Month: September 2007

Vegan Recipe of the Week – Pizza

Pizza

I am too impatient to watch dough rise, so I use this recipe for quick delicious pizza dough.

Dough Ingredients:
*1 ½ c flour (white, whole wheat, gluten-free, etc. will all work fine)
*1 tsp baking powder
*1 to 2 tsp dried herbs of your choice (oregano, basil, rosemary)
*½ tsp salt
*1/8 tsp ground black pepper
*1 egg equivalent of powdered egg replacer (substitute for an extra ½ tsp baking soda and splash of your choice of liquid)
*¼ cup oil
*½ cup vegan milk (soy, almond, rice, etc.)
Topping and Sauce Ideas:  marinara, vegan pesto, olive oil, mushrooms, onions, broccoli, corn, beans, avocados, figs, all the fruits and veggies you can think of, nutritional yeast, fake meats, soy cheeses (my favorite’s the gourmet brand)

Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix dry and then wet ingredients, using your hands to kneed together. The dough can be stretched or rolled in a variety of ways. I like to flatten the dough with my hands on a floured surface, place in an oiled glass pan, metal cookie, pie pan, or whatever is around and continue to flatten to about ¼ inch thick. Bake the crust for about 10 minutes or until light brown. Add sauce and toppings and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. And now the fun of trying to cut the pizza without burning your fingers.

I’ll be making Pizza for Vegan Potluck this week, Saturday 6pm Mills Kitchen.

Good vibes at Blues Fest regardless of rain

Once a year, banjos, guitars, violins, and harmonicas are a common sight along with plates of Cajun food and voluminous cups of fresh lemonade. For the 10th consecutive year, the sweet sounds of live music and the scent of BBQ floated across the Antioch College campus.
Through the efforts of a dedicated team of volunteers, African American Cross-Cultural Works presented Blues/ Jazz Music Fest ’07 to southwestern Ohio.  Residents of the village of Yellow Springs, that hosted the event, as well as festival goers from other parts of Ohio and beyond converged on the west edge of the college campus to enjoy a weekend of live blues and other music.
Guy Davis, a blues performer, has been a part of the festival since its inception 10 years ago.  “It’s a small-town festival, sometimes with big members,” he explains.  Even so, within the relatively small grounds allotted to the festival, everything from ‘Big Mama’s Bar-B-Que Ribs’ (“Ribs so good make you wanna slap your mama”) to jugglers, to Antioch McGregor recruiters, managed to find a place on the grass and along
the pathways.
The blues festival kicked off on Wednesday the fifth in the elegantly wood panelled sanctuary of the Central Chapel A.M.E. Church.  A standing-room-only audience enthusiastically enjoy an evening of soulful gospel music.  Everyone from small children to elderly villagers tapped toes, swayed to and fro, or clapped fervently to the lively melodies.  An offering was taken and Pastor John Freeman led a prayer.  “There are a lot of storms right now that aren’t related to the weather,” the pastor said.
But it is events such as the blues festival that respond to such storms by bringing people together.  Sparky Elliott, a former student at Antioch College and guitarist in The Ark Band, cited the community as one of the aspects of Yellow Springs that he loved most.  “I’ve had the best two years of my life in this place,” he said, “and it’s because of the people.”  And the people are what makes the blues festival such a hit.
“It’s a place where “people rub shoulders with each other,” said  Guy Davis. He opened up the Saturday festivities with a small group on the Innovation Stage.  No more than a slightly raised platform, the stage, covered by an awning, hosted some of the most impassioned and diverse music of the weekend.  From turntabling, to blues, to rap backed up by a harmonica, the Innovation Stage was the place for down-home, spontaneous music.
Both Friday and Saturday turned out to be something of a disappointing for many of the fans who had come to hear headliners like Al Caldwell and The Travelling Hillbillies and Magnolia Bolthead.  Rain and overcast skies plagued both days and left the grounds only sparsely occupied.  The weather went so far as to force Friday’s music to be cancelled completely.  This year was the first time in the festival’s history that it had rained, said Elizabeth Tobey, a 10-year-veteran of the festival.
The sentiment on Saturday afternoon however, was one of pertinacity.  As the sky erupted with rain, showgoers took refuge beneath trees and musicians continued to play as they moved under tarps Minutes before the rain, one musician announced “We don’t know if it’s going to rain or not, but if it does, we’re going into the theatre.  It’s the blues either way.”
By evening, the theatre was indeed where most of the day’s headliners ended up.  The show’s move inside created a logistical quandary when the maximum occupancy of the much smaller theatre was reached and a security guard posted outside the main door to keep further blues fans out.  Those wishing to enter were told the crowd inside would be sent out around 9:30pm and a new batch would be brought in.  It was a discouraging end to a gloomy day for many at the festival who had persevered in spite of the weather.
Turnout on Sunday, the last day of the festival, was a marked improvement.  The presence of  sunshine helped fans get into the mood for an afternoon of life music and dancing.  Headliners returned to the amphitheatre and bands like The Ark Band with their reggae and calypso music created the perfect atmosphere to get the audience off their seats into the open air arena.  Festivalgoers of all ages took to the dance floor to enjoy the music and weather.
While this year’s festival was neither as well attended nor publicized as the previous when comedian Dave Chappelle hosted the show, most people left pleased.  Fans of the blues came for the event itself and they got what they had come to hear.  “We mostly come to hear who’s here,” said one festivalgoer from Springfield.
Fans of the blues must now wait another year to enjoy the varied pleasures of the AACW blues festival once more.

