Table of Contents

RKYV # 27 {August 2009}

RKYV ONLINE LOGO - David Marshall {current}
RKYV ONLINE LOGO – r. j. paré {modified}
RKYV COMICS LOGO – Roy G. James {original}

Virtual Cover # 27 Music

- Art by Elisa Féliz - “Rick Rock”
- Layout by David Marshall - by r. j. pare; art by Bob Labute

Interior Art Short Fiction

- By Jonathan Biermann, Bob Labute, Stan - “Pondering Evil”
Nelson, De Tourist, Erin Davila, Sam van der - By Larissa Gula
Wouden, Engin Korkmaz, r. j. paré, Elisa Féliz.
- “Bad Beat – Part 1”
Editorial Column - By r. j. paré
- “At the Outset: A Few Thoughts from the
Editor” Food
- By r. j. paré - “Drunken Dragon Tavern”
- By Christina Marchetti
World View
– “The Forgotten” Pop Culture
- By Jonathan Biermann - “Comic Book Review”
- By Brad Bellmore
Featured Artist Review - “Film Review – Anatomy of Hate”
– Elisa Féliz - By Brad Bellmore
- By r .j. paré -“Film Review – District 9”
- By Larissa Gula
Poetry - “Raised on Saturday Morning Cartoons”
- By Dexter Betantos, Anna Gehmacher, - By Pauline Paré
Frances Vargas, Kieran McGarry

Ice Breaker – by De Tourist

 At the outset
A Few Thoughts From The Editor
By r. j. pare

To every thing there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under heaven

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Welcome to RKYV ONLINE.

For new readers, I would like to take a moment

and explain what this mag is all about. Each and
every month RKYV receives submissions of
poetry, art, photography, opinions and short
stories. We do have our regular contributors,
however, anyone is welcome to participate.
These submissions are gathered and published
over the web in e-book and PDF formats.

We also take the time each month to interview a

chosen artist and highlight their work on our
cover and in a feature article.

This month is no different. We are pleased to

feature Elisa Féliz, an up and coming comic
artist and graphic designer. As you’ve already
seen a glimpse of her dynamic work on this
month’s cover, you can tell this is a talented
young woman. Check out her feature article for
more of Elisa’s work, her background and links
to even more of her incredibly cool stuff.

TMNT Raphael © Eastman & Laird – by Stan Nelson

I’d like to digress for a moment if I may and speak about, what has been called, by some,
“The Summer that NEVER was…” – LOL. Okay, so here in Canada at least, folks have
been moaning about this past summer and lost opportunities to go to the beach, etc etc.
But ya know what? It happens… use this time as a chance to get caught up on other
projects. Have you been meaning to clean the gutters or repair some shingles on the roof?
Well that can be a drag in 90° + weather, now that things have been cooler it’s not so bad
doing such chores. Maybe you have a farm or even just a small garden and you always
want your plants / crops to thrive and receive enough water? Well, this summer certainly
provided enough rain.

Maybe ya just wish you could have

watched more pretty girls walk by
scantily clad in the summer heat…
well, I guess you were screwed on that
one.

Anyhow, for me it was a chance to do

more writing, some painting [having
some fun with acrylics] and devote a
little more time to hanging out with the
kids [a writer’s block is easily cured by
a living room floor tickle fight].

Swarm Bud Concept Sketch

- for the Hell On Earth Graphic Novel from Speakeasy Primates
- by Stan Nelson

Has this been your experience as well? Has the summer of 2009 been a productive one
for you, creatively? Well, in that case I invite you to share the fruits of your imagination
with the rest of us here at RKYV ONLINE! You can post your creations on anyone of a
number of online sites [Facebook, Xanga, Bebo, Blogger, Google Groups] or you can e-
mail me directly and I will make sure your submission gets included in an upcoming
issue for everyone to enjoy.

This month we received some wonderful poetry from a variety of contributors; one short
story from regular columnist Larissa Gula and a second from yours truly that will be
published in a series of installments. We’re also happy to direct our readers to some
interesting and thought provoking columns from Jon Biermann & Brad Bellmore as well
as some entertaining reviews from Brad, Larissa and my lovely wife Pauline Paré.
Food columnist Christina Marchetti embarks on the 1st of a series of articles exploring
Japanese Cuisine, its culture and traditions. I don’t know about you, but mouth is
watering and my chopsticks are ready!

Many thanks, of course, to the continued support and participation of numerous artists
who are individually credited throughout this issue. I am awed by the visual inventions of
our contributors and inspired to try, in turn, to reach new heights of creativity myself.

I suppose that’s quite enough of my blabbering on and on for another 30 days.

Take care and don’t be ashamed to daydream.

r. j. pare
EIC RKYV ONLINE e-Zine

Untitled – by Sam van der Wouden

Untitled – by Bob Labute
 World view

The Forgotten
By Jonathan Biermann

I drive down the street, construction in

progress, Jack-hammers hammering. Traffic is
slowed down to a crawl. Each and every car
filled with someone just wanting to get home to
their families. Get home to their couches, their
entertainment rooms… to their lives.

Some stop off at the McDonald’s or the

Tim Hortons and grab something for the drive
home. Others listen to their stereos blasting
away what ever music they tend to listen to.

A mom is yelling at her kids in the back

seat, telling them to behave. A man lights a
smoke tossing a half-eaten bag of chips out his
window on to the street, for what ever reason -
odds are: just because.

Imaginary Portrait – by Josh Bowe

I sit there in my car, looking at this world around me. Then I see him. He is only
in his early forties. He has a full beard and ragged clothes. He is holding up a sign asking
for spare change or for some food.

Not far from him, always within sight, is a shopping cart filled with various items.

Every car passes him by. Every driver, every professional working man, every
mom and her kids and every single person who likes to think of themselves as religious
and pure… they all still pass him by. Either they are oblivious of him because their own
world is more important to them, or they just choose to ignore him.

Every once in a while someone will stop and toss him some spare change,
believing in their heart of hearts that they are making a difference.
 Or is it just because everyone else is looking and they want to feel like they are
better than those around them?

A few blocks away a woman in her

late thirties sits by a bus stop. All that she
owns sits on the ground next to her. Her
head is bowed, never looking anyone in
the eye. She might ask someone for a
smoke but nothing more. Her pride won’t
let her.

Then, another man, age unknown,

kinda hard to tell but he is a big man and
thick boned. As he walks he talks to
himself aloud, holding a very in-depth and
meaningful conversation with someone
who is not even there.

And yet the world keeps passing

them by. They are the forgotten. They are
the downtrodden, the lost.

So often I hear people making fun

of them. Cracking jokes at their expense or
yelling at them to get a job. People treat
them as something less because they don't
have a fancy car, a house to go home to or
a family that cares.

Chinese Girl – by Josh Bowe

They presume that these people choose this life; that they are lazy or addicted to
drugs; that they are not suitable to be a part of society. Many people feel that they deserve
the lives they have. Who are we to judge? Who are we to scorn? Who are we to look
down on them as less then human?

When all it takes is a bit of bad luck, a bad break or making one wrong choice in
life, and we too could very well be one of those who are the forgotten.

So think about that the next time you sit on your couch or work on your computer.
Consider it when you turn on your surround sound system and watch your big screen TV.
Wonder about it as you get in your fancy car or head off to your cabin by the beach.
 The next time you toss a half-eaten sandwich out the window or can’t decide on
which fast food joint to stop at... think real hard on the life you have:

• On your job that you bitch about.

• On your friends and family.
• On all that you have before you.

Then think on what it would be like if you lost it all. Do you think the world
would look at you with compassion or would the world just pass you by? When you see
the forgotten see them as yourself. Then treat them as you would wish to be treated:

• With respect.
• With dignity.
• With compassion.

We often talk about what is

wrong with this world, and how
something should be done. I know I have
been a part of many such conversations
and I have overheard many others. Yet
those who say something needs to be
done, when they finish their coffee and
get up to leave - the conversation they
just had seems to leave as well and
becomes just like the forgotten.

They can talk about it, but they

won’t do anything about it. They are not
the righteous and pure hearted, no they
are the ignorant and the oblivious.

