermentation and excretes 
lactic acid, which causes the environment to sour. This discourages 
other microbes from developing, which protects the bread from spoiling. 
Both organisms are capable of speedy reproduction and are very difficult 
to kill. The only way to kill off a population is to raise the 
temperature of their environment to over about 38 degrees Centigrade 
(100 degrees Fahrenheit). Both organisms are encouraged by sugars and 
starches, such as potatoes, flours, sultanas or grapes, and are 
discouraged by salts, fats and oils. A final important component of 
bread is gluten, which is found in the protein of flour. Gluten is what 
gives the dough its elastic structure, ensuring the crumb of the risen 
dough will hold itself together, instead of crumbling like a cake or 
cookie. Gluten is developed in dough by kneading it thoroughly. Knowing 
these basics can greatly help you trouble shoot quality issues with your 
bread making. 
Sourdough Starter 

Sourdough bread making doesn’t rely upon commercially produced baker’s 
yeast, but cultivates organisms predominantly already present in the 
flour (though some maintain that it’s caught from the air). It is thus 
the least reliant upon the crutch of industry. It is however, a more 
involved process than normal baking, but with heightened rewards. It is 
recommended that the would-be baker begin with normal bread making to 
get adept at the other tasks of baking before trying sourdough, but 
nevertheless, if you’re keen to cultivate some free yeast just for the 
hell of it, by all means have a go. 

To begin cultivating a population of yeast and lactobacillus combine 
equal parts (preferably by weight) flour and water, perhaps 20g each, in 
a jar, put the lid on to discourage any other life forms and leave it in 
a warm place (about 70-85 degrees Fahrenheit, if room temperature is far 
from this, try an idling oven) for 48 hours. Check it after 24 to see if 
any bubbles are visible on the sides of the jar. If bubbles have formed, 
you’re in business. If none have formed after about 48 hours, discard 
the slush (though none of your confidence) and begin again. When you’ve 
got a visible set of bubbles around your jar, you need to feed your 
starter. Discard half of it (or even more, there’s enough bacteria in a 
few mL), and to the remainder add equal parts water and flour. Leave 
again and observe to see if it’s frothing up again, and smell it each 
time also. It should smell sour, and different to its initial smell 
(i.e. flour and water) and not rotten. The culture will typically not be 
very stable for at least a number of feedings like this, so don’t be in 
any kind of hurry. 

The culture will have a cycle that you will slowly get to know if you 
persist with maintaining it. As it gets to the stage where almost all of 
its food is eaten, population growth will slow, and there’ll be much 
waste product in your starter. The smell typically won’t be particularly 
nice, and there may be a layer of brown liquid, called hooch, atop your 
starter. This is the late stage which you want to avoid. Before your 
starter reaches this point, you want to have divided and replenished it 
with fresh food. That said, the culture can still improve from such a 
state. Remove the hooch, keep a small amount of the starter and feed it 
normally. 

To get a starter ready for baking, aim to rise the starter twice to the 
point where it expands so much that it collapses of its own accord. If 
it’s nearing the top of the jar, stir it a little so it reduces in 
volume (but don’t count that as a collapse). Once you’ve done this, you 
can refrigerate the jar, which reduces yeast activity and means you 
don’t have to feed it so often. Keep it away from the hooch stage 
though, by checking on it and feeding it once every one or two weeks as 
necessary. 

Rye flour is regarded as the best flour to use for starters; and it 
tastes great too. 

Baking 

Baking sourdough takes longer than normal bread that relies on 
industrial yeast, but if you’re a good person, you’ll know that in spite 
of the modern axiom ‘time is money’, you’d rather more of the former 
than the latter. What you want to do when preparing a sponge from your 
starter is mimic the process of feeding a starter, but to increase the 
volume with each feeding until you have a sponge of about 100% hydration 
(which is achieve by adding equal portions by weight of flour and water 
each time) containing about 40% of the total volume you aim to have for 
your loaf. 

Firstly you need to activate your starter, so take it out of the fridge 
about 2-3 hours before you want to begin, and let it warm up. Then take 
with 20g starter, and add 20g flour and water each. This should give you 
60g sponge after a 3 or so hours fermenting. Then add to this 60g flour 
and water each, which after another fermenting spurt, should yield 180g 
sponge. I find that this is enough for a 500g gram loaf of sourdough, 
though more may be better. Mix the 180g active (it should be very 
bubbly) sponge with your other chosen baking ingredients. For me this 
means: a small addition of rye flour, some white flour, more water, 2 
tsp of salt and perhaps 50g butter or 60mL olive oil. It is possible to 
actually make great sourdough from merely flour and water though. The 
amount of water and flour required are relative to each other. For a 
normal loaf, 500g flour will require about 300mL water. But with 
sourdough you need to factor in the water and flour contained in your 
sponge. I find that it can be easier, particularly if you already have 
baking experience, to just add your flour up to the desired amount and 
carefully add water as necessary. For caution’s sake, I tend to over 
water (but only by a tiny amount), as the flour will take up the 
moisture more as you knead it, particularly if you’ve got any wholemeal 
flours in the dough. Next, knead the dough very thoroughly: you should 
be able to observe the dough becoming more homogenous and elastic as you 
knead. It should take at least 6 minutes, but if in doubt, keep 
kneading, it can’t hurt. 

Leave the dough to ferment for about 7-8 hours (again use an idle oven 
for warmth), knocking the dough back, re-kneading and shaping it about 
halfway through. The dough should double in size with the fermentation 
process, if it doesn’t, the starter may need to be worked up to a more 
vigorous standard, or your dough may need to rest somewhere a little 
warmer, aim for about 28-32 Centigrade (around 80-90 degrees 
Fahrenheit). When sufficiently risen, place in a very hot oven (about 
250 degrees Centigrade, or 480 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes. Lower 
temperature to 200-220 degrees Centigrade (400-425 degrees Fahrenheit) 
and bake for a further 15 mins. If the loaf appears to be burning at 
all, lower the temperature a little further. 

To ensure that it’s cooked, after removing it from the oven, gently tap 
the bottom of the loaf: if it sounds hollow, you’re in business. Turn 
out onto a wire rack, and don’t eat it before it’s well cooled. - 
Fieldmouse 

---------- 
Features 
---------- 

"Perennial Philosophy, Buddhism, and Richard Wagner's Der Ring des 
Nibelungen" 

The whole world is in flames, the whole world is consumed by fire, the 
whole world trembles. - Buddha, Samyutt., 1.133 

One of the most evocative figures in the history of art is Richard 
Wagner.  Wagner composed many extraordinary operas within his time, yet 
one of the most monumental productions of his is The Ring of the 
Nibelung.  With The Ring, Wagner attempted to create a national epic for 
the German people formed from several texts of Nordic and Teutonic sagas 
and folk-tales.  In doing so, Wagner not only revived an ancient, 
traditional way of life, but he also infused several modern elements 
with these elder worlds.  One of the greatest influences on Wagner 
throughout his life was his interest in India and the Orient, which 
preceded the further encouragement of this interest by the philosophy of 
Arthur Schopenhauer.  Though the interpretation of Eastern philosophy 
has often been erroneous, in Wagner's time this was mainly due to the 
general lack of authentic translations or any at all.  Wagner seems to 
find common ground between ancient German and Indian Traditional culture 
(both being scions to an original Indo-Germanic culture) - for instance, 
the notion of gradual decline of the gods throughout the Ring and the 
forewarned destruction of Walhall.  This decline is one of the major 
facets of the Eastern religions - the belief in the cyclical nature of 
history which begins with a "Golden Age" and ultimately decays 
internally to an age of cultural fragmentation and decadence, the last 
cosmic age before the end of civilization.  This last age, known as Kali 
Yuga to the Indians and ma-fa to the Chinese, was known as Fimbulvetr to 
the Norse, and the following cosmic destruction was known as Ragnarok or 
Götterdämmerung, the doom of the powers.  In addition to the non-creedal 
(or non-dogmatic) Pagan remnants of ancient Teutonic spirituality in the 
Ring and the inclusion of Aryo-Indian spirituality (which differ only 
superficially), elements of modern philosophy may also be found in his 
Ring.  This is significant because the core tenet of Perennialism is 
that the Perennial Philosophy is a "[...] common inheritance of all 
mankind without exception [...]" (Coomaraswamy).  All major religious 
traditions originally extend from this Perennial Philosophy, which has 
become misrepresented, distorted, and ultimately forgotten over time by 
all except for esoteric and mystical sects which have retained this 
tradition. Perennialism not only includes the Pagan religions of India 
and ancient Europe, but also Middle-Eastern religions, including 
Christianity.  However, aside from the underlying Christian aspects, 
modern philosophical influences are also seen in The Ring, most notably 
the influence of Arthur Schopenhauer, whose philosophy of the denial of 
the will to live was supported by the examination and unfortunate 
misinterpretation of Buddhist and Brahamical beliefs by himself and 
other earlier Oriental scholars.  Although many of Schopenhauer's 
interpretations were off, his most important contribution to philosophy 
was a reintroduction to Western thought of a system of cosmic ideology, 
which greatly influenced Wagner's works, including The Ring.  This paper 
will attempt to analyze some of the Perennial aspects of the Ring which 
are derived from its Indo-Germanic spiritual basis, including European 
Paganism and Indian Buddhism, within the light of modern Schopenhauerian 
philosophical components which were introduced to the opera via the 
composer himself, Richard Wagner. 