From The Editors

Inform Yourself

Long ago seem the days that we still had a Dean of Students and a President who was actually allowed to call himself that. Adapting to new status quos, indeed has been quite the theme since I arrived here 13 months ago.
The recent dismissal of our president and the strong student and faculty reaction to Rick Daily’s presentation at the senior center made me think back to February when Jimmy Williams was made to leave.
Standard consultation processes were disregarded. students were outraged, screamed for transparency. Then Steve came in with the numbers, everyone was baffled and in the end the baby was thrown out with the bathwater.
In a different context but similar situation, students and faculty were alarmed after last week’s off-campus meeting with representatives of the college alumni board. Again there was legitimate concern. But If not addressed well, there again is a chance that the baby is thrown out with the bathwater.
I remember not being pacified by Steve’s presentation of the daunting numbers that led him to cut 20 positions in February. I regularly attended Adcil and was there when Lawry presented the need to restrict operational costs drastically. In between all that daunting reality, however, I never got past seeing the elimination of Jimmy Williams’ position as a welcome political move amidst a general decision driven by necessity.
Last Thursday, transparency of processes again became a concern. This time it was those who lead our (the college’s) crusade that were in deficit. Appearing in front of a community that’s been shaken and brused by a series of top down decision making and stripped of its self governing ability, and de facto saying “you will just have to trust us to watch the store,” shows poor understanding of the sentiments of the college community right now. Talking about military people assessing our buildings and the need to “make sure Adcil is relevant” hardly won him over the trust of the assembled community either.
Talking personally to the alumni involved, on the phone, by email or reading the intra list servs, I don’t believe there is malice or power lust on the part of the AB, but if the language does not become more inclusive, people will jump ship.
At the same time, it’s vital that students and community inform themselves beyond second hand information that is heavily editorialized by the time it reaches them (including this one). If rumor becomes our main mode of communication, we will fail. I don’t believe in liaisons, I believe in Gmail and speed dial and tackling people on the way to their car; Email Rick Daily, call Nancy Crow, chat to Ellen Borgersen while you help her move her boxes into her new office in Weston. Talk to Noreen Dean Dresser, a New York alumna who used to work on making lifeless military communities viable again. Ask questions, difficult questions if needed. But above all listen, to the lines and in between. Go to Adcil and ComCil. A lack of transparency is what brought us to this point in our history. If you are missing information, ask for it. Find it. If the front page article on the Antiochpapers shows you anything, it’s that it’s out there. -KJ