My heart and my respect go out

to those who do something. To those
who volunteer at the soup kitchens, the
shelters, the clinics. My respect goes out
to those who don't talk about what is
wrong with the world but, rather, try to
make a difference in it.

Alone, by the lamppost – by r. j. paré

And my heart goes out to the forgotten.

Does yours?
My tribute to Batman issue 40 from 1946 © DC Comics – by Jonathan Biermann
Featured Artist Review

By r. j. paré
BIO: [by Elisa Féliz]: My name is Elisa Féliz. I'm 21 years
old. I'm a comic artist, web developer and designer. I was
born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but I
currently live in New Jersey, where I attend the Joe Kubert
School of cartoon and graphic art. I published my first
comic strip in 1998, but my career started years before,
when I began to participate in several national and
international art contests at the age of 6. I started drawing
comic books as a self-trained artist in 2007 and have been
working as a penciller and a colorist.

I recently worked as one of the artists for the Villikon Chronicles Proclivity series by
Silent Nemesis Workshop, created by Bryan Kinnaird. The series precedes the film
"Villikon Chronicles: Genesis of Evil". I also did some digital illustrations for the film.
Some other comics I've worked on are "Dallas" (Based on the popular TV series),
"Intrepid", "Knight Reavers" and "RX Tales". I'm the creator of "Alice in
Nightmareland" and co-creator of "Intrepid".

I own a clothing line called Elliz Clothing www.ellizclothing.com and a huge network of
websites. I'll own a comic company soon, I'm still doing the registration. I started doing
web design and programming in 2003, and got engaged in a project for a Dominican
social network called "A Tu Nivel" in 2005. Not long after I worked as a CSS layout
designer for some UFO Film websites.

My personal site: www.elisafeliz.com

r. j. pare: Have you always known that you wanted to be or, rather, were an artist?

Elisa Féliz: Ever since I was born. I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. My
teachers referred to me as a child prodigy and convinced my parents to have me
participate in art contests. I couldn't say I had a normal childhood 'cause I was
interviewed for Newspapers and forced to be on TV... I hate being on TV. I didn't like the
attention but loved being part of the art world. I was never too interested in fine arts, I
wanted to do comic art. So I retired for a few years. I always said that I would move to
US someday and create comics. From an early age I felt like I was born in the wrong
place, 'cause we didn't have a comic industry in Santo Domingo.
 rjp: Did you study or major in art while in
school?

EF: No, I didn't.

Artist: Elisa Féliz

Title: Car Chase
Media Used: Pencils on Bristol Board
Size: 11” x 17”
Date Created: May 2008

rjp: This is a wonderful example of Elisa’s

skill as a comic penciller. The action is
conceived from exciting angles and the
panel layout is slick and clever. In fact
much of the work, for the inker, has
already been done as Elisa has
painstakingly rendered the panels fully
shaded.

An inker receiving such professional work

would count themselves fortunate that their
main task would be to faithfully accentuate
such crisp and detailed lines.

rjp: Who was you biggest influence or source of encouragement, as a child, in pursuing art?

EF: It's hard to say 'cause I didn't really have much influence from artists while growing
up. I grew up in a place where I didn't really have access to comics. I knew comic art
though, but still didn't know any graphic artists to be influenced by. I was actually
encouraged to pursue art by a musician. But when it comes to comic art, I was only
influenced by what I understood as comic art style and by the animated shows I saw on
TV.

rjp: What is your favorite media to work with?

EF: I love doing digital coloring or painting in my computer.

 Artist: Elisa Féliz
Title: Sample Page [X-girl]
Media Used: Pencils on Ledger paper
Size: 11” x 17”
Date Created: May 2008

rjp: This medium is technically known as

graphic sequential art & story-telling for a
reason. Put simply, it is not all about splash
pages. It is not all about fight scenes and
action sequences. Sometimes, much as in
film, there are moments of conversation
and interpersonal drama.

Before this piece has even received inking

or dialogue it is a fine example of the artist
interpreting the script and using their
pencil to act as the ‘camera’ and pacing out
the ‘shots’ necessary for the characters to
have their verbal confrontation and for one
of them to storm off.

That much is clear without the benefit a

single word and thus Elisa demonstrates
that the comic artist can have as much
impact on the story-telling as they do the
graphics.

rjp: Do you use any special tools and techniques to create your art?

EF: Well... That would be Photoshop. For most of my work, I first draw in pencil, then
do the inking over and scan it to do the coloring in the computer. Sometimes I feel like
trying something different like Inkwash or digital painting.

rjp: What inspires you to create art?

EF: I'm usually inspired by art itself, it could be graphic art, it could be music... art in any
form. The work of other artists is always inspiring as long as it's something I can relate
to. It encourages me to get better and to try to reach the level of quality of their work.
rjp: How would you categorize your artistic style?

EF: I would describe my artwork as a mix of realistic and cartoony style. In most of the
cases I try to keep the main characteristics of comic book style and also try to stay away
from flat coloring and exaggerated proportions. It depends on what kind of story I'm
working on. For example, if I'm drawing comedy I always go for a most cartoony style
like when I'm working on comics like "Alice in Nightmareland". In that case I enjoyed
drawing goth style spooky toons. In other cases, when I'm drawing comics like "Dallas",
I try to keep it realistic.

rjp: Would you say that there is a "message" or "unifying theme" in your work?

EF: Yes, I try to always keep a message in my work at least when I'm creating comics.
There's always some positive idea to interpret.

Artist: Elisa Féliz

Title: "Villikon Chronicles: Proclivity"
Chapter 2 cover
Media Used: Photoshop
Size: 8.5” x 11”
Date Created: August 2008

rjp: The first of two covers, Elisa has done

for Villikon Chronicles, that we will be
looking at. This one, created entirely in
Photoshop, shows a strong command of the
skills and techniques involved in creating
highlights, glows and reflective effects.
The end result is a very bright and eye-
catching cover.

Kinda reminds me of a hallway in the

Death Star or a Star Destroyer [Star Wars]
I half expect a squad of Storm Troopers to
come marching around the corner…☺
 rjp: Which famous artists or styles have influenced you? Why?

EF: I think, since the moment I broke into comics in US I've been influenced by the work
of great artists such as Mike Choi and Sonia Oback, Adam Hughes, Stanley Lau, Adriana
Melo, Christina Strain and many others. Those are artist who have influenced my work
me and inspired me enormously. I think it's not just the beauty and the quality of their
work that has inspired me, it's also their passion and dedication.

rjp: If you could meet any living or dead artist, who would it be?

EF: I've met many of my favorites already, but one that I don't have the chance to meet
('Cause he's dead) is Walt Disney.

Artist: Elisa Féliz

.
Title: "Villikon Chronicles: Proclivity"
Chapter 3 cover
Media Used: Pencils & colouring in
Photoshop
Size: 8.5” x 11”
Date Created: July 2008

rjp: Now this cover composition I really

like. The foreground figure standing bold
before a barren landscape; the hint of a
Warrior’s confidence in the slight smirk
she wears. I especially enjoy how this is
contrast with the back ground of her visage
in thought, eyes looking towards the stars
and perhaps a boundless existence far
greater than the desert plains she currently
strides.

I may not know anything about the story,

as I casually walk past this cover in a rack.
But the cover itself would have me stop
and pick this book up
 Artist: Elisa Féliz
Title: Mystere vs the Porphyrian Wraiths
[Villikon Chronicles]
Media Used: Pencils on Bristol paper &
colouring in Photoshop
Size: 8.5” x 11”
Date Created: February 2009

rjp: An exciting scene of a fierce and

beautiful warrior as she is set upon by an
overwhelming number loathsome wraiths.
The dramatic use of light and shadows in
this stormy night attack really adds to the
effectiveness of the composition.

For more on The Villikon Chronicles and

to enjoy the story online, visit:

http://www.villikonchronicles.com/home.htm

rjp: What is the one question that you

would ask him/her?

EF: Well, there would be many questions to ask, but if I had to choose just one.... honestly... I
couldn't help myself from asking where his cryogenically frozen head is, really stored?

rjp: What do you think of the term "starving artist"?

