2008-10 Vital Source Mag – October 2008
Reconsidering the turkey
The other day my son and I were driving in the country when we saw a small rafter of wild turkeys hanging out by the side of the road. We stopped to watch, which eventually caused the big tom to lead the dozen or so females and adolescents back to the tall meadow stand at a leisurely pace, one eye on us and one on his charges. He perched in a low tree, puffed up and giving orders in what sounded like a calm but firm voice, not descending until it was time to form a rear guard of one. It was very cool. For a 10-year old, Harrison is a fount of history and science trivia. As we pulled away he asked me if I knew that Ben Franklin thought the turkey would make a better national bird than the bald eagle. “I did know that,” I replied. “Do you know why?” “Because he thought turkeys were smarter and more honest than eagles, and that was a better symbol for America.” I asked if he agreed. “I think,” he replied, “that the turkey would be a better symbol of how we should be, but the eagle is more accurate for how we are.” Indeed. Benjamin Franklin’s now-famous thoughts on the turkey were disclosed in a letter to his daughter in 1784: “For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. …[T]oo lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him. … [L]like those among Men who live by Sharping & Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country…For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird …He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage…” Franklin never petitioned his idea formally. Maybe he already had a sense of the direction in which things were headed and didn’t see the value in ruffling any feathers (sorry). He was, after all, a pretty smart guy, and eerily prescient on a host of matters. Philosophically, as a publisher, I’m probably a lot like Ben Franklin, who worked as a civil servant late into his life, more interested in improving the postal service, the library system and municipal functions than holding great power on the world stage. So when you read VITAL Source online or in print, […]
Oct 1st, 2008 by Jon Anne Willow
VITAL Source 2008 Halloween Guide!
A Theater of Lost Souls October 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24-26, 29-31; November 1 500 E County Y, Oshkosh A Theater of Lost Souls has been completely redesigned in 2008 to give you one of the most frightful Halloween experiences in the area, complete with monsters, a black light theater, and “Your Last Ride” – a too-freaky-to-be-believed funeral simulator. Only for the bravest and most sound of sanity. 920-731-8555 or atheateroflostsouls.com Bear Den Haunted Woods October 3-4, 10-11, 17-18, 24-25, November 1 6831 Big Bend Rd., Waterford Arrive at the Bear Dean Haunted Woods via hearse, then see if you have the mettle to survive a hike through a “feasting graveyard of the walking dead.” The whole attraction takes place in the woods, and it’s been consistently rated one of the scariest in the region. Not to be missed! 262-895-6430 or beardenzoo.com Burial Chamber Haunted House October 3-4, 10-12, 16-19, 23-26, 29-31; November 1 500 N. Lake Street, Neenah The Burial Chamber Haunted House is actually four attractions in one, including two indoor haunted houses, one outdoor haunted house and FOUR burial simulators. Creepy. This Hollywood-style haunted complex was voted #1 by Haunted Wisconsin last year. burialchamber.com Deadly Intentions Haunted Yard October 30, 31; November 1 1621 N 26th St., Sheboygan Here’s something different: this home haunt in Sheboygan is legendary, and its intimacy is what gives it its frightful potency. Leave the kids at home for this free haunt – there’s lots of blood and gore. But how can you pass up a personal scare in someone’s yard? You shouldn’t. 920-254-4354 Dominion of Terror October 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24-26, 29-31; November 1 2024 North 15th Street, Sheboygan The Dominion of Terror is over 30 years in the making. No room is ever the same and the horrifying characters you’ll encounter are brandnew. Dominion of Terror lives up to its name as one of the most mind-bending and gruesome festivals of insanity in the area. 920-918-2270 or dominionofterror.com Fall River Chamber of Horrors October 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, 31; November 1 W1404 Heppe Road, Fall River The Fall River Chamber of Commerce presents the Chamber of Horrors, a snaking series of long halls, dark corners and sentinel scarecrows. Afterward catch a scary movie on the lawn or take a hayride through the corn field – a great way to unwind after a great scare. 920-484-6099 Fright Hike October 31; November 1 Lapham Peak State Park, W329 N849 Highway C, Delafield How does that story go about dark woods in the middle of the night? There are probably dozens of urban legends that begin – and end – with a hike through the wilderness, and you can live out the terror with a one-mile Fright Hike through the terrifying trails of Lapham Peak State Park. Spooky! 262-364-7773 or frighthike.com Gilly’s Haunted House October 3, 4, 10, 11, 17-19, 23-26, 30, 31 1559 W. Forest Home Ave., Milwaukee A dilapidated big tent is the setting […]
Oct 1st, 2008 by Amy Elliott
Grails
Some folks label the Portland, OR band Grails instrumental. I deem it ambient or Narada metal. The prolific (and I use this term with a large measure of chagrin) quartet’s 9th release this millennium, Doomsdayer’s Holiday, really is just more of the same, and all the more agonizing because of it. The seven songs within dabble in a few textures, but all of it just blows wind (literally, in many unfortunate instances) and is entirely forgettable. Many have come before Grails, and to much better results. There’s “doom” metal (just grubby blues licks) on “Reincarnation Blues” and “Predestination Blues.” Then there are the aforementioned wind samples, high-fret guitar chimes, and recycled “large room” percussion on the opening title track. The only creative touch or compelling moment of any kind comes at the very end, with the Pink Floyd-apeing “Acid Rain.” All of these songs are frustrating in their sheer lack of direction and overall dullness. Virtually everything here is pretentious: the artwork (perhaps an homage to Danzig: naked breasts, check; power animal, check; fog, check; ominous trees, check), the songwriting (with ho-hum musicianship at best) and the production (will Steve Albini get royalties?). I can best describe this (and in fact, their entire output) as merely different joints all rolled from the same bag of weed. Now, I must ask you … have you ever smoked eight-yearold weed?
Oct 1st, 2008 by Troy Butero