Dear Antiochians,
Last week, a handful of students made their way to the Yellow Springs Senior Center to listen to Rick Daily adress the Community. It was the first direct interaction we had with the Alumni Board since the August 25th Meeting, so as we sat on the floor of the meeting room, we felt eager to hear news from the frontlines.
But as we heard the dramatic events of the past weekend minimized as mere “mistakes,” and miscommunications, we started to look at each other with eyebrows raised. Our president was not allowed to set foot on campus, college staff were locked out of their own offices, all of which in the most suffocating silence, and the reaction of those who are defending our interests was to urge us to get over it and move on?
“I feel like he’s handling us” I wrote on a corner of my notebook to my right-hand neighbor.
Then,  as we listened to diatribes about the “opportunities” that opened to us, and how Antioch could be made great in the future; as we listened to talks about developpers and army-lead operations in our buildings, we starting shaking our heads in disbelief. Talk about the new board’s vision and independance, yes, there was plenty. Talk about community input, none. Maybe it was not the time for this yet, so we swallowed our concerns and waited for the next part.
“I’m tired of this superficial pep talk, it’s not worthy of Antiochians” was my next message to my neighbor who nodded, looking as anxious as I felt.
Finally, we listened to our faculty members expressing some of our concerns, about transparency, democratic process and responsbility. But their remarks were dismissed as counterproductive, as if we were not allowed to question the process in which we are all involved in any way, because it will not bring pragmatic results. “We have to make sure that AdCil is relevant” was the last straw.
So as I listened to Rick Daily’s joke “we are consensually hijacking the campus”, I wrote to my right-hand neighbor: “I feel like our efforts are being hijacked for a plan that is not ours!” But when I turned to her for an answer, I saw that she was sobbing.
Maybe we were mistaken as to the purpose of that meeting was. For us, it was an opportunity to meet alumni to share information and insight for the first time since the Cincinatti meeting. Maybe it is too much for us to ask to be acknowledged in the language, as a very much alive, vibrant community, whose democratic governant bodies are relevant. Maybe people will turn to us later, when the “divorce is secure”, in Rick Daily’s words. But we have suffered from way too much top-down authority recently. And we hope that if we are to have an independant Board, it is to reclaim that long-lost power back for the community, not to put it in the hands of, –however concerned and dedicated– trustees to realize their Vision from yet another top-down perspective.
Because Antioch College today is not some kind of no man’s land, a shack to rebuild to its greatness. Antioch today is doing pretty damn fine, thank you very much, (except for one or two details). And I wouldn’t have prefered go to Antioch at any other time.
At the end of Thursday meeting, a member of the assembly asked for more transparent processes to be put in place. A faculty member added that faculty should be included. At that point, I cried out “ And Students!”
I hope someone heard me.
In solidarity,