EF: I think it's funny, 'cause most of the people that I hear using the term, are people who think
that a career in art means you are going to be poor and unsuccessful. Exactly what my mom said
when I graduated from high school and told her that I was going to pursue a career in art no
matter what. And I strongly disagree with that. I know most of the richest and successful people
in the world are artists and their talent got them there but I understand the use of the term when
people refer to how hard and competitive it is starting in the business of art. But still most of the
people who are talented and try to have a career as an artist become successful in it. Though I'm
not sure if that's the way it is in USA.
rjp: Do you feel more a sense of community with other artists or a sense of competition?

EF: A sense of community actually. I always loved meeting other artists and learning from them.
There are so many artists out there that I admire and whose work inspires me every single day. I
would describe the art community as a world apart where you, as an artist, fit in perfectly with
everyone. Like a place you belong to.

rjp: How do you market yourself?

EF: I have my own website on the internet and I do a lot of networking online. I'm often asked
for interviews for the internet, magazines and newspapers and get mentions when people talk
about the projects I've been involved with. I don't have an agent or anything, it's like if I work
hard and in as many projects as I can, I get enough exposure and the attention comes easily
without me doing any effort to get it. I also give away business cards randomly when I meet
people who have heard about me and my work.

Artist: Elisa Féliz

Title: X-girl and Elayne
Media Used: Inkwash done on Bristol Paper. I
used India Ink
Size: 9” x 13”
Date Created: January 2009

rjp: Here we have another image from X-Girl by

Elisa… a cover or poster design, perhaps? Either
way it is a spectacular looking piece.

But that is not what I am going to “review” about

it. This piece can be quite instructive to inkers out
there and provide them with a fine example of what
is possible when they master the use of brush and
India Ink.

With inkwash techniques think of the ink as you

would a B & W watercolour: vary degrees of how
“wet” the surface is as you play and move the ink
in your brush strokes and you create wonderful
textures in the surfaces you are rendering.

And for any developing inkers who doubt whether

they can create fine clean lines with a brush and
would rather resort to pens and markers… take a
close look at this piece and how crisp and clean the
lines are. Add to that how dark and solid the blacks
are when using India Ink and this should prove to
you that practicing your brush skills are well worth
it. A fine, fine job Elisa!
rjp: Do you find it difficult to stay motivated / inspired?

EF: Not really. I'm often inspired by the world that surrounds me, anything in it that has
an artistic value and that I can relate myself to. I get inspiration when i read a great comic
or when I watch a very well written movie or TV show... When I play videogames... I
feel encouraged to create something as cool as what I'm seeing.

rjp: Do you create your art full time or part time?

EF: Full time. Sometimes I wish I had more spare time to do other things or to work on
my own projects, but I don't complain really. Just to think that all of my hobbies have
always been related to art.

Artist: Elisa Féliz

Title: Elliz Cracked Skull Tee
Media Used: Photoshop
Date Created: May 2009

rjp: Looking for cool, urban punk/skater-wear? Then look no further. With Elisa’s
line of custom clothes you can look the part of the young hipster of the half-pipe
regardless of whether you can actually do a kick-flip or just love the style for kicks.
Artist: Elisa Féliz
Title: Alice in Nightmareland
Media Used: Pencils & colouring done in
Photoshop
Size: 8.5” x 11”
Date Created: July 2008

rjp: This delightful and mildly dark, twist on

familiar characters from the Lewis Carroll
classic is sure to bring a smile to your face.

I highly recommend these amusing strips and

they can be viewed by visiting:

http://www.comicspace.com/elisafeliz/comics.
php?action=gallery&comic_id=21401

rjp: What other interests do you have, besides art?

EF: I loooove anything related to the film industry. I watch new movies all day. I was
also always interested in music and Skateboarding. I wanted to grow up and dedicate my
life to both, and never stop drawing, of course.

rjp: What advice would you have for a young artist starting out today?

EF: I'd tell them to practice. To draw as much as they can.

rjp: Do you have any big plans or shows coming up in 2009?

EF: Yes, I'll be in the artist’s alley at the New York Anime Festival in September and I'll
be joining the X-con at Myrtle Beach in South Carolina as a guest in October.
 rjp: How would you like your art, and by extension yourself, to be remembered?

EF: I don't think I've achieved enough yet for my work to be remembered, but I'd like to
think that throughout the years, my work will evolve and become something
recognizable. I never cared much about being remembered as an artist, honestly, but I
always wanted my stories and characters to be remembered.

Artist: Elisa Féliz

Title: Music Life
Media Used: Vector Art done in Photoshop
Date Created: January 2009

rjp: This design demonstrates a fusion of the super-slick technical proficiency of the
commercial artist & the graffiti inspired aesthetic of the urban scrawler. I love all of the visual
representations of city life distractions & violence pulling at her in different directions… and
yet with headphones on… and the sweet-ass, solid kind – the sort that bring back 1970’s style
stereophonic dreams and not some impotent, EMO-tech buds…

Anyhow, with such headphones on & the tunes a-blaring - the world and all its troubles just
drifts away… ☺
 [DC2 Fan-Fic Web Comic Cover] Nightwing # 31 – pencils and Inks by Steven
Howard; Colours by Jon Biermann – all characters © DC Comics
 Poetry

Selected Poems
By Frances Nichols Vargas

The Glass

Gazing upon the glass with the light shining

through
Light magnifying all the details of the room
Familiar emotions rush in
All at once
All becomes clear
The sound of the solitude
Brings me tears

Untitled – by Bob Labute

CROSSROADS

It seems the two of us have been traveling parallel roads

Dusting each other off time and time again
When we started this journey
A vow was spoken
Now, I am bewildered
When or how things changed and became broken
What is clear after all these years
I am never going to be the person you wished
For me to be
 So much time
Since we began on our story
The pictures on the wall highlight the chapters
But the frown shows
the period and the end of the sentence
For the first time it is clear I am frozen in motion and looking at a crossroads
Not sure where either will go
As I begin to move

Untitled – by Bob Labute

 Baby Aaron

A life cut short for only reasons God knows

Now you are our little guardian Angel
Looking down from Heaven High Above
Spreading unconditional and amazing love
You reveal yourself in the clouds
As if on cue
And beam your amazing warmth upon the heads of those loved
Our Little Guardian Angel forever remembered

Heaven’s Light through Stained Glass – r. j. paré

 The Feel of the Beach

Walking along the foaming edge

Viewing couples embrace along the romantic ledge
Tasting the oceans salty kiss
As it slowly washes up shells and jellyfish
Listening to the sounds of the ocean groan
Reveling in the warm glistening sun glow
Dodging the hungry seagulls
While avoiding the mosquitoes
The waves crashing upon the beach
Leaving behind the cool sand for bare feet
The trail left in the sand
Quickly washes away with the wave a hand
The fragile Starfish lying on the dried up ocean bed
Is a reminder to rest my weary head

the rain that fell from my eye

By Kieran McGarry

stop
and stare and though the time is racing by
then walk on by what stays the same is the sky
I'll dry
the rain its different every time I look
that fell from my eye moving faster than my book

and the sound of the plane roaring over my
head
reminds me its good to be alive not dead
but i just have to stop and wonder
why the sky is more alive with thunder
and then the lightning flashes down
although I’m safe upon the ground
the plain, washed out light blue sky
dries the rain that fell from my eye
and now I know that I never knew
what it takes to be myself around you
and screaming doesn’t make a difference
while the rain pours down the suns up high
doing their dance down from the sky

but every time I hear that sound
I wonder if they're coming down
just this once
cause we weren’t ever
good enough
and the stone will wear with time
so I'll hold tight onto my mind
and I'll never let it go
don’t look now; you'll never know
 cause what I think stop and stare
is gone in a blink walk on by
faster than the water rushing I'll dry the rain
down the sink that fell from my eye
and though I know
I'll never know in my own time
I have to wonder hesitate
how the sun blends its good enough
with the thunder I wont be late

fire and water so stop and stare and walk on by

all at once while I dry the rain that fell from my eye
is it ever
good enough?