A basic understanding of the Perennial Philosophy must be in place 
before considering its significance in the works of Richard Wagner. 
According to Aldous Huxley, the Perennial Philosophy in its entirety 
cannot be verbally expressed without some form of bias on the part of 
the speaker, whether sociological or personal.  However, despite the 
uncertainty brought about through many different interpretations, there 
is an underlying "Highest Common Factor" of the most important religious 
and philosophical movements over the past twenty-five centuries 
(xi-xii).  In his introduction to the Bhagavad-Gita, Huxley posits four 
fundamental doctrines of the Perennial Philosophy, the first of which is 
that there is a Divine Ground of which "the phenomenal world of matter 
and individualized consciousness" (xii) are manifestations.  "Being" for 
all manifestations is derived from this Divine Ground, and without it 
these manifestations would not exist.  The second doctrine asserts that 
man is capable of realizing the Divine Ground through "direct intuition, 
superior to discursive reasoning," uniting "the knower with that which 
is known" (xiii).  The third doctrine affirms two natures of man:  a 
"phenomenal ego" and an "eternal Self," the latter being of the "same or 
like nature" as the Divine Ground.  In Hinduism the spirit (Atman) is 
identical to the Divine Ground (Brahman); in Christianity, however, the 
human spirit is not identified with God, but "assimilated and purified." 
Unitive knowledge of the Divine Ground can be achieved only in 
overcoming the cult of personality, which prevents awareness of one's 
inner being.  The fourth doctrine is the assertion that this unitive 
knowledge of the Divine Ground, the "discovery of Truth," is man's 
single, ultimate purpose in life (xv).  Huxley states that 
"contemplation of truth is the end, action the means."  The modern, 
industrial world, however, contradicts this.  With the developments in 
technology over the past few centuries, Western man, in particular, has 
come to believe that life itself and all of its components, including 
society and culture, is being made to be continually and progressively 
better.  Thus a "Utopian future" becomes the center of man's concerns, 
instead of an ever present and eternal Truth which need not be 
manufactured but rediscovered through personal experience.  The fourth 
doctrine of the Perennial Philosophy is reversed from seeking the 
discovery of unitive knowledge with the Divine Ground through 
achievement, to contemplation and discovery becoming the means to 
achievement (xvi).  This "heresy" is one that is widely accepted, and 
becomes entrenched in the mind through media, education, and politics. 
Because the "metaphysical discipline of discrimination between the real 
and apparent [...] is exceedingly difficult," a fifth doctrine 
concerning Incarnations of the Divine Ground is most often included with 
the Perennial Philosophy.  This Incarnation reminds other humans what 
they have forgotten:  "if they choose to become what potentially they 
already are, they too can be eternally united with the Divine Ground" 
(xvii). 

The doctrine of the Perennial Philosophy can be found at the base of all 
of the world's major religious traditions, including various forms of 
Paganism, which would include Hinduism, Shintoism, and pre-Christian 
European heathenism.  Thomas Carlyle states that while some scholars 
today may consider the Pagan religions of the past as "mere quackery" or 
the allegorical "play of poetic minds," what we regard today as Pagan 
mythology was originally to a "rude" Norseman the beholding of the 
"great deep sacred infinitude of Nescience," the organic function of 
Nature-Universe or the Divine Ground ("Lecture").  Being unable to 
express themselves in the "scientific" terms modern man does, but 
possessing the "free open sense of a child," the Pagan mythological 
world was reality for the first Pagan thinkers.  The gods are 
"impersonations of the visible workings of Nature" (Carlyle).  For these 
men everything was a reflection or manifestation of the Divine Ground, 
and nothing reflected this more than man himself, particularly the great 
man.  Thus began the practice of Hero-worship, "heartfelt prostrate 
admiration, submission, burning, boundless, for a noblest godlike Form 
of Man" (Carlyle).  Of all the gods, Oðinn or Wotan is the impersonation 
of the Noble Man.  He realizes the true nature of the universe, the 
Divine Ground, and has come to identify himself with it, transcending 
all other manifestations of it.  It is through his foresight and 
meditation that he is able to lead men and enforce his "will," or to be 
more specific, the impersonal Perennial doctrine, with his spear, Force. 
With recognizing the divinity of Nature and Man comes realizing the 
transience of the world as a manifestation of the divine, like the flux 
of the Rhine, a continuous process of becoming and ending.  Even 
civilizations and the entire cosmic order must end, and this is what is 
known in Germanic mythology as Götterdämmerung.  Carlyle states that the 
ancient Germans realized that "all dies, and even gods die, yet all 
death is but a phoenix fire-death [...]." Although the established order 
ends, eternal principles remain.  Götterdämmerung begins after the end 
of an age of cultural decay called Fimbulvetr, known in Hindu cosmology 
as Kali Yuga, in which the basic foundations of a civilization or 
society, Perennial Doctrine, become so obscured that they are negated or 
reversed.  For instance, with the establishment of industry, commerce, 
and technology as the highest values in the West instead of such things 
as culture, spirituality, and nature, these latter values become 
poisoned and Truth becomes something which is not eternally present and 
able to be realized, but something in the future waiting to be 
established or experienced.  Perhaps this is why so many people around 
the world feel the appeal of the ancient Greek, Roman, Indian, and 
Scandinavian epics:  they realize the truth in 
Perennialism/Traditionalism, the sacredness of Nature, the divine spark 
within Mankind as a part of Nature, the cyclical pattern of history, 
ever establishing and re-establishing Tradition followed by gradual 
decline, an archetype engrained in what Carl Jung would call the 
"collective unconscious." 

One of the most renowned contributors to Traditionalism (or 
Perennialism) is the esotericist Julius Evola, an Italian baron whose 
primary works were written in the first half of the 20th Century and 
pertain to a vast area of subjects, including politics, philosophy, 
religion, and history.  One of these works includes an analysis of 
primitive Buddhism, intended to be offered as an alternate spiritual way 
to self-discipline and heroic action for mankind in the age of Kali 
Yuga.  Jean Varenne, who wrote the introduction to Evola's The Doctrine 
of Awakening, takes notice to compare Evola's aristocratic background 
and the noble origins of the Buddha, Prince Siddhartha (Varenne xvii). 
Varenne also points out that Evola takes a very scholarly approach in 
his gathering of large numbers of original Pali sources, which is the 
language which the Buddha spoke (Varenne xix). Few religions have been 
able to express the Perennial Philosophy more clearly and holistically 
than the Brahmanic religions of Hinduism and Buddhism.  Although the 
doctrines of the Perennial Philosophy are evident in the many different 
cultural manifestations of it, the Brahmanical religions, most 
importantly early Vedism and early Buddhism, provide some of the oldest 
methods of ascesis for obtaining what is known as self-mastery, the 
unconditioned, nirvana.  This awareness begins with the realization of 
samsara, the world of becoming, of "experience itself, consuming itself 
in its own momentary content" (Evola 44).  The process is continuous, 
yet it is "a succession of states that give place to one another 
according to an impersonal law, as in an eternal circle" (44).  Each 
individual life is recognized as khanda or santana, which are understood 
to be a conglomeration and a current respectively, and dhamma or dharma, 
defined as "factors or variables of existence that apply, or which have 
particular values, at each instant" (Everett), and which Evola describes 
as formations of "vortices or currents of psychophysical elements and of 
allied states" (45) that are built up under certain conditions and later 
dissolve once these conditions change and conglomerate at some other 
point in samsara.  From this comes the Buddhist saying in the 
Dhammapada, which Evola quotes:  "'All the elements of existence are 
transitory' ? 'All things are without individuality or substance'" (45). 
Evola asserts that upon achieving samsaric consciousness, the illusion 
of the "I" is realized as "a flux, current or indefinite series of 
insubstantial states determined by dukkha" (56), which roughly 
translating as agitation, suffering, or restlessness (49).  After 
samsaric consciousness is "mastered" one can find the passage to the 
"unconditioned and extra-samsaric." (56). 

