The Art of Genetic Manipulation

by Arius Elvikis


The Farm
by Alexis Rockman
(2000)

Incredible advances are being made in genetics and biotechnology. Crops are altered to be easier for farmers to grow; bacteria are altered to produce specific substances or break down others; and animals are beginning to be custom-tailored to yield more meat or aid in disease research. These are fascinating fields and they certainly spark the imagination when the potential is considered. But they might not be without their dangers. Continue reading The Art of Genetic Manipulation

Nightswimming

by Barrett Hathcock

She had called.

It was the night before the first day of junior year, a Sunday, a day normally reserved for lunch with the grandparents, minimal yard work for his mother, and an evening spent grilling hot dogs with his father in the driveway of his Belhaven rental, where he had lived since the divorce. But tonight was different. Continue reading Nightswimming

Infidel:

The Harrowing Tale of My Wikipedia Edit

by Clifton Smith

When surfing the Web recently for info on writer/infidel Ayaan Hirsi Ali, I notice that her Wikipedia entry contains many “citation needed” notices.

Good Samaritan that I try to be, I decide to try to improve the quality and reliability of this Wikipedia entry.

Better Samaritan that I try to be, I decide to share with [sic] readers how this process unfolds.

Awesome. Continue reading Infidel:

Love on the Run

by Kyle Shelton

“Do you have a problem with nudity?” Laura asked.

“Nudity? Um…I guess as a general concept, no, I don’t have a problem with it,” I replied.

“We’re not doing porn, if that’s what you’re thinking!” Laura said. “I mean, it’s not porn, so don’t worry about that. I mean, if one of the contestants starts having relations with a girl and you’re in the room you can stay and watch or you can leave. That’ll be your choice. That’s all I mean.” Continue reading Love on the Run

Analysis of Boys and Girls in America

by Jonathan Hust

With the release of Boys and Girls in America, Craig Finn, talk-singing front man of The Hold Steady, unveils the latest chapter in his ongoing story of drugs and redemption. This release, the band’s first for Vagrant records, finds the New York rockers picking up right where they left off with 2005’s Separation Sunday, both musically and lyrically.

Continue reading Analysis of Boys and Girls in America

This Document is Rated X…

…for Aberrational Honesty: Arguments for Ignoring MPAA Ratings

by Clifton Smith

Nine-tenths of the appeal of pornography is due to the indecent feelings concerning sex which moralists inculcate in the young; the other tenth is physiological, and will occur in one way or another whatever the state of the law may be.

—Bertrand Russell,
   Marriage and Morals
   (1929)

Ahead, I will discuss documentarian Kirby Dick’s This Film is Not Yet Rated and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Those involved with the MPAA claim its purpose is to warn consumers about potentially objectionable material (sex, violence, language, and drug use, for example) in films. It does this, but in a way that outsiders, myself included, often find puzzling. Continue reading This Document is Rated X…

Chris Jordan: Sublime Stuff

by Arius Elvikis


Chris Jordan
Intolerable Beauty
“Cell phones #2”

Plasticatastrophe
Half a year ago I read an article on the North Pacific Gyre, an immense, high-pressure area of the ocean between the west coast and Hawaii. The waters within were doldrums; few ships sailed through because the winds didn’t blow. The ocean just swirled there slowly. Continue reading Chris Jordan: Sublime Stuff