Let it Rain – by r. j. paré

selected poems
of yearning, love & loss
By Anna Gehmacher
1 All those great times we had
It's over, now
I'm breaking the vow
I'm letting you go
love you? no more
The love is gone,
it's been too long,
it's been too hard,
now I'm gonna break your heart
I'm breaking free,
I have to let go of this anxiety
and everything else that's killing me
All the things you did,
all the things you said,
none of that shall remain in my head,
none of that shall keep me from going to bed,
you're not worth that anymore,
I'm way too sore
to keep feeling sorry for you
and all the shit you keep running into,
to keep believing the promises you keep
making,
the promises you keep breaking
You say you're there,
but that's not true,
you never are
you never were
stop pretending you're the lover
you would like to be
You're hurting me,
you always have
You're bad for me
why didn't you warn me?
I loved you, once
do you remember that?
out in your parents' backyard,
just you and me,
and everything we could have been
I've tried so hard
to keep this from falling apart
I held onto your every word,
turned it around and made it into gold
That wasn't enough,
you always needed more,
you tore out my soul
and treated it like your very own private whore
That won't happen anymore,
I know you too well,
now it's my turn to make your life hell
I know I made your suffer,
I know how much it hurt,
but now my soul has been burnt,
absolutely nothing remains
except this deep, excruciating pain
and the only way it'll go away
is by messing up your every day
so you know just how it feels
when the one you love leaves you on your knees
out in the cold
crying out loud,
screaming in despair
wishing your love were there,
wishing he really cared,
wishing it really mattered,
hoping your dreams wouldn't be shattered,
and then opening your eyes
waking up to a load of lies
and the one you love is gone
and you are completely alone.
 2
What more do you want me to say?
I love you,
I miss you,
I wish your doubts would go away
What more do you want me to do?
I can't love you any more
I can't miss you any more
I just want to be with you
Stop questioning my love,
stop doubting what I say,
you know I'm there
you know I'm yours
stop treating me this way
My heart's for you
and no one else
My life revolves
around your happiness
I'm here for you
and there's nothing anybody can say,
nothing anybody can do
to keep me from loving you
Tarantula Grip – by De Tourist
I know it's hard,
the distance is too big
and life is so hard to deal with,
but stop playing with my heart
You say you know
you're doing, doing me wrong,
you've been making me suffer for too long
You want to let your doubts go,
you want to make me feel
the exact way I make you feel,
you want to give me everything and more,
the whole love in the world,
but then your insecurity comes back
and everything you said before seems like a
pile of crap
I can't do this for much longer
and although my love for you keeps getting
stronger
I keep having to fight stronger
against the thought that keeps reappearing
and that whispers in my ear
"He's not here"
 3
Ervino, baby
we're in the same place once again,
it's like nothing ever changed
we're still playing this stupid little game
The night is long,
the conversations fun,
we pour our drinks down
and hope it won't go wrong
And so the party goes on,
our friends go home
and we remain alone
The talking won't stop,
the drinking never does
I touch your knee,
you take my hand
and slowly but steadily
the night reaches an end
And while I wait for your command
"Come home with me tonight"
I check my mirror to make sure I look alright
We pay the bill,
take our stuff
and go outside to the parking lot
The moon shines bright,
it's a starlit night
You stare at me,
I stare back at you,
your eyes so blue
your skin so clear
Please marry me, right now and here!
We walk down the street
and you dare not touch me
I can feel your eyes
wandering around my body
"What now?" I ask
"I don't know" you say
Well I do, so hey,
let's grab our bikes and ride away
back to your place
and there we can remain for days and days,
no one else,
just you and me
and everything you want us to be
But no, I can't,
I can't say it out loud,
I don't want to say those words,
they should be yours
and they should be sincere,
not fuelled by a few pints of beer
It's getting cold,
I think I'll go home
before I die outside
with you by my side
I'm all drunk and confused,
all messed up and used,
my heart bruised,
my body in pain
and you're standing next to me and don't know
what to say
"Bye" I say
as I turn to walk away
You move closer
and I can feel your warm breath
I can smell your scent
I want to grab your head
and kiss you 'til you fall down dead
But my hands don't seem to work
every movement is so hard
You're breaking my fucking heart.
You want to give me a hug
I remain still
I don't know whether to cry or to laugh
you kiss me on the side of my mouth
and I try hard to stay in control,
to not let myself go
fall over you
take you home
show you how this is done
"Bye" you say,
"until another day"
I turn around and walk away
I don't turn around
I don't want to see you again
I don't want to listen to the sound of your sweet
voice ever again
 I'm home clear my brain
I'm done of any part of you that still remains
I'm drunk
I've had enough I say to myself
I'm going to bed, "Tomorrow is another day"
rest my head, but deep down inside I know
it'll always be the same

Untitled – by Erin Davila

4 the music loud, We're back to staring,

we're surrounded by a big back to not daring
So here we are crowd to touch eachother
back at the same bar, in a way someone could see
back in our old place, Again, your friends, no, we just look at one
back in our own little race they're watching us another
They know what's up, and entangle our feet
Again, we sit they can smell it in the air
and stare at one another Don't worry, they don't care We're talking again,
Again, we drink they're just being nosey as if we were just friends,
and dream about being lovers they know this is just our old as if it all were good
story as if it weren't hard,
It's night again, over and over again as if we were just a boy and a
the sun's gone down, my God, will it ever end? girl
the lights are on, having a drink in a bar
 I look at your friends
I move my hand - but they have no idea we're
I have a plan holding hands
I disentangle my feet
and move my hand I'm quiet
toward your knee I'm numbed
I lay it there I can't believe what you've just
I look at you, and you just stare done
I can't believe we're sitting here
It's getting colder drinking beer
I think I'm gonna move closer not knowing what to say
Your body's warm looking, and then looking away
and on the inside I'm all cold not knowing what to do
but feeling this is the moment
Another round of drinks, of truth
some more time to think
some more time to prove And again, from this moment
I want to be with you on
it all starts to go terribly wrong
It's your turn now, I'm insecure
you shuffle around and so are you
in your seat Our friends haven't got a clue
I can feel your heat but this is nothing new
as you grab my hand and hide it we've been here before
away and we could do so much more
so that nobody can see if we weren't surrounded by this
bunch of bores
I'm stunned, I'm shocked, and if we weren't both so
I'm paralysed fucking scared
You look me in the eyes of what might happen if we
and mumble a few words dared
Newt – by De Tourist
The night goes on
and it won't be long
'til we all go home
Some alone,
like you and me
and some in company,
like you and me could be
Again, you're just standing
there
I'm looking at you in despair
You open your mouth but no
words come out
you give me a hug
and a kiss on the cheek
as you whisper in my ear "I'm
sorry"
I say "alright"
I've had enough for tonight
"Let's get together"
you say, "next week"
I say "whatever",
I'm going home, I want to sleep
So there we are
back at the same bar,
back in our old place,
once again, trying to win this
race

5 I promise we will always stay friends"
Are you being serious Tim,
you want another chance?
You want me to forget about him
just so you can have one last dance?
No way, my friend,
I'm not doing this again
I'm not giving up another man
for you again
just so you can
tell your friends
how well your plan
of preventing my healing
of playing with my feelings
is working out
and how good you are
at breaking hearts
Oh yes, without a doubt
Are you kidding, Tim,
you're trying to take him
away from me
when he's so much better than you ever could
be?
Face it, Tim,
we're done,
it's time to move on
Now I'm with him
and you're alone
so go cry your heart out
on your own
I won't help you anymore
Go find yourself a new whore
that with your sweettalking you can anchor
and with your fake promises you can slaughter
Until she loves you just like I did,
until she realises you're just hiding
from what you heart really desires
and she leaves, you just like I did
and your game goes on
and you go on, inspired
by all the girls you sent away
all the girls you knew one day
all the girls you tried to play
all the girls to whom you came to say
"Just give me some more time and it'll be okay
I promise it'll happen
I promise this won't end
No way, Tim
I'm staying with him
he's mine,
I won't let you win this time
Sure, you can try
convincing me that I am wrong
that you're the one
that I was right
all along
and you're ready to fight
no matter what it takes
no matter what's at stake
to win me back
and be it only for one night
Yes, you can try alright
But you won't make it
because you won't be able to fake it
in front of me,
Timmy,
because I know that really
you just want to hurt me
because your dream never became reality
because I wasn't the fairytale princess you
wanted me to be
You saw yourself in me
and that's why you could never see
that we two could be together happily
Tim, I can do so much better
than an idiot like you
However, I will always remember
all the shit you put me through
All the tears I cried
wishing you were by my side
to tell me it's alright,
to help me make it through another night
But you weren't there
and I was scared
How could you even dare
to ever tell me that you cared?
All the times we fought
about whether to end it or not
All the times you made me wait
All the times you made me stay up late,
waiting for four call
 looking for an answer to fix it all,
knowing not
that what you sought
was someone who
made you into someone new
I guess my love was too true
I knew too much about you
and that's what scared you away
because you wanted to change
you didn't want to hang on to your old face
You were angry, self-loathing, in hate
We cannot be
there's too much of you in me
we're like two twins,
one Anna, one Tim
Untitled – by Bob Labute
"I still love you" you say,
no you don't, go away!
Only without you can I ever feel okay
"I'll come back one day"
no, don't, stay away!
Your memory still remains,
nothing more than a few small stains
on a heart that screams in pain
But while you sit around
swimming in your sea of doubts
I'm here with him,
no longer in hell
wishing you goodbye Tim,
farewell!
Selected poems
By DExter Betantos

SIX YEARS DRIFTING

She slipped through my hands like a handful of sand

slipping from a dry palm.

It has been six years since that day;

and still I hold on waiting for something
I don’t have the faintest idea what is.
There is always that coldness every night that I can’t seem to evade.
Even on summer nights, cold thoughts still haunt me like I am a fugitive
of a terrible crime.
Terrible crime it is- I am guilty of it; the crime of not fighting back to terrible Loss.
Like a rodent that scurry back to its hole whenever a predator approaches.

Maybe I deserve this.

I deserve to go on living wishing that things
were the other way around.

She faded into the night like a shadow

fading as light starts to cover the place you are standing.
She faded into the hands of another man with a name I couldn’t remember.
I lost her to a stranger.

To a stranger!

She collided with the stars, found her happiness maybe,

while I sit here writing this letter.
Hoping she’ll find her way back to me;
hoping she’ll read this letter which I
have written in the sheets of my heart for a thousandth times already.

I dug into the past

as if there is still something there to comfort me.
As if there is still anything else left
Other than missing her more each time

I remember her.

Years is moving like a drifting wind carrying me to more cold nights ahead.
 Untitled – by Engin Korkmaz

-CHANGE-

Five years have passed and yet I am still haunted by your memory.
I still look for the familiar contour of your face in the faces of the women I meet.
In conversations,
I look for you in the words that they utter
Hoping to hear you speak to me through the lips of another.
There is your shadow everywhere I look.
I see your eyes staring back at me in the eyes of the women who are strangers to me.
 I hear your voice even in the nights
when I could have almost believed to have fallen asleep.
You still visit me in the middle of the nights.
The thoughts I have of you are still lucid and flowing
like life itself that keeps on going around in circles.
Repeating a never-ending cycle of loses.

I am faced by the dilemma of finally setting myself free from your memory.
For everywhere I look there you are.
Looking.
I am in doubt.
Whether if I can really free myself from this despair in losing that fight.
Maybe I struggled too much
that it only slipped through my hands further more.
Forever abandoning me.
Maybe I didn’t say the right words.
Maybe I am not good enough in keeping these things.

There is a message at the door that says,

“Stay away, for I know you are only here to bid farewell”
it is a sign that grabs them by the neck.
These women that have come after you
have taken the blows of my incapacity to trust.
No longer- it says there.
Written in the heart.
Written in the cold.
It sometimes surprises me.

“Change”
Do you think one can still change
If the heart is still tied to the memories of the lost love?

Solitude That is what it is

Something brewing inside
I think it is the thought
I feel like breaking something today Of being alone
Like breaking a glass or something That makes me wanna break something

My hands are shaking Need to distract the self

From realizing the loneliness
Like it wants to break something Solitude brings.
Like it wants something

Something
Untitled – by Josh Bowe

LIKE BONFIRES

After telling stories we turned our backs

And walked away from what could have saved us from Solitude.
We looked straight ahead,
Kept walking
Without looking back at the pieces of thoughts left behind,
While bonfires burn behind us
Which later on died out that night.

Just like any other bonfire.

It was there that we told our stories to the campers

Whom we even forgot to ask the names.
But that won’t be much of a problem, right?
Because most often than not, we just doesn’t seem to care about details.

Faces will do; we hear ourselves say

“We’ll remember their faces;
we’ll remember their faces. “
It has always seemed to work that way.
Untitled – by Engin Korkmaz
 music
This month I am quite happy to introduce you to an independent Canadian recording
artist, Rick Rock from the Windsor, Ont., Canada music scene. I first became aware of
Rick’s music in a round-about way. Bob Labute [featured in RKYV # 16] a talented artist
from Windsor shared a pic of a pretty cool recent painting of his, for this month’s issue.

Through chat on facebook, Bob let me know that the painting had been inspired by the
music of local recording artist he was friends with. Specifically a song called “Starfire”.

Well, of course, now I was hooked. Ever the fan of cross medium / mixed medium
inspiration and creativity, I had to hear this song!

I discovered the sounds of a skilled and mature musician. His work blends the
New Age-y trips of Moody Blues and Pink Floyd with an indie cred variation – less
‘wall of sound’ orchestration and more a concentration on the sounds of a smaller
ensemble. A good analogy to describe Rick’s sound would be if the aforementioned
bands were to perform an “unplugged” or small pub set… that should give you an idea.

BIO:

I am a Canadian Songwriter & Recording

Artist. I’ve recently moved to Amherstburg,
Ontario. Yes it's my REAL NAME. As a
Vocalist/musician, engineer/producer,
acting/humour, I’ve many years experience in
recording and live performances. Currently I
am writing new material.

Rick & Carol Rock

I enjoy working & collaborating with professional musicians & writers for radio and
film. I have expanded my writing to many more styles of music in the past 10 years. I
am inspired by good natured people who enjoy and share their voyage of life.

I am always shopping songs for radio and film industry and special events. At the
moment, I am looking for new management and agent support. Many styles and demos
ready for other artists and media to take on!
Inspired by the song ‘Starfire’ – by Bob Labute
Listen to Starfire & other songs by Rick Rock @:

Eyerock - New Age Rock Rick Rock

http://www.showcaseyourmusic.com/eyerock http://www.showcaseyourmusic.com/rickrock

STARFIRE
It's been such a long long day, away from you babe
I've been driving all night, crying in the rain
Dreaming of your eyes, and going insane
Dreaming of your eyes...

I want it now, I want your love desire

I want our love taken to Starfire…I want us to be free

Slipping into Starfire, Taking us to Starfire

Slipping into Starfire

The neon lights, the highway rolls, marker signs and tolls.
I may go on forever, on this endless road
Searching for the memories, lost in your eyes
Searching for your heart...

I want it now, I want your love desire

I want our love taken to Starfire…I want us to be free

Slipping into Starfire, Taking us to Starfire

Slipping into Starfire

Break…(Have I lost you...take me to the stars)

I want it now, I want your love desire

I want our love taken to Starfire
I want us to be free

Slipping into Starfire, Taking us to Starfire

Slipping into Starfire, Taking us to Starfire (to be free...)
Slipping into Starfire (to be free...), Taking us to Starfire

Lyrics - Richard Hepditch Music - Rick Rock

Contact Rick @: rrock88@yahoo.com

Untitled – by Josh Bowe
 Short fiction
Pondering evil
By Larissa Gula

Regretful rays of sunshine abandoned the earth they protected each day, as the tilt of the
planet dragged the light behind the community church. Little feet scrambled to run
indoors before their names were harshly called into echoing streets. Water ran from
faucets inside houses as the families rinsed away the taint of the night before supper. All
members of the community spoke an individual family prayer; their houses swiftly filled
with family chatter and the clatter of silverware.

Yet something was missing inside each set of the supposedly safe walls, a harmony to
complete the overall score of small town life - laughter.

Inside the community church itself, two children mechanically lifted half-filled spoons to
their soft lips as their grandmother spoke to them. The woman had clearly won in her
battle against Father Time. Her short body was lean; though she chose to conceal her
body beneath floating robes, she carried herself with the air of a woman trained in
powerful arts.

“There are many beings on this earth,” she told the children, carefully plaiting her silver
hair into a braid as she spoke. “Some are good. Some are evil. Some can be either. Now,
name some evil things for me.”

“Demons,” the boy whispered, dripping red liquid from his spoon. His light eyes, full of
fear and tension, contrasted with his greasy dark hair.

The woman nodded, a slow and reluctant twitch. The children were young, both under
the age of ten. There would be a day they found themselves wise enough for her to
explain herself thoroughly. Until they could understand, they had to believe what their
pastor taught them – whether the young man was correct or mislead himself.

“Mother,” a man called from a top floor. “If the kids are done, they need to come upstairs
to do their chores.”

The boy and girl groaned. The old woman smiled, her fingers finishing off the stiff braid.

“Listen to your parents, children. They are right, of course.”

“Ah, Grandma,” the girl protested. Under the stern gaze of their grandmother’s dark eyes,
they stood and kissed the woman’s pale cheek before stampeding away.
A younger lady came in to clear the table. “I always wonder about those two,” she
admitted with a glance at the stairs. “I wonder how they’ll grow...”

“They will be smart, like their mother,” the old woman confidently assured her daughter.
The woman shook her head and opened her mouth to wave off the compliment, only to
be interrupted by a ringing emergency bell. The sound clashed through closed windows,
demanding attention and arrogantly calling away any who would dare to silent it.

With a sigh, the grandmother stood up. “I feel my body protesting this more and more
every night,” she murmured quietly as she strolled out of the church.

Her daughter forced herself to pretend she had not heard the words the grandmother had
uttered. The grandmother had no successor, could not even think of aging when no one
stood ready to take the protector’s place.

***

Outside, the night had swiftly been clasped between the fingers of a deep chill. Ignoring
the icy blasts of a furious wind on her face, the old woman raised a cedar wood cross that
hung from her boney wrist.

“Demons of the night,” she growled to the wind. “Enough with this! Enough of the
crimes you commit in this community! Return to the place in Hell you belong!”

A shadowy hand reached from the darkness behind her. She couldn’t see it; she could
merely feel it, as well as the arctic grasp colder than the raging autumn winds.

The grandmother gasped as the arctic shadow wound itself around her body, a dark chain
made to cling and destroy by touch alone.

A bubble of panic inflated in the grandmother’s chest.

Desperately, the grandmother chanted, the rhythm of her voice interrupted by gulps of
air. But the arctic shadow did not weaken at the words of her ancestors. It tightened,
clamped around her waist and imprinting its numbing signature into her skin.

The bubble in the grandmother’s chest broke as she saw her pale skin beginning to
resemble radiant snow drifts. She struck the shadow with a blessed pointed tip of her
cross. The shadow did not react with more than a snarl over the wind.

‘Am I going to die?’ the grandmother asked herself within her struggle. Would the next
exorcist and protector in training have to take her place too soon, without proper training,
preparation – initiation?
The grandmother’s fading vision latched onto a shining movement of silver; the
shapeless, floating color slipped among the shadow, breaking the chain-formed darkness
into separate strands. The darkness was forced to release its grip, cracking apart with a
metallic growl. Along with the freedom of movement came the blessing of warmth, and
the return of color underneath the grandmother’s wrinkled epidermis.

The old woman surveyed her surroundings; both black chain and mysterious silver had
disappeared.

Her weak, trembling legs barely managed to support her frame as the relief bubble
replaced the panic one.

“Is anything truly evil?” she wondered aloud with a shaking voice, remembering the
friend she had made in the night twenty-some years ago. How in a stroke of compassion,
she had bandaged the arm of a demon in its human form.

He had been more charming than any she had found, asking for her love and receiving it
in a moment of blind abandonment.

He had also been easily influenced and swayed by her compassion. Never again had he
committed a crime that led her to exorcise him.

“And are the answers ever simple?” the grandmother asked the sky that had swallowed
her dark lover and the enemy he had battled.

She walked back towards the church that her job and tradition demanded she dwell in;
never mind her differences of opinion.

Her daughter stood waiting in the door frame. “Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yes,” snapped the aging woman, in a tight voice meant to strangle any who tried to
protest it.

“Mother...this is the third time you have been caught within the last few years. You never
had this problem before this decade. Perhaps...”

“No!” The grandmother smacked her hand into the wall as she caught her balance. “It’s
not the end of my time yet. I will not choose a successor to finish training yet!”

Inside her mind, away from the probing of her limited daughter, her thoughts did not
agree. It was her time, yes…yet…

‘I cannot let my friend fall victim to an exorcism by mistake. One day, I will die. Until
then, I will protect him as he protects me. I will find the way. I will convince the next
protector not all the demons are evil. Not all deserve to be locked back to the Hell they
sprouted from…
‘We like to think the world is so simple, under our control, when truly we have no power.
We only long for comfort, stability, and knowledge. Are even the facts we live by
reliable? And who am I, to judge these things?’

She had the answers to none of her questions; the claustrophobia of her attic room could
force her to ponder continuously, but never participated in the discussion.

A part of her knew she never would understand, no matter how extensive her pondering.
Despite her powers of exorcism, her gift to protect, she pondered as much as her relatives
just what humanity needed to be protected from.

That was her connection to all others – the pondering, the hesitancy to claim one evil was
greater than any other forms.

Halo – by Josh Bowe

 Bad Beat
By

r. j. paré

Facedown – from the Painted Aces series

– by r. j. pare

Pre – Flop

“When the first two cards [hole cards] are dealt, face down.”
Croupier
“The opening round of betting in a hand of poker.”
Gambler
“That moment, when any outcome remains possible…
ya know, before it all goes to hell.”
Recovering Addict

I would like to start this tale with, “Once upon a time…” but that would be
misleading. For starters, it infers that the events in this story take place at a distance; that
they are the sort of troubles that only happen to “other” people. Nothing could be further
from the truth. This is a tale both fictional and brutally real. There is a truth, within the
prose, that transcends the bounds of fantasy making its lessons applicable to the flesh and
blood, non-fiction world.

But, don’t worry it’s not a preachy tale. You will find no Gideon Bibles hidden in
the bedside drawers and there won’t be anyone knocking on the door asking if you’ve
heard the Good Word. What you will find is an entertaining yarn [hopefully] about a man
and his…

Well, why don’t I just let the story speak for itself?
 * * *
There once was a man from the city, let us call him Mr. Grey. That is not his real
name, of course, but who am I to argue with the likes of Tarantino. Besides, assigning
colours for names is as functional a form of pseudonym as any other.

Now one day, not so long ago, Mr. Grey got lucky. He met the perfect girl, Missy
White. I did explain the whole pseudonym thing, right? So, just go with it. Missy White
agreed to marry Mr. Grey even though he had no job and was voted “Most likely to
VEG” by his graduating class [a witty bunch, indeed]. But Missy saw that he had a good
heart and felt they could have a good life together. Love may indeed make the world go
‘round but frankly, it rarely makes any sort of rationale sense.

They both wanted kids and Missy had a good career… so they decided Mr. Grey
would play the role of home-maker, care-giver… Mr. Mom. There was some good
natured ribbing from friends and family but his Dad secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He
never really thought his lazy, day dreaming son would amount to much in the world of
business but maybe he would make someone a good wife… err… husband.

Now this would be a “nice” point to end our tale with “and the lived happily ever
after.” Mr. and Mrs. Grey grew old together and enjoyed the company of their
grandchildren in their golden years. That has a comforting ring to it, doesn’t it?

This isn’t that sort of story.

One day, while Missy was at work Mr. Grey was relaxing, after putting their
bouncing baby boy down for his afternoon nap. While surfing through channels
overloaded with daytime soaps and talk shows he tossed the remote onto the couch in
disgust.

“No way am I going to start watching ‘As the Stomach Churns.’” He says aloud,
chuckling at his own wit. “I may be the one staying at home but that don’t mean I gotta
act like some bored housewife!”

At this moment I would like to ask my patient readers if they believe in

Serendipity. Kismet? Fate? Is it pure happenstance that Mr. Grey would see the following
commercial at precisely the same moment he was contemplating his boredom?

“Are you bored and looking for a little excitement? Have you heard of Poker
Mania.com? Sign up today and try your hand at Texas Hold ‘Em Poker. Our online
service has millions of registered players, it’s social, it’s fun and most of all it’s FREE!
Learn the exciting game of Texas Hold ‘Em poker from the comfort of your own home
and see if you’ve got what it takes to go ‘All In’ or to successfully bluff one of the many
pros who use our service.”
 “I find Pandemonium Poker.com a great place to practice and chat with poker
aficionados around the world! I highly recommend this site, so sign up today!”

World Series of Poker, bracelet winner.

Mr. Grey got up from the couch, turned off the TV and walked over to the desk
top PC they kept in a nook between the kitchen and family room. He typed
pokermania.com into the address bar and quickly navigated through the colourful and
enticing instructions on how to play.

He was still playing, much later when the baby woke up. With reluctance he
logged off the site, got a spoon and cracked open a jar of Gerber’s.

It was time to feed the little fella.

Tune in next month

For the 2nd installment of “Bad Beat”
One that could only be called
“Big Slick”

The Lure – from the Painted Aces series – by r. j. pare

Untitled – by Engin Korkmaz
 Food

The drunken dragon

tavern
By Christina Marchetti

Hi there folks,

Here is the first of a long line of japanese recipes. I am a lazy

cook, and not afraid to use store bought ingrediants,
especially when they are cheaper than buying them and just
as tasty.

Tossed Salad, Tori No Miaudaki (clear soup with chicken

and leek) and Yaki Tori (grilled chicken)

Cheese and Butter – by Cindy Renfrow

Medieval / Renaissance Food Clip-Art
Collection

A Little Bit on Japanese Cuisine

1. Japanese cuisine developed with strong influences from China and Korea as that
is where Japanese ancestry comes from. With them they brought the written
language, religion, martial arts, chop sticks, soy rice and tea. Chinese music was
heard in Japanese courts, with art and architecture leaving their mark.

2. Of note, the Japanese name for the country "Nippon" comes from the Chinese
"tai nyih pung kok" meaning "Great Sunrise Kingdom"

3. Marco Polo transcribed the name as we know it today, Japan.

Tossed Salad

• 1 bag of store bought salad that has carrot, cabage and lettluce. Go ahead and add
some radish and cucumber to boot. No tomatoes though!!!

• Zehr's Blue Menu SoyGinger dressing.

• Mix up your lettuce and add dressing to taste. Refrigerate. Now I am not one for
advertising things, but I will say this much, that is some good dressing and all for
about $2.50 to $3.00 a bottle.

Yakitori

Yakitori Sauce • 2 tbsp of finely chopped ginger.

• 1/2 cup cooking sake (yes
go to your oriental grocer
and by cooking sake, it is
fairly inexpensive)
• 3/4 cup soy sauce.
• Mix all of the above ingrediants, bring to a
boil. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Now take about 2 and 1/2 pounds of chicken
cut into cubes and skewer onto soaked
bamboo skewers or onto metal skewers.

• 1/4 cup mirin (sweet
cooking wine, also found at
your grocers)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• Grill meat until half cooked and then brush
with yakitori sauce. Finish cooking, but
make sure it does not burn. Remember, the
sauce will carmalize with the heat due to the
sugar content.

Tori No Mizudaki

• 5oz of, skinless boneless • 6 slivers of lime or lemon rind.

chicken or thigh meat
• Cut the chicken into 12 even size pieces so they
• 3 young leeks. cook evenly.

• 4 cups of chicken stock • Trim the roots off the leeks along with loose green
tops. Cut into six inch pieces and slice length
• 11/2 tbsp soy sauce wise and wash out all the sand. Set aside.

• 1 tbsp mirin • Bring the stock to a boil and add the chicken.
Simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the
• salt and pepper to taste ingredients and simmer until leeks are tender.

• lime or lemon juice • Add lemon or lime to taste and serve in six bowls.
Garnish with peel.
NOTE: Mirin and cooking sake are present in just about every recipe I am going to send
out. You should just use a couple of tbsp at a time, so buy accordingly.

Tastefully yours,
Tina

PS – A few do’s and don’ts of JAPANESE TABLE MANNERS

DON'T start eating until everybody is DO dip your sushi in accompanying sauce
served. using fingers or chopsticks.
DO say "itadakimasu" (I will eat/drink) DON'T pick over your food with your
before the meal and "gochiso-sama chopsticks.
(everything was delicious) after the meal.
DON'T pick up a dish with the hand DO accept second helpings of rice or soup
holding your chopsticks. with both hands and place it on the table
before you before you start eating.
DO lift bowls of rice or soup toward you to DON'T spear your food with you
eat to eat. It helps prevent spillage. chopsticks.
DON'T use your chopsticks to shift dishes.
DO follow a morsel from a dish with a
DO slurp your noodles. mouthful of rice.
DON'T point with your chopsticks or wave DON'T leave your chopsticks standing
them in the air. vertically in the rice.

Ref: Asia the Beautiful Cookbook, HarperCollins, 1992; Japanese Cooking, Shunsuke
Fukushima, 2001; Yamasa Student Network, www.yamash.org ; Ethnic Foods.com

Piggyback – by De Tourist
Untitled – by Bob Labute
 Pop Culture
Comic Book Review
By Brad Bellmore

Elemental Fources

Thumb solidly down

Editor’s Note: For me, partially up,

provided you invest enough time to read
further into the series.

Elemental Fources (yes, that’s spelled right) is

an independent comic that I picked up at the
Wizard World Chicago Comic Con. The group
producing it calls themselves New Baby
Productions.

The basic concept of this ongoing series is that

the Apocalypse is approaching and a secret
group known as the Brotherhood wages war
against evil, trying to prevent this. Part of this
Brotherhood is a team of human half-breeds
with powers derived from the four elements:
air, earth, fire and water. They battle against
demonic forces trying to destroy Earth.

The tale, written by Crisman Strunk, in this first issue focuses mostly on these heroes, the
Brotherhood’s attempt to prevent the rise of evil and the evil forces trying to destroy
humanity. There are a handful of small battles to give you ideas of powers and what the
war at hand looks like. This portion of the book feels a little rushed. I think they could
have drawn out some of the skirmishes to reveal a bit more about the characters and their
powers as well as enjoy the action a bit.

At the end of the issue, there is apparently an additional segment, focusing on police
investigating the residual damage of the battles that the Elemental Fources fought. The
dialogue here was surprisingly more crisp and alive than the rest of the book.
The basic story of these normal everyday cops trying to wrap their heads around what
people told them had happened offered a considerably more compelling story than the
focus story. Then again, how many more stories can there be about cops investigating the
supernatural?

At times, the art in this issue really shines, lending the look of standard mainstream stuff
on the shelves in your local comic store. At other times, it isn’t as sharp and feels more
like it would fit better in an underground drama than a supernatural thriller comic. John
Becaro and Ernest Jocson combined to deliver the art.

Overall, I wasn’t thrilled with this book. As I said, the afterthought at the end of the issue
was more interesting than the rest of the book. The front cover made me wonder if this
might be a bad knock off of the Fantastic Four, with very obvious parallels with the
heroes’ powers. They did some nice changes in terms of power to separate themselves
and the underlying idea for the supernatural side of things is nice too. However, I don’t
feel like this issue does anything to distance itself from other comics in any real way.

So, sadly because I really like to support independent work and would like this book to
be able to flourish, it’s not really worth the effort.

Editor’s Note: I tried this book myself and thought there were some parallels to
an old Comico Series called The Elementals and with good reason! After speaking to
Crisman at SPACE Con I discovered that early on in the creative process he had
looked into securing the rights to create a New Elementals series but was unable to
do so. That was part of how the idea for this book came about.

However, if you decide to give it a try, by the third issue Crisman’s writing really
begins to shine and the art, which for an indie is pretty cool to begin with, develops
greater consistency.

For more on Elemental Fources, visit and decide for yourself:

http://www.elementalfources.com/
 The Anatomy of Hate

Film Review
By Brad Bellmore

The Anatomy of Hate is an intriguing film that looks at hate and the fear that drives it. Mike
Ramsdell documents situations in the USA and in Palestine and Iraq, trying to catalyze dialogue
about why things are as they are and offer some glimmers of hope in some rather bleak situations.
So far this film is not released into theaters but is instead enjoying some grass roots promotion
being screened and discussed by community and religious groups interested in pursuing
understanding. This is a tough film to watch at times but well worth it. I took some time to
connect with Mike about his film and why he made it.

Brad Bellmore: Why did you decide to do this project?

Mike Ramsdell: I was just out of film school, looking for a project to start on when 9/11
happened. Being raised by a social studies teacher and a Lebanese woman (my parents) I knew
that the complexities of the situation were far more significant than “We're gonna go get the bad
guys.” It was clear a lot of people were going to die, and I wanted to understand what it was in us
Human beings that can make us as a creature, who I believe openly and honestly seek peace,
prosperity, and happiness - fail so miserably at these goals on a collective level.

BB: How did you track down the people you interviewed?

MR: Lots of different ways. In the white power movement it was a lot of e-mails, which were
responded to with - GO JUMP IN A LAKE. (not in those words mind you.) But then I got in
touch with Tom Metzger, who is a big leader in the movement, and he got me in places - one of
which is where I met Billy, who I focus on in the film. WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH - I
just called. They like having cameras around. US ARMY - Tons and tons of red tape. And the
middle east - just showed up with a camera and an interpreter.

BB: How did you get them to agree to be in the film?

MR: I told people my intentions, and most importantly spoke with them from a perspective of
understanding. They saw pretty quick I wasn't just looking for a sound bite.
BB: Were you ever scared?

MR: Yep.

BB: What was the scariest part for you to film?

MR: Being in the back of a Humvee in Iraq is scary as shit.

BB: Did you have any trepidation interviewing the Aryans when you aren’t quite as Aryan?

MR: I did at first. I didn't put my interview with Shaun Walker, leader of the National Alliance in
the film. But pulling into that compound I had no idea what was going to greet me. When it was
a guy in a flannel shirt with his dogs, I relaxed a bit. A little to much, as I got a bit careless in
some other interviews.

BB: In the cross burning scene, they were singing “Amazing Grace”; was there any sense that
they understood the story behind that hymn, that John Newton (the author of the song) was a
repentant slave trader?

MR: You must understand that people with this type of ideology are people to whom history was
written by the enemy, and only they know the real truth.

BB: Did you find yourself in disagreement with people you interviewed?

MR: On a personal level of course. But that was never my intention. No one cares what Mike
Ramsdell thinks - and making a 2 hour film about what I thought of these people and their
opinions would be worthless. So my only intention was to understand. I would question them on
inconsistencies and such, but only with the objective to better understand.

BB: How hard was it to document someone you disagree with?

MR: As long as they weren't doing physical harm to another, not hard at all.

BB: Did you find yourself having compassion for some of these people even though you disagree
with them?

MR: Lots and lots of it. I don't believe in evil, or evil people. We are all just struggling to fill the
missing piece of the human experience. Once we understand that, the "evil" comes off and the
situation becomes so very human. Which makes it all the more sad, and hopeful. If it's just
humans doing this - then humans can also un-do all of this.

BB: How did you find the people that had more hope for the future?

MR: Luckily, they are just out there. Unfortunately, they don't get as much press.

BB: How refreshing was it to hear that?

MR: By my last week in Israel I was so depressed I wanted to go home and never think about this
stuff again. Then I met Elik and Bassam. (Combatants for Peace) Then the kids at Hand and
Hand. It was a complete refueling in my faith and
hope and a new inspiration to get the film made.

BB: What are you trying to say with this movie?

MR: Not trying to say anything. Just trying to understand.

BB: What are you hoping to accomplish with this film?

MR: A shift in the collective needle toward a more unified society through Understanding, hope,
and action. Nothing can change without UNDERSTANDING, not will change without HOPE,
nothing does change without ACTION.

BB: How have you been promoting you film? Do you have a distributor yet?

MR: We've actually had lots of offers for distribution, (which is awesome!) but we are holding
off on that, because we think that the grass roots push of our film is the most interesting thing we
can be doing right now,

BB: What contest and festival presence have you had so far?

MR: We're still pretty new into the festivals, but we've played Boston international FF, won Best
Political Doc. at Philadelphia Independent FF, will be playing at the Atlanta Doc. Fest on August
29, and the Cinema City Film Festival on Sept 12.

BB: Your website lists a mosque that withdraws from a discussion. Why was that?
MR: They felt that the film didn't accurately speak to the plight of the Palestinian People.

BB: Has this happened more than once?

MR: I've certainly been told my film is biased one way or another. Interestingly enough - this
mostly comes from either Arabs or Jews. There is so much pain and emotion around that topic
that even way over here in Michigan I get a lot of very poignant and aggressive comments about
my handling of this situation. Although there are lots of very supportive comments as well.
Someone once told me, if you ask 2 people about the situation in the middle east you will get 3
opinions. That seems pretty accurate.

BB: Who has been most open to screening and discussing your film?

MR: Right now we are doing some fantastic screenings, bringing together members of the Gay
and Christian communities within different cities and towns - to screen the film and then dialogue
about how they can find ways to build a more unifying relationship. We're going to use this
model with in the Jewish and Arab communities as well, and hopefully in any way that we can
bring 2 disparate groups together.

BB: How can someone book a screening?

MR: On the website ( http://dev.anatomyofhate.com/ ) there is a contact tab. In there you can let
me know about any screening you want to do, and we'll make it happen.

BB: What inspires you?

MR: Truth.

BB: Who or what are your influences?

MR: Truth, and all those who have sought it, seek it, or have found it....and Francis Ford
Coppola.

BB: Are there any works that influenced your work on this project?

MR: Rush Dozier's WHY WE HATE and Ernest Becker's DENIAL OF DEATH were the 2
literary works that most influenced the final shape of the film - and Peter Davis's phenomenal
documentary HEARTS AND MINDS.
 Film review
By Larissa Gula

Regular columnist, Larissa Gula, invites RKYV

ONLINE fans to follow her writing for the Pitt
News:

http://trolleygirl13.blogspot.com/2009/08/district-9-film-review.html

She recently reviewed the film, District 9. The

following are excerpts from her review:

“Forget every bad demonstration of the

science fiction genre that has ever crossed
the big screen, because this science fiction
film deserves a chance to be seen without
prejudice.”

***

“District 9 is directed by Neill Blomkamp and also backed up with

producing from Peter Jackson, combining the mind of a man who has
worked on science fiction projects before with a highly acclaimed force in
the film industry.”

***

“But the most fascinating aspect to watch might not be the characters and
instead might be the ability to create a clash between two societies and
cultures, a clash perhaps not very different from a true event on Earth.”

***

“Perhaps as audiences watch District 9 they too will see the parallels
between our real history and this action packed alternative story.”
To read the full review please visit Larissa’s Blog!
Raised on Saturday morning
cartoons

By Pauline Paré

“V” AND OTHER NEW SHOWS I MIGHT CHECK OUT

In 1983 I watched V: The Mini Series

on television and I was just blown away. A
science fiction mini-series at a time when
most mini-series were marketed for middle
aged women was a nice turn and incredibly
exciting.

This was followed by V: The Final

Battle which was just as amazing and V: The
Series which was mediocre (the show’s
creator left because of creative differences.) It
lasted one season (1984-1985).

Now, 24 years later, V is back and it

appears to be starting over from the
beginning of the story. I certainly hope that
this series is much more successful than the
first and more akin to the mini-series. The
special effects in the trailer I watched were
certainly good and the cast is interesting as
well.

If you have never heard the premise of the series I suggest you check out
http://beta.abc.go.cpm/shows/v . It will be premiering November 3rd.
 There are only a handful of new series that I might check out this year. Flash Forward
appears to be the most hyped series and it looks like a Stephen King novel come to life.
Everyone on earth gets a vision of their own future. What will they do with this
knowledge? The forgotten looked forgettable until the network replaced the lead with
Christian Slater. He and his team will be looking into closed cases and hopefully solving
some of them. Boring premise but with Christian Slater, I will be watching.

Enjoy the new 2009-2010 television season, my fellow couch potatoes. The summer
of television drought is nearly over!