-JK

Sex Toys on a Budget

Sex toys are great. They are fun for personal use or to use with friends and partners. They can help you act out fantasies, spark sexual creativity, explore sensations, and find sexual satisfaction. Some folks have impressive sex toy collections which are a great source of pride – similar to an art collection. And how does one acquire such a collection, you ask? Well, some pieces are probably negotiated into the collection when dividing the assets in a break-up, but generally it’s through money. Good dildos can cost upwards of $50, and I’ve heard of people spending hundreds of dollars on hand-crafted leather pieces (like floggers). Even if you aren’t interested in hand-crafted leather pieces, you can still spend a pretty penny on the most basic of sex toys. I spent $108 on my first dildo and vinyl harness. That’s a lot to spend when you’re a college student making FWSP wages (and haven’t even received your first meager paycheck yet). Never fear! With a little creativity and resourcefulness, your world can be rife with sex toys!
Striking Instruments
If you are interested in play that involves striking or being struck by your partner(s), as in with a paddle, the kitchen (or the kitchenware section of the nearest thrift store) is a great place to look. Try wooden spoons or plastic or rubber spatulas. For variety, try whisks, slotted spoons, tongs, or even ice cube trays (straight from the freezer, sans the ice). Remember, however, that anything porous (like everything listed above) needs to be covered with a condom or designated for use with one person only, which is why checking out the thrift store and investing in cheap items designated for sexual use only is a good idea. Multiple partners? Buy a $0.25 wooden spoon for each of them. How thoughtful! Books as paddles pack an intellectual punch and every college student has books. Another favorite striking instrument of mine is a classic – the paddle or oval style hairbrush. It’s useful for fantasies involving punishment/spankings, as well as hair and hairbrushing (yes, there are people with hair fetishes). My favorite use of the hairbrush, however, is when using hot wax. Once your lover is covered in hot wax, you can remove the more troublesome bits that won’t peel off by running a wire-bristled hairbrush over them in a circular motion. It will be particularly painful over your lover’s sensitive, hot wax covered skin, so if that’s what you’re going for, it’s the perfect tool. Another classic is the belt, though be careful with this one as long, loose ends can hit parts of your lover’s body other than the ones you were aiming for. Practice on a pillow or chair first to perfect your aim. Also, a word of caution with all sex acts involving hitting and striking: as with all things, you MUST communicate with your partner(s) about it before-hand and make sure that everyone clearly understands and consents to the activities. Also, hitting can be dangerous, and you MUST know what you’re doing. The fleshy parts of butts and thighs are generally safe, but be sure to look it up on the internet, ask an expert, or take a class before attempting a potentially dangerous activity.
Dildos
Break out the lesbian jokes, because here it comes: vegetables. It’s funny, but it’s true that vegetables make excellent inexpensive dildos. Many, such as cucmbers, squashes, and carrots come in a shape convenient for insertion into vaginas (though not anuses, as they generally do not have flared bases and could actually get “lost” inside, which is damn near impossible in a vagina). A friend of mine swears by a peeled cucumber, microwaved just enough to make it warm and malleable. “Decorative gourds,” sold practically everywhere in fall (especially closer to Halloween) come in lots of interesting shapes and textures. Again, make sure you cover all your vegetables with a condom and, actually, wash them first just to be sure your important parts don’t meet with any nasty pesticides. Also, try looking around your room for things that look insert-able. Use some common sense, but remember that barriers are your best friends and small lotion bottles or Ken dolls with molded plastic hair can be covered with condoms and take on valuable new meaning. Do make sure, though, that your found-object dildo is without sharp edges and that anything you insert anally has a flared base and, if you can, a handle.
Vibrators
Get this: anything that vibrates can be a vibrator. Of course, the obvious choice is a vibrating back massager. Some of the products sold as “vibrators” in sex toy stores are actually packaged and marketed as back massagers. These can be comparable in price to sex-toy-vibrators, but the benefit here is that you may already have one that you’ve just never looked at that way before. Another good option is the electric toothbrush. Put a condom on that sucker and you’d be amazed at how oral hygiene can enhance your sex life!
There are many more possibilities for cheap, free, and DIY sex toys, but that’s where we’ll stop for this week. Be creative, use lots of condoms and common sense, and see what you can come up with!
Lusting For You,
Levi B.

An Open Letter To My Breakfast

Dear Continental Breakfast,

I wake up, or try to wake up, every day at 8 a.m. excited for the day. I put on some spiffy clothes; I brush my teeth, and wash my face. I meet up with my fellow early risers and head out to the Caf.
My mouth waters while I think of breakfast, images of sausage and eggs dance through my head. I tremble anticipation, but when I open the Caf doors my syrupy dreams run off the plate of my mind, my full service fantasy dissolves into a “Continental” reality.
I stand my tired face staring at the meager selection before me, I am far too drained of life to make my own waffles, I know fruit will not provide proper sustenance, and so I go for the safest option, cereal.
I slump down with my meal, black coffee, and fruit loops. My stomach growls angrily at me. My digestive system and I both know that this will not provide enough energy to prevent the onset of sleep during my first class.
So I guess what I want to say to you is “Why did you abandon me breakfast?” I depend on you for the sustenance required to make it to my next meal, which, with my overwhelming class load, is usually dinner. So I need you. I need you to fill me with protein, to give me the power to win my victories for humanity. I need bigger coffee cups, so I can acquire the caffeine I need to stay awake in my dimly lit art history class.
Our relationship used to be hot, now it’s just continental. What happened breakfast? Why can’t we go back to the way things used to be?

With Apprehension,
Ben Horlacher, 1st Year Student