Much of the information which Evola presents comes from some of the 
earliest Buddhist texts, such as the Sutta-pitaka and the 
Samyutta-nikaya.  However, during the time of Richard Wagner, many of 
these texts were not available.  Because of the lack of earlier Buddhist 
texts and the often inadequate translations of the available texts, the 
German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer misinterpreted and misunderstood 
much of Buddhism, which is not entirely his fault, since these "Pali 
texts that fully expounded the philosophy of dharma [...] were not 
translated into Western languages before the end of the century" 
(Everett).  Schopenhauer's philosophy is based around the denial of will 
to live, which "does not in any way imply the annihilation of a 
substance; it means merely the act of non-volition:  that which 
previously willed, wills no more" (Schopenhauer 61).  Schopenhauer 
interpreted the Buddhist concept of nirvana as a state of non-being, 
whereas in actuality, nirvana is not a state being or not-being, and is 
technically impossible to be explained directly.  This misinterpretation 
in turn misled those influenced by Schopenhauer in how they regarded 
Buddhism, who would include not only Friedrich Nietzsche but also 
Richard Wagner.  Indeed, Wagner was very much influenced by 
Schopenhauer, of whom Wilhelm Halbfass speaks of, in his India and 
Europe, as "the only philosopher whom Wagner really recognized" (124). 
Although Wagner had previously been exposed to Indian thought, 
especially through Indologists, such as his brother-in-law, Hermann 
Brockhaus, Wagner found within Schopenhauer " a metaphysical key to his 
own artistic endeavors" (Halbfass 124).  Indeed, Wagner had planned to 
compose a Buddhist opera, Die Sieger, which was to be based off of the 
Sardulakar?avadana of Buddhist lore, however this venture was never 
fulfilled (Halbfass 124). 

Nevertheless, due to the inaccuracy or Schopenhauer's interpretation of 
Brahmanical and Buddhist religion, such as the interpretation of nirvana 
as a state of non-existence, is essentially false because, as a dharma, 
nirvana is something which exists, even though it is "intrinsically 
undefinable and inexpressible" (Everett).  In a letter to his 
father-in-law, Franz Liszt, written in 1955, Wagner states: 

This act of denying the will is the true action of the saint [...] it is 
ultimately accomplished only in a total end to individual consciousness 
-- for there is no other consciousness except that which is personal and 
individual [...] in truth they were striving only to achieve the 
destruction of their own individuality, i.e. their existence. This most 
profound of all instincts finds purer and more meaningful expression 
[...] in Brahmin teaching, and especially in its final transfiguration 
in Buddhism, where it achieves its most perfect form.  
- Wagner, Letter to Franz Liszt, 1855 

The fundamental error seen in Wagner's understanding of Buddhism is that 
he accepts "individual consciousness" as the only consciousness, whereas 
in the documents Evola has researched, the individual and individual 
consciousness are mere currents within the continual flux of samsara. 
Wagner, as well as all other Westerners of his time, had no knowledge of 
the Buddhist notion of the unconditional, or what Aldous Huxley would 
refer to as unitive knowledge of the Divine Ground, which is continually 
reflected and made manifest within the physical world.  To Wagner, 

  
then, 
the destruction of the individual, or the removal of the cult of 
personality becomes an end in itself rather than a step in the process 
to contemplation of a higher Truth, similar to how Friedrich Nietzsche 
tried to describe nihilism not as the end in itself but a tool used to 
distinguish mentally-contrived illusion from reality.  With the 
convergence of Paganism, Perennial Philosophy and Buddhism with Wagner's 
Schopenhauerian denial of the will, one is spiritually torn between the 
implications of Wagner's pessimistic ideology of redemption of the will 
to live found within The Ring and the original overarching significance 
of the Nibelung epic as the affirmation of life through transcendental 
realization of the "will" or the "I" as subject to a higher force.   

Although the later personal philosophy of Wagner seems to be a 
fatalistic one of redemption and denial of the will, the intrinsic 
Perennial aspect is a positive one which recognizes a transcendent force 
"connected with the emotive and irrational energies [...]" that " [...] 
gradually identifies itself as the very force that rules the profound 
functions of physical life, over which the 'will,' the 'mind,' and the 
'I' have very little influence, to which they are external and on which 
they live parasitically [...]" (Evola 55).  The fatalism of Wagner, 
which can be otherwise characterized as a negative nihilism, is a very 
pronounced feature within the Ring, becoming particularly evident within 
the character of Wotan.  Wagner's Wotan brings forth into being through 
his "will" Walhall.  However, in making a contract with the giants upon 
his spear, he promises Freia to them.  It is with this error that 
Walhall, and the reign of the gods, comes into being.  This is 
reminiscent of Wagner's accounting of the Brahmanical myth of the 
creation of the world: 

[Brahminism] puts forth a myth in which the world is created by God; but 
it does not praise this act as a boon, but presents it as a sin 
committed by Brahma for which the latter atones by transforming himself 
into the world and by taking upon himself the immense sufferings of the 
world; he is redeemed in those saints who, by totally denying the will 
to live, pass over into nirvana, i.e. the land of non-being, as a result 
of their consuming sympathy for all that suffers.  
- Wagner, Letter to Franz Liszt, 1855 

In creating the world, Wotan commits a sin, an error, and through 
Wagner's interpretation of Brahmanic myth, Wotan too must atone for this 
sin, putting the "immense sufferings of the world" not only upon his 
shoulders, but upon the shoulders of his offspring, the Wälsungs and the 
Walkyries.  Although Wotan often interferes, he cannot achieve total 
redemption unless some saint should totally deny the will to live 
without intervention.  This brings about the question of who in Wagner's 
Ring this saint is.  Siegfried and Brünnhilde are the two most likely 
candidates since the entirety of the epic is balance upon them as the 
final two major characters in the opera. Although Siegfried bears the 
sufferings of Wotan greatly, he is heroic in nature:  he asserts the 
value of life as a whole, neither as a path for individual material 
gain, nor a great cosmic blunder for which mankind must atone.  He has 
spent his entire youth within the forest, which as an organic system of 
order is one of the most supreme examples of the hierarchical cosmic 
ideology of the Perennial Philosophy.  From his experience in the forest 
he would certainly have a greater natural wisdom or, more appropriately, 
intuition of the cyclical, sa?saric nature of existence, and from this 
understanding he is able to transcend the "individual" and attune his 
eternal Self with the Divine Ground.  It is only through intoxication 
from the nepenthe given by Hagen to Siegfried that he makes a tragic 
error.  

However, on the other hand with Brünnhilde there is much to suggest the 
role of the saint.  Everett points out that Wagner, being "under the 
influence of Indian thought" changed the ending of Götterdämmerung.  In 
the original text Brünnhilde claims to know everything, meaning the 
circumstances of Siegfried's death; however, in the 1865 version, ten 
years after his letter to Liszt, she "declared that she became die 
Wissende [the Knowing One], which, Carl Suneson suggested, we are to 
interpret in the Buddhist sense of a bodhisattva."  Wagner clearly 
expresses his idea of the Buddha in reference to one who redeems Brahma 
in his letter to Liszt: 

The Buddha was just such a saint; according to his doctrine of 
metempsychosis, every living creature will be reborn in the shape of 
that being to which he caused pain, however pure his life might 
otherwise have been, so that he himself may learn to know pain; his 
suffering soul continues to migrate in this way, and he himself 
continues to be reborn until such time as he causes no more pain to any 
living creature in the course of some new incarnation but, out of 
fellow-suffering (Mitleid), completely denies himself and his own will 
to live.  
- Wagner, Letter to Franz Liszt, 1855 

From these two pieces of evidence one is able to infer that Brünnhilde 
is intended to be the saint upon whom the redemption Brahma and the 
world is fulfilled.  In her self-immolation she returns the ring to the 
Rhinemaidens, ending the curse that had caused so much pain to the 
world.  It is in these actions of ending suffering and the denial of the 
will to live that Wagner intends for the world to be redeemed. 

