Big Brother’s big brother Just came to town Big Brother’s Big Brother Don’t let us down. For first you walked Now you run Just when we...

"Help... help... I can't breathe," are the words we heard George Floyd mutter. I know he was terrified and confused; wondering why this was happening to him. I think he must have also wondered why no one was helping him. I imagine he was hoping to God that one of his pleas would be responded to; someone would provide relief from the pressure of the officers holding him down and constricting his breath. Unfortunately, as we all know, when the pressure was released, it was too

As to summit a mired peak Then descend on heavy thoughts Set leg upon fabled shore For somber retreat towards home Land a beast so many scorn To bleed all life blood out What time is spent in vain attempt As reckless woes turn to vice Heroes fall on self-named blade For false gods named re-miss Ends meet in destined tides When love lost, twice tossed aside We all stumble a fractured fate Chasing shadowed grips dire slips Until, in light, we feel th

How is technology affecting us in Galveston and in Texas? That is the question that our gracious editor presented us with to ruminate on. Zeros and ones. That’s what we are to the machine. We are digits of information feeding it, so it can grow stronger and bigger than we have ever dreamed of. It really doesn’t matter where we are anymore, Galveston, New York, Paris, Manaus, Mozambique, it is all becoming the same. The deeper we get into this technological realm, the more ins

So, here is the thing about technology – it is awesome for some things, and a gigantic pain in the ass for others. When we think about what technology means for someplace like Galveston, we must ask ourselves, does the island want to be connected with a wallet tap on every register? A few might say yes, but take it from me, living in a tech wonderland has its downsides, too. I live in Austin. Tech drives everything here. I know when a band is playing six months out. I also k

As cryptocurrency sours to new heights, so does the regulations and restrictions that have begun to arise. When looking back over the past 3 years a lot has happened in the world of cryptocurrency, some good and some bad. There have been many new players entering into the market including huge investment firms, large corporations, and people like you and me. Even Hollyweird and the uber rich have decided that if it is good enough for Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, then it mus

When I first moved to Galveston in 1990, my social circle was very small. In fact, it was Curtis O’Neal. We were the two people we knew who played Axis & Allies, D&D, and, wait for it, computer games. Not Atari or Nintendo or Odyssey (all console games) but PC games. New on the home front was a fast action flight simulator, Jetfighter. For those of you who do not remember, there were some weird security features in PC games back in the day. The most annoying was the need to k

Of all the loves, I’ve ever had From the greatest good to the obscenely bad The best ones were always you And you, and also you. Every time I think about this world I’ll start to cry, but I know I’ll be better If I can get through the night with you And you, and also you. I’m glad the bouquets at the store Always have more than one flower So, I can give one to you, And you, and also you. You are the lights of my life The loves that keep me going When I awake, I hope to see yo

If you've had more than one pey, you know that jealousy is a universal experience for us mammals. Pet dog #1 and dog #2 is all over you for attention. So how do ethically-non-monogamous (or ENM) people deal with their partners having sex or falling in love with others? Let’s consider jealousy in other areas of life for context. Kids have a tendency to be jealous of their siblings, or popular kids in school. In fact, part of what we learn in school is how to transmute envy i

As I write this article, I'm getting ready for a date with a married man. I can imagine his wife, who knows all about me, helping him pick out something to wear to impress me. I’m polyamorous (or poly). It’s been a slow evolution, and for the longest time I thought of myself as an everyday girl who wanted to date a guy and play with extra people in the bedroom. Looking back, I see polyamory is one part of a full spectrum of Ethical Non-Monogamy. It’s only recently that I’ve

The world isn't as black and white as we'd like it to be sometimes. Love doesn’t come in a box with a bow on it, neither does sexuality. Back in the day, there were hushed tones whispering about the neighbors having “key parties,” (where couples dropped their car keys into a fishbowl, and whomever you pulled out from the bunch was whose house you’re having a sleepover). There were the women who lived together as “roommates” while sitting for ham at Christmas dinner, but they

“A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen and be truer than the truth.” -Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried Inspired, beautiful, complicated, dangerous, fulfilling love. Our relationship with Love itself is polyamorous. Have you ever been confused about how to sort through your intense feelings toward someone? Were you maybe told there’s only one type of love? The one you find with a lifelong partner and no other human is allowed to share that sa

DURING THE VIETNAM WAR, THE US ARMY MADE A SPECIFIC PUSH TO RECRUIT MEMBERS OF NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES TO ACT AS SCOUTS AND TRACKERS DUE TO THEIR TOUGHNESS AND NEAR “SUPERNATURAL” FAMILIARITY TO NAVIGATE TOUGH TERRAINS. After enlistment though, all traces of enhanced abilities seem to disappear completely. US Army investigators interviewed tribe elders and learned it was quite simple: they need to have their hair long and free to allow their battlefield prescience. The powers-

Hair has a power that few things compete with. Clothes are subjective, and within the last few years, every fashion rule is long thrown to the wolves. Go ahead, playboy, wear that animal print top with a cape and red patent leather kicks. No one will care. You get a lousy pompadour, and it’s curtains for your Saturday night “flex.” We’ve all had to talk someone off the ledge over cutting their bangs. Sometimes, the bangs work out, and other times, Kelly is rocking that ball

I still cry at the end of hair when George Burger dies. What? That’s not the “hair” this issue is about? I beg to differ. Is hair not the most basic outward symbol of your appearance given you on God’s green Earth? Does it not trump fashion, cars, or my Versace purse as the first thing you notice? Is hair not a symbol of your social order. Your political stance. Your favorite historical time period. Yes, I’m referring to the recent Beach Revue and the fine reproduction of 2

As a child, my mom would twist small ringlets in my hair. As I sat beside her, she would absentmindedly