Upon noting the origins of this saintly woman, Brünnhilde, one also 
finds an uncanny connection.  Her father, Wotan, "raging or possessed," 
the warrior-artist on whom the redemption of the world is placed is 
confronted with the wise Erda, who is a Wala.  The term "Wala" is rooted 
in the Indo-Germanic "wal/walh-," which signifies someone or something 
that is strange or foreign, and specifically for a German - a 
non-German.  This encounter of Wotan with the Wala could perhaps be a 
symbolization of early encounters of the ancient Germans with the Celts, 
the bearers of an ideological system that very much paralleled that of 
India.  Yet even beyond this, perhaps there lies a metaphor for Wagner, 
as Wotan, and his own encounter with India (Erda).  A romantic 
nationalist such as Wagner, taking upon himself the embodiment of the 
consciousness of the German race, would most certainly consider the 
Indians as "Walh" much like ancient Germans considered their Celtic 
neighbors "Walh," and from which the names Wales, Wallonia, and 
Wallachia come.  It is from this love affair between Wotan (Wagner) and 
the Wala Erda (India) that Brünnhilde, the Saint, the path to the 
redemption, is born, much as Wagner's discovery of the Eastern religions 
and Schopenhauer's pessimistic philosophy prompted him on the road 
towards the denial of the will to live. 

However, Wagner cannot achieve his ultimate goal of redemption with a 
fearless, life-affirming hero such as Siegfried, who has shattered the 
corrupt law of Wotan with his sword.  Therefore it is necessary for the 
Hero to be introduced to fear, and it is through the love of Brünnhilde 
that this occurs.  Love, in the end, is what brings the Hero to his 
death, and through love the Saint denies the will to live and redeems 
the world with her self-immolation and the return of the Ring to the 
Rhine. This redemption of the will through love is found throughout many 
of Wagner's other operas, such as Tristan und Isolde, however, some 
propose that one of the main reasons Wagner never completed his Buddhist 
opera, Die Sieger, is because of his failed attempt "to correct the 
philosophy of Schopenhauer so that it would accommodate the possibility 
of a total pacification of the will through love" (Everett).  Thus, this 
gradual advance toward the abandonment of redemption through love not 
only takes a pessimistic turn in The Ring, with the utter destruction of 
an entire cosmic order, but actually may have led to the prevention of 
one of Wagner's intended creations. 

Of this turning toward redemption and denial of the will to live which 
occurred towards the end of Wagner's life, Friedrich Nietzsche said: 
"There is nothing on which Wagner has reflected so much as redemption: 
his opera is the opera of redemption."  (459-60).  It is uncertain 
whether or not Wagner intends the raising of a better world, a new 
Golden Age, out of the ruins of Walhall.  However, it is certain that to 
the original Pagan authors of the Nibelung saga embraced the Perennial 
Truth and the cyclical view of history, that from the ashes of the 
previously fallen civilization and cosmic order only those who are the 
most heroic will arise with a "new-birth into the Greater and the 
Better! It is the fundamental Law of Being for a creature made of Time, 
living in this Place of Hope" (Carlyle).  Although Wagner intends to 
introduce Buddhism as a path to the negation of the will to live, it is 
with the utmost irony one finds that being interpreted properly through 
the earliest texts and accurate translations, as Evola has done, 
Buddhism itself affirms Life on a holistic, transcendent level, even 
further affirming the Pagan Perennial element of the original myths from 
which Wagner derives his Ring.  In Wagner's opera the burning of Walhall 
and the destruction of the entire cosmic order is redemption and denial 
of the will to live, the passing into what Wagner perceived of as 
"non-being."  In connection to the several leitmotivs in The Ring, it is 
also interesting to observe that in a note preceding Julius Evola's The 
Doctrine of Awakening, an anonymous editor comments on how many of the 
Buddhist teachings are "set forth in the form of leitmotif [...] 
passages that recur in various texts, almost in identical form" (v). 
One of these repeated symbolisms is that of the "burning world," which 
Evola has commented on and explained as symbolizing the driving force 
behind samsaric existence, a sort of craving and thirst.  With the 
Perennial perspective in mind, one is able to draw a deep insinuation 
from The Ring:  in the gradual decline of Wotan from assertive and 
heroic to withdrawn and fatalistic, so too does civilization decline 
from its Golden Age to a period of decadence which eventually consumes 
itself with the fire of desire, aversion, and delusion.  Yet this fire, 
tanha, is the "central force of samsaric existence" which is also found 
"in birth and death, in decay, in every kind of pain and suffering" 
(Evola 49).  As surely as the world burns it will give birth again to a 
new age, but it is only through the actions of the transcendent Hero, 
through whose actions contemplation and discovery brings mankind in 
union with the Divine Ground and we enter a new Golden Age. 

Works Cited: 

"A Note on Sources."  The Doctrine of Awakening: The Attainment of 
Self-Mastery According to the Earliest Buddhist Texts. 1943.  Trans. H. 
E. Musson.  Rochester, VT:  Inner Traditions, 1996. v.<br> 
Samyutta-nikaya.  Trans. C. A. F. Rhys Davids and F. L. Woodward.  Pali 
text ed.  4 vols.  London, 1923.<br> 
Carlyle, Thomas.  "Lecture I. The Hero as Divinity.  Odin.  Paganism: 
Scandinavian Mythology."  On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in 
History. May 5, 1840. Rpt. November 1997.  ProjectGutenberg.com. 
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext97/heros10.txt<br> 
Everett, Derrick.  "Wagner, Buddhism and Parsifal." (2003). 
http://home.c2i.net/monsalvat/india.htm#Buddhism<br>  
Evola, Julius.  The Doctrine of Awakening: The Attainment of 
Self-Mastery According to the Earliest Buddhist Texts. 1943.  Trans. H. 
E. Musson.  Rochester, VT:  Inner Traditions, 1996.<br> 
Halberfass, Wilhelm.  India and Europe:  An Essay in Understanding.  New 
York:  State University of New York, 1988.<br> 
Huxley, Aldous. "Introduction."  The Bhagavad-Gita.  Trans. by Swami 
Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood. New York:  Signet, 2002. 
11-22.<br> 
Nietzsche, Friedrich.  "From The Wagner Case."  The Portable Nietzsche. 
Ed. and trans. Walter Kaufmann.  New York:  Viking/Penguin, 1988.  459- 
461.<br> 
Samyutta-nikaya.  Trans. C. A. F. Rhys Davids and F. L. Woodward.  Pali 
text ed.  4 vols.  London, 1923.<br> 
Schopenhauer, Arthur.  "Essays and Aphorisms."  Sel. and trans. R. J. 
Hollingdale.  London:  Penguin, 1970.<br> 
Varenne, Jean.  "Julius Evola and Buddhism."  The Doctrine of Awakening: 
The Attainment of Self-Mastery According to the Earliest Buddhist Texts. 
1943.<br>  Trans. Guido Stucco.  Rochester, VT:  Inner Traditions, 1996. 
xvii-xx.<br> 
Wagner, Richard.  "Letter from Richard Wagner to Franz Liszt, 7 June 
1855."  Selected Letters of Richard Wagner. Tr. and ed. Stewart Spencer 
and Barry<br>  Millington, London:  Dent, 1987. Rpt. 2003. "Wagner, 
Buddhism and Parsifal."  Derrick Everett. 
http://home.c2i.net/monsalvat/india.htm#Buddhism.  - unzeitgeist 

-=- 

"The Development of the Ego" 

It is said that man's best bet on survival is to adapt, and that I 
wholeheartedly agree with. But what is adaptation from a spiritual 
aspect? Isn't it submission under the laws of nature, denying of the 
absolute worth of self? It certainly is, to the horror of the "modern 
individualist", who seeks to assert his own ego and belief of his 
intrinsic uniqueness, like so many others. 

Self-image, the ego, most likely developed when nature couldn't rule 
with such an absolute power over the tribes of ancient times and these 
tribes then found themselves distanced a bit from nature, not being so 
entirely dependant on it anymore, although not fully free either. Of 
course, the ego wasn't totally nonexistent during those more 
"shamanistic" times but it wasn't as strongly underlined and placed high 
on a pedestal as it is nowadays, due to the "misty" connection with the 
land: the sources of food were not permanent due to depletion or the 
fleet feet of wild game following the turning of seasons. To the 
hunter-gatherer tribes of old, adaptation was the way to go and the only 
thing egoistic in that was that of tribe serving the best interest of 
the tribe itself. 

The introduction of agriculture struck a wedge between man and nature, 
although a miniscule one compared to the jackhammers of today. Man 
"found" himself through being capable of more than mere survival and 
realized that there is something that cuts through the wind when 
standing against it: him. He desired change, he was passionate to carve 
his mark on the stone of eternity. And so, the people of that time were 
idealistic to a degree: "Victory or defeat, I will nevertheless push 
forwards!" That was, and is, the only way to achieve true change. One 
must be like a vector, pushing towards a certain direction, steadfast 
and never loosening grip on one's axe to achieve. Anything else would 
have been adaptation, incompatible with such a culture focused towards 
triumphing. Although the difference was not this stark initially, it 
developed and grew.  However, as all things cycle and morph all the time 
and nothing stays static, these striving cultures created civilizations 
and these civilizations, well, built upon themselves, towering far above 
the ground. So, we are being distanced from our surroundings, further 
and further every passing day - a far cry from the pre-agricultural 
mentality of people. But surely not everyone is a vector in today's 
world? No, not everyone, as there are many who simply choose to adapt to 
the status quo, which may be an unconscious remnant from the ancient 
times; the phrase "to go with the flow" applies in both the social and 
metaphorical contexts. In other words, they might themselves feel like 
vectors, but when the pretense is stripped they move nowhere by 
themselves on the system of coordinates, perfectly adapted to their 
immediate surroundings like a driftwood gently rocking between two waves 
in a stream. 

In the other end of the spectrum there are the tower-builders, who lay 
stones upon stones to rise higher, although the spot where they laid the 
stone foundation has not moved anywhere over the course of centuries, 
and how could it have? You cannot pull a thread from a fabric without 
breaking it up, can you? As colossal as the change brought by 
cultivation of land was, still it did not free people from the cycle of 
seasons, the winds of the world; much in the same manner, our current 
towers sway by the passing of these winds, regardless of their age. It's 
only that gusts of air are not so evident up in the skies, far above the 
clouds, until they pummel the tower itself. 

Vectors make change, static dots adapt to their position. The forces in 
power push us upward on this narrow path, perhaps toward a looming black 
hole and the fortified focus on individualism keeps us blind from what 
happens in our surroundings: is the building on which we build on 
already weak and fragile, destined to crumble from piling even one block 
on it? We do not know nor care, we only want to toss a dozen blocks on 
it. Would it be reasonable for us to strive to adapt to the land 
surrounding this tower, to be a countering force as even the chances of 
mere survival look frighteningly dim? - frostwood 

------------------- 
Self-Sufficiency 
------------------- 

Composting: 

Reduce the amount of waste that goes to the landfill by composting.  If 
you live out in the country or in an apartment in the heart of a large 
city you can compost.   

For those unfamiliar, composting is a natural soil decomposition process 
performed by soil inhabiting macro and microorganisms such as fungi, 
earthworms and protozoa.  During the process of decomposition a 
brown/black, nutrient rich byproduct is produced called humus.  When 
humus is produced you have compost that is rich in nutrients. 

Composting can be utilized to break down organic matter from ones own 
home, such as kitchen scraps, as well as soil and plant materials like 
leaves, grass clippings and hay.  Utilizing the decomposition process 
reduces the amount of material waste sent to the landfill and the 
nutrient rich fertilizer produced can be used to fertilize any soil of 
your choice. 

What to Compost 

Good things to compost:  Grass Clippings, Leaves, kitchen scraps, 
shredded paper, saw dust, wood chips, hay, straw, corn cobs, fruit and 
vegetable leftovers, shredded cardboard, egg shells, and most anything 
else organic and easily biodegradable. 

Bad things to compost: Chemical waste, Styrofoam, fats and grease, 
chemically treated woods, human waste, dairy, meat, oil, plastics. 
*note: Fats, grease, oil, meat and dairy are generally not recommended 
for compost piles because they attract bad smells, rodents and insects. 
If you are willing to deal with smells, insects and rodents, then go 
ahead and compost meat, oil, grease and dairy products. 

How to compost 

Composting is a relatively simple process.  It’s almost as easy as 
putting your compostable waste items (as noted above) into a pile and 
letting them decompose naturally.  However doing it like this takes a 
long time, therefore in order to fully take advantage of the 
decomposition process, an understanding of the factors making a 
successful active compost pile is in order.   

Regardless of the method you choose to use for composting, these are the 
four most important factors you need to keep in mind for a successful 
compost pile: 

1.  Aeration 
2.  Moisture 
3.  Carbon to Nitrogen ratio 
4.  Temperature 

Aeration - Aerobic life forms are the dominant decomposers in a compost 
pile therefore it is essential to make sure your compost pile remains 
aerated.  Allow the pile to remain lose and don’t compact it. 
Compacting will limit airflow.  Occasionally turning and shifting the 
compost pile increases aeration and is virtually necessary to keep up 
efficient decomposition.  Also cutting up scraps that go into the pile 
exposes more surface area, which speeds up the decomposition process.   

Moisture - The next important thing to keep in mind is the moisture of 
your pile.  Decomposers require moisture in order to live, thus you must 
make sure your compost pile maintains a certain amount of moisture.  The 
moisture level should be about the same as a wrung out sponge.  If there 
is greater or less moisture than this the decomposition process will go 
much slower.  If you live in a dry climate plan to put your pile in a 
shaded place so that less moisture will evaporate and be sure to add 
moisture to it more frequently.  If you live in a rather wet climate put 
your compost in a dryer area and perhaps have some sort of cover 
available to keep out excess rain and moisture.   

Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio - This is one of the most important things to 
consider when starting a compost pile.  Micro and macro organisms doing 
the decomposition need carbon and nitrogen to survive, however too much 
carbon and nitrogen can be harmful to them.  The ideal carbon to 
nitrogen ratio for composting is 30:1.   

Here’s a brief list of carbon to nitrogen levels found in some commonly 
composted items.   

        Compost Items:      C:N Ratio: 

	Hay			12:1 
	Kitchen Scraps		15:1 
	Grass Clippings		19:1 
	Coffee Grounds		20:1 
	Rotten Manure		20:1 
	Leaves			60:1 
	Paper 			180:1 
	Wood chips		300:1 

 
In order to get good compost, mix and match some of these ingredients 
into your compost pile.  Fresh material generally has a lower carbon to 
nitrogen ratio than does material that has had a while to decompose. 
Since most materials are higher in carbon than nitrogen make sure to 
consciously add nitrogen rich materials to your compost pile.  

As a rule of thumb, green materials are higher in nitrogen while brown 
materials are generally higher in carbon.  So an easy way to think of 
the carbon to nitrogen level is 30 parts brown and 1 part green, or for 
the amount of kitchen scraps put into the compost pile, put an equal 
amount of brown material.  Following this rule of thumb should give you 
a healthy compost pile.     

Temperature - As decomposition takes place the microorganisms produce an 
exothermic reaction that heats up the pile.  If you have a good carbon 
to nitrogen level, moisture, aeration and volume for your pile this 
reaction will create a temperature anywhere between 110 to 140 degrees. 
However if you live in a climate where the temperatures get 
exceptionally cold you will need to locate your compost pile in a place 
that averages a temperature of at least fifty degrees.  If your pile 
freezes it will only temporarily stunt the decomposers and decomposition 
will begin again once the pile thaws. 

Methods of Composting 

Compost Heap: An open compost heap is a recommended method only for 
those individuals who have open land and are willing to spare some of it 
for composting duties.  Creating a compost heap is quite simple. 
Section of an area of your land and begin filling it with yard and 
kitchen scraps.  Make sure the compost stays moist and occasionally turn 
the heap for quicker composting time. Covering your heap with a tarp and 
or straw will help it keep more stable composting conditions.   

Once the heap starts to get to a good size-this might take anywhere from 
6 to 24 weeks depending on your waste output-begin a new pile so as to 
let the old pile fully decompose.  You will know the pile is done 
decomposing when it emanates an earthy aroma and is a rich brown or 
black color. 

	Pros: Takes little to no money and is easy to do. 

	Cons: Not orderly or aesthetically pleasing.  Pile occasionally 
	needs to be turned manually. 

Composting in Bins and Containers:  Composting in containers or holding 
units is relatively easy and inexpensive.  There are many different 
kinds of composting containers and holding units that can be purchased 
or made.  I will list a few container options and how to construct them 
yourself:    

	Mesh Wire Bin:  Take a 10-foot long, 36-inch wide sheet of 1-inch 
	galvanized chicken wire and fold its short ends back three or four 
	inches. Bring together the folded ends to make a circle and tie them 
	tightly together using industrial strength wire.  Set the newly 
	constructed wire cylinder in the place you wish to compost.  You can 
	apply stakes around the inside boarder of the wire circle for added 
	stability (this is an optional step).   

	Buckets: Composting can also be done in 10 gallon buckets.  Simply 
	place the composting items in the bucket, take into account all the 
	SAME  factors  listed in the 'how to' section and allow for 
	decomposition to take place.  The downsides to this method are its 
	lack of space, and the difficulty in mixing the materials together. 
	If you choose this method make sure to have a few buckets on hand so 
	that when one gets full you can leave it to the side to decompose 
	and start filling a new one.  This method, along with the other bin 
	methods, takes time.  

	Trashcans: Get a plastic or metal garbage can and poke holes in the 
	bottom, the sides and the lid to help with aeration.  Place the 
	trashcan on top of bricks and put a pan underneath to collect any 
	water runoff.  Put a bit of soil and grass clippings at the bottom 
	of the trash can and then begin filling it with compost materials as 
	normal.   

	Wooden Pallet Bin:  Grab four wooden pallets like the ones found 
	behind grocery stores.  Stand them erect and place them next to each 
	other to create a square bin.  Screw them together or use wire to 
	tie them together.  If you want a bottom, grab a fifth pallet and 
	place it on the bottom.  This is a simple and nearly free way to 
	make a decent wooden compost bin. The bin can be converted into more 
	bins by adding more pallet walls.<p> 
	 

These are just some of the ways you can compost using bins and 
containers.  If none of these appeal to you or you find them unfeasible, 
consider designing your own small compost bin.  Ideal compost piles are 
3 feet wide and 3 feet deep, but there are no rules about making them 
smaller.  For apartment dwellers a couple of these methods are 
applicable, such as the trashcan and bucket methods.   

    	Pros: Keeps pile neat and orderly and is a quick and inexpensive 
    	method. 

	Cons: Slow decomposition time 
	 

Compost Tumbler:  A compost tumbler is something you can buy or make 
yourself.  Buying it can cost you over 100 dollars so my recommendation 
is to make it if you have the time.  I won’t go into the details of 
making a tumbler yourself as it is a more extensive process than the 
other methods discussed, but I will say that if you scour your local 
scrap yard you should find many of the materials needed for the project 
such as a 55 gallon drum, metal piping, and wood.  This method of 
composting is perhaps the quickest way to compost a lot of material. 
  
	Pros: Fastest form of composting   

	Cons: Expensive when buying, time consuming and labor intensive when 
	building 
	 

Vermiculture:  This method involves composting with red wriggler worms 
(Eisenia foetida).  Since worms are natural decomposers they break down 
the items you put into a composting bin.  An advantage of vermiculture 
is that it requires less time and space than other methods, which makes 
it perfect for those living in an apartment.   

Build a container to your preferred size, or find an old trunk and or 
wooden container and convert it into a worm bin.  You want your 
container to be at least six to twelve inches deep and it needs to have 
a lid.  Holes also need to be drilled into the container to allow for 
aeration (8 to 12 holes in the bottom should work, but make sure to 
elevate the bin if you put them in the bottom).   

Once you have your container layer it with shredded newspaper, 
cardboard, and leaves (sawdust, straw and other dead plants will work 
well too).  Cover those items with a bit of sandy dirt.  Fill your 
container about three-quarters full with bedding before you put in the 
worms and make sure that the bedding is loose.   

As for how many worms you need to put in your container, it varies based 
upon how much food waste you dump out per day on average.  A general 
ratio is one pound of food waste a day requires two pounds of worms 
(2000 worms).  Make a note of this ratio and use it when deciding how 
many worms you will need.   

It is important that you keep the soil in the bin at a temperature 
between 40 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit otherwise the worms will die.  If 
you keep your bin outside, consider taking it in on particularly cold 
nights.  If you live in a very cold area, it is a must that you keep it 
inside someplace warm on freezing nights.  

	 
	Pros: Great for composting food scraps in apartments 

	Cons: Temperature needs to be kept up.  Large amount of worms needed 
	to effectively decompose kitchen scraps. 

 
Trash Bag Composting:  Put the same things you would normally compost 
into a large black or opaque trash bag and add a couple of cups of soil. 
Make sure there are no holes in the bag, if there are mend them with 
duct tape.  When full, seal the bag and let it lay out in the sun.  The 
contents of the bag should turn to usable compost in three to four 
weeks.  This method is simple, quick, and perfect for anyone living in 
an apartment, as it doesn’t require a large amount of space.   

	Pros:  Simple and quick method 
	 
	Cons: Doesn’t hold much, wastes bags. 

Special considerations for Apartment Composting:   

Since most apartment dwellers don’t have access to grass clippings, 
leaves and other sorts of vegeatation, they should make a special 
attempt to gather leaves, grass clipping and wood shavings from around 
the community. 

Another bit of advice to those living in an aparment is to assess the 
space you have to work with before going to buy materials to build a 
compost bin.  Take a bit of time to measure out an area of your patio or 
balcony beforehand, it could save you time and resources.  

Time Disclaimer 

Composting takes time, it’s not an overnight process.  Keep this in mind 
when you decided upon what method you want to use when composting. 
Depending on the size of the pile composting can take anywhere from 3 
weeks to 24 months.  Generally small, active compost piles take 4 to 6 
weeks, which means that if you are in an apartment or small residence 
your composting time will be shorter.  If you have the land to start a 
large pile of well over 3 feet wide and 3 feet deep, it will take around 
12 to 24 months for the compost to finish.  You can keep adding material 
to the compost and it is recommended that you eventually start a second 
compost pile to allow the original one to finish without having half 
decomposed materials in it.  If you can only begin one pile, throw the 
still decomposing materials into your next pile.   

Conclusion 

Once your compost is ready you can use it to fertilize your own garden. 
If you don’t have a garden you can give it to someone who does and if 
that isn’t an option for you, you can go and fertilize an empty dirt 
lot.  Even if you can’t use the fertilizer yourself the compost is still 
useful and it helps eliminate the extra waste that gets shipped to the 
landfill. - phantasm     

References: 

[1]"Composting Your Garbage" [on line] Available at 
http://www.guvswd.org/compost<br> 
[2]"Composting Your Organic Kitchen Wastes with Worms" [on line] 
Available at http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/bse/442-005/442-005.html#L3 
[3]"Composting in an Apartment or Condo" [on line] Available at 
http://www.dfwnetmall.com/earth/compost-condo-apartment.htm 
[4]"The Way of the Compost" [on line] Available at 
http://www.humboldt.edu/~ccat/wastereduction/composting/ralphSP2002/comp 
osting.html 
[5]"Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio for Various Compostable Materials" [on 
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Literature 
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"Forgotten legend" 

Iron barrel, golden visor 
A midnight trance has opened its door 
The oldest plains of my consciousness 
Near the astral fortress 
Marrow and bone, flesh to stone 
A hand in your heart a planet'shone 
Where light grows and green sows 
The shadow died, and blood flowed 
An ant with a sword on a winged horse 
Through an opening, he marches with force 
A victorious ride to the land of the dead 
The insect hero approaches the war gate. - ted olieken 

-=- 

"Fatal Embrace" 

A sunrise that would have had a more emotional person in tears rose 
above the treetops. For Nick, it was neatly filed in the mental folder 
of "things to give a shit about when I have children", a thought which 
inevitably trod the logical next step down that mental path: You have to 
find a wife first. At least, a woman who didn't recoil from his 
personality as though it were a rabid canine. 

Interesting considerations, but Nick had to get ready for work. Usually, 
he was the kind of guy who liked having a morning to himself before 
heading off to his daily drudgery; unfortunately, a spur of the moment 
gathering with some work acquaintances at a bar the night previous had 
disintegrated that routine. He had woken late with that sandy feeling 
behind the eyes and the bitter aftertaste of whatever insipid brew he'd 
been drinking curdling his tastebuds. He didn't usually suffer the next 
day when these events happened, but it did throw a pall on everything 
that chanced his way, as Nick couldn't commit his full potential to 
anything. It was no matter to him though. He'd lived through enough 
hangovers to survive this one. 

By profession, Nick was the nighttime line cook at a restaurant in town 
whose only claim to fame was the quality of its breakfasts; it turned 
over some two hundred breakfasts a day, mostly commuters off the highway 
passing through in need of a quick bite, but when it came to the dinner 
shift, it was a ghost town. He usually worked them by himself, a 
scheduling marvel which oftentimes came back to remind him of just how 
insightful the bureaucratic forethought of his superiors was when a 
large turnout suddenly materialized, leaving him cursing and struggling 
to meet the demand. His chef was a short-tempered, high-strung 
individual who was an affable guy outside of work demands, but an 
insufferable tyrant whilst working his breakfasts. Nick was glad that he 
didn't work with him all that often, as the man set his teeth on edge 
with his constant, incessantly impractical orders when the pressure was 
on. 

Nick admired the older bus he had stepped onto that was taking him 
downtown, as its construction dated to when the use of actual cushioning 
in the seats was not a costly consideration, but noted as usual the 
degeneration time had worn on its chassis and wondered why they didn't 
just upgrade the entire fleet. He wasn't about to get a second and third 
job to afford a car though; he was in a deep enough hole trying to get 
into culinary school, as that was the only way to advance in this town 
and in the industry, and schooling required money - money which flew out 
of his hands as soon as he touched it. He considered carving something 
into the antique seats. 

The politics of a bus were fascinating to him. It was a fantastic 
vantage point to observe humanity; you could literally see the 
self-absorption of each and every person. Cackling teenage girls 
nattering on loudly in the back about some dreamy guy who treated them 
like slime, the autistic retard who couldn't grasp the concept of 
walking up stairs to save its life, the old woman who falls accidentally 
with everyone around her too busy blathering on their cell phones to 
notice, or the driver himself who flies through the bus route, totally 
disrupting the purpose of the schedule, so that he can linger at one of 
the major stops for ten minutes to smoke and chat on his own cell phone 
- all of it was complete and utter insanity to Nick. Often, he had to 
stop himself from noticing it all and focus on the outside world 
drifting by, or his own thoughts. 

His thoughts often centered themselves around what he would do that 
evening when he got off work. Nick was mentally an outsider to the ebb 
and flow of civilization, and as such, he didn't really partake in the 
same activities that most of the crowd believed were interesting methods 
for killing time. He didn't do much in the mornings; he kept his time 
usage to simple things in order to quiet the oncoming stress of the day. 
The nights were frequently spent imbibing so as to bury the stupidity of 
the day now behind him. Because of his lack of care for finding a social 
niche, Nick could venture anywhere that had a decent selection of 
alcohol and a distinctly unannoying bartender to pour it. Occasionally, 
it made for some interesting viewpoints into society, its disparate 
scenes, and the fools who populated them. 

Nick often chatted with the bartenders while there - the guys who poured 
the drinks were usually pretty funny individuals who could keep anyone 
idly engaged for a night. It was a welcome change from the sterility of 
his own dwindling circle of friends, albeit a very fleeting change. 
Sooner or later, Nick was either going to have to cut ties with those 
friends, although this was already happening in its own passive fashion 
as they themselves grew up and became more entangled within their 
developing lives with their new spouses, homes and children; either 
that, or he was going to have to find a way to renew interest in himself 
for catching up to them socially, find himself a nice girl, and "settle 
down, man." 
"what the hell would I want to do that for?" 
Ryan always fidgeted nervously when he brought this subject up around 
Nick; he was of the impression that he was the sole voice of reason left 
in Nick's life, and thought that with enough persuasion, he could get 
him to see it for himself. "I don't know man, you're always out 
drinking, or sunk in your books, or working too much to get away from 
yourself. A good woman would help you out, help you find some sort of 
center in your life." 
Nick casually rolled his eyes at the expected response. "in case you 
haven't noticed, I'm not really marriage material. If I don't want it, 
why should I go looking for it?" 
"I'm not saying marriage, dumbass. Just get yourself a girl and settle 
down. Everyone else that you know, including myself, has married or is 
about to be. Why else do you think I hardly have time to hang out 
anymore? I'm growing up, and I have different responsibilities now, 
specifically to Sarah and our future plans." 
"and you know that I wish you and her the best in those plans. I just 
don't see why that has to change or negate the person you used to be. 
It's that exact sort of 'settling down' that makes me question the whole 
thing." 
"jesus, you and your goddamned individuality. It isn't hard to give of 
yourself and still be the same person you always were, but 
responsibility takes a toll, whether we like it or not. Look Nick, 
people talk. All I hear when I get together with the boys and their 
ladies is 'what's up with Nick? Why no woman in his life yet?'" 
"well, be sure and give them all my fondest regards for their concern." 

Settle. The word carried such frighteningly ironclad connotations when 
he pondered it through these remembered discussions. Maybe he enjoyed 
his "freedom" (such as it was) too much to shackle himself to a 
situation like that for the remainder of his existence, but maybe he was 
scared of commitment to responsibility. Maybe it was a death wish, what 
with all the drinking he did. 

In any case, that was his life pattern outside of paying the bills and 
sweating over a volcanic charbroiler flipping steaks. He didn't really 
question much any longer, having outgrown his phase of youthful 
rebellion from a system that he quickly realized was too big to fight. 
He simply existed from each day to the next, going from one meaningless 
social encounter to another, worrying in the back of his mind about 
whether he could afford another night out tomorrow balanced against the 
rent check being due in a week, wondering whether that cute waitress who 
had given him a smile the other day was just doing her job or extending 
an offer of something more, mentally counting the months until he was 
able to take that week and a half off of work, infrequently making a 
fool of himself publicly for having had two drinks too many and acting 
stupidly. Suffice it to say, landing in the drunk tank had inadvertently 
cost him his job once before; he didn't need that to happen again, so he 
had taught himself to keep his drinking within sane limits. 

* * * * 

Service didn't end up going well for Nick - four steaks overcooked, and 
a burnt liver that ended up going out because he made the mistake of 
believing the server who told him the customer would never notice its 
carbonized exterior in the dim light. It was no wonder he hated servers. 
If they weren't of the completely airheaded variety, they were 
ineffectual prima donnas who were "just passing through" the industry on 
their way to their promising careers in dental work or acting. Nick 
wasn't too concerned about the foul-ups; in the grand scheme of things, 
it didn't really matter - the customers were fine with the wait for 
replacements and left the restaurant happy, barring one asshole that 
made a big production of the affair. Maybe the chef would listen now 
when Nick asked for a second person on Friday nights. 

As he got out of his grimy uniform, Nick reflected that it was probably 
the night out yesterday that had rendered him incapable of being at the 
top of his game today; he also had a bad problem of worrying excessively 
when the reservation numbers shot up unexpectedly, which in turn 
effected his performance. In any event, the problems weren't all 
external, as he was the common denominator in the equation. He couldn't 
help his reactions though, so he shrugged off the matter, as it was in 
the past now.  

What to do? - this was the question plaguing Nick. He was tired, but he 
also wanted a drink to wind down. That was the other problem with 
working nights in the restaurant business: you couldn't relax after the 
shift for the life of you, no matter how tired you were going in and 
coming out. You were still so keyed up and adrenalized that you stayed 
awake for hours after. This might have played its part in Nick's and any 
industry worker's mutual decision to become borderline alcoholics. He 
also felt remarkably strange; he had in mind a weird premonition that he 
was going to meet his death that night, as though he were part of some 
old detective story, about to get caught in the crossfire of something 
that didn't concern him. No matter. Nick's overactive imagination often 
got the best of him. He was still somewhat afraid of the dark, for 
Christ's sake. He dismissed the feeling, and headed to a rather low-key 
bar down the street which didn't typically have an irritatingly 
high-volume turnout on the weekends. The beer was cold, and the one 
bartender that was usually on duty was a good sort of chap to converse 
with.  

He swung open the door, handed over his ID to the disinterested bouncer, 
and pulled up a stool at the bar to the serenade of some schmaltzy Top 
40 ballad. The few customers who were there quietly chewing the fat over 
their pitchers were people Nick had never seen before, as was the 
bartender who opened two frigid bottles of cheap domestic at Nick's 
request. The bartender tried somewhat unsuccessfully to balance idle 
chatter with an unresponsive Nick alongside flirting with an older woman 
at the other end of the scratched counter who was very deep in her cups, 
but still resiliently opposed to the idea of heading home either with 
the bartender or alone. Nick downed the two beers in short order with a 
soundless laugh at the two of them, and mused that he would be much 
better off with a double rye and water. Nick despised scotch, but adored 
whisky - just not straight up. This drink was one of his favorites, as 
it made an ideal sipper. Besides, he was in no hurry to get anywhere. 

The beers soon kicked in alcoholically, and Nick started to relax; when 
the bartender asked him something trite, he now responded in an effort 
to make the conversation actually flow a bit. They chatted mainly about 
the trivial nothings that two strangers put into a position of forced 
socialization discuss, with no expectation of any lasting bond being 
forged. Sometimes, in situations such as this, it was all Nick could do 
not to scream in utter dejection at the pointlessness of it all. 
Tonight, he couldn't care less. In the midst of their banter, a woman 
sidled up to the bar three seats to the right of Nick and ordered 
herself a Caesar. She gave a short non-committal smile to him, which he 
did not return. 

As the golden line of his drink slowly descended beneath the level of 
the ice cubes, he intermittently thought about work tomorrow, and 
struggled to keep the conversation with the bartender going. The fellow 
was a bit of a slow one, and his jokes just weren't all that funny, but 
he was clearly as bored as everyone else there, and just marking time 
until last call. Nick scanned the bar again, looking for a way out of 
the dead-end conversation. He didn't feel like trying his luck on the 
girl who was sitting by herself around the other side of the bar. She 
had obviously come there with intent herself - she wasn't dressed to 
kill, but it was rare to see a woman of her apparent young age at a bar 
by her lonesome without a reason. 
  
After a few inviting glances thrown his way, Nick mustered the nerve to 
ask her how she was, silently cursing the fact that he hadn’t the social 
skills to play these games. 
"I'm good. Yourself?" Her voice was light, but the tone was rehearsed. 
"well, I can't complain, but even if I could, I wouldn't."  
It was answers like this that usually ended conversations for Nick, and 
this one was no different. He could see the evident confusion in the 
girl's eyes at his response to her advance, and she gave him that 
half-smile of polite dismissal that he was becoming all too familiar 
with. Looks like he wouldn't be settling just yet. Nick was content for 
now, but he would have to confront that problem at some point. Keeping 
up with the Joneses was a tiring task that he wanted to put off as long 
as he could, but the pressure kept building in his head. Sadly, he was 
the one putting most of the pressure on himself, despite Ryan’s 
badgering. 

He wished he could regain his youthful disregard for social convention 
and expectation, but having had to exist in the real world for some 
years now, that idealism had been molded into resignation. Remnants of 
it still cropped up in his thinking patterns now and then, but for the 
most part Nick was reconciled to his existence as it stood. He had his 
fun, and his stress, and his dog, and the comfort of the routine he'd 
carved for himself, but nothing of that existential peace with the world 
that he imagined the monks in Tibet possessed. Nick knew now from 
experience that he couldn't stop the flow of real life, regardless of 
the bad or good choices he had made and would make, and it was all he 
could do to hang on for the ride. 

As he said his farewells to the bartender, he stumbled accidentally into 
someone carrying a pitcher who himself wasn't paying attention; not too 
much beer was lost, and Nick offered to pay the guy he'd bumped, but the 
other man realized his own part in the accident, and told Nick not to 
worry about it. He thanked the man, silently appreciating him for not 
causing a scene Nick was in no mood for, and headed out into the night.  

As he said his farewells to the bartender, he stumbled accidentally into 
someone carrying a pitcher who himself wasn't paying attention; not too 
much beer was lost, and Nick offered to pay the guy he'd bumped, but the 
other man realized his own part in the accident, and told Nick not to 
worry about it. He thanked the man, silently appreciating him for not 
causing a scene Nick was in no mood for, and headed out into the 
night.<p>  
Arriving at home after a relatively painless cab ride through chaotic 
streets, he paid his fare, and fumbled with his keys to get his back 
door open. He wasn't drunk by any means, but what he had digested was 
enough to combine with the long day and put him out like a light when he 
sat on his old couch. He'd woken up there many times after a night out, 
and he was sure he would do so many more times in the future. Such was 
the life he lived. It was no longer a challenge for him to live like 
this, and he had accepted it into his habits unconsciously. Nick had 
what he needed, even though he didn't necessarily have what he wanted. 
That was enough. All he could hope for now was that he would wake up in 
time for work tomorrow, having neglected to set an alarm of any kind 
before passing out.  - blaphbee 

-=- 

"Towards the end of the cycle" 

A glance that pierces all 
Searching for untouched flesh 
Cellars of despair 
Free figures find their course 
I closed my eyes for this sorrow 
But bitter escaped me not 
The shadow of loving 
Creates the spiritworld 
On the door of peace there's a raging sound 
Its the painful reality that rings again 
Arms are coming for me 
Cursed echo's dwell in the deep 
At night they crawl back to their homes 
Not aware of the spirit that roams 
He is the chosen will 
Seizing the inferior soul 
The lost hope that once triumphated 
Shall burn in the hearts of the dishonored 
A dying gift from below 
For the balance of the here and now. - ted oliekan 

-=- 

"An Exercise in Realizing One's Will (Growth)" 

An exhausted figure leers at the biting cold, slowly 
Sinter-sauntering along the dimly lit shores of misery 
How retchingly despairing an existence 
Whilst with only two eyes lachrymosely thee 
You weep for the world? Others? Or is it your self?  
  
Awkwardly embracing the three, though with honest effort  
Nonetheless curtailed by a fatuitously limited perspective; 
That each mind is an island in and of itself! 
How fortunate, then, that you have washed up onto these shores 
Wrought with agony—as stark contrast from my domain... 

Shown the image of a churning tempest, the unconscious macrocosm 
Where your two eyes go unacknowledged—but look forever outward! 
"This is truth." I spoke. You struggled with those words... 
That we should surface only to submerge once more!  
A loss, a tear, soon enough forgotten. 

Or would you rather not admit to the death of your name amidst such 
depravity?  
Desperation upon your lips; thirsting for immortality. You who killed 
the gods. 
You who killed your own ideals—or perhaps you'd rather have it 
remembered this way: 
That you guided the hand which destroyed your sense of wonder and 
anticipation. 
Never lifting your gaze from the dust in which you kneel trembling. 

Forgiveness comes only from those who bear compassion for those who've 
erred, 
And I am not inclined to do as those who recall the spirit of the men of 
the cloth. 
The task is laid before you; heed these words of mine: there is honor to 
be reclaimed. 
Yet in an age where such a mind is reproached from below, a greater duty 
still: 
Remonstration through force, replace the foundations whereupon such 
ideals may grow...  - faustian dreams 

[ exponentiation ] 

Issue [3.0]/July 2nd, 2006 

Published Quarterly 
by the Center for Nihilism and Nihilist Studies 
http://www.nihil.org/ 

With assistance from 
The American Nihilist Underground Society 
http://www.anus.com/ 

Editors: Blaphbee and Phantasm 

Writers: 
No Fun 
Alexis 
Smog 
vijay prozak  
Fieldmouse 
unzeitgeist 
frostwood 
ted oliekan 
  
 "When a place gets crowded enough to require IDs, social collapse 
 is not far away. It is time to go elsewhere. The best thing about 
 space travel is that it made it possible to go elsewhere." 
                -- R.A. Heinlein, Time Enough For Love 

[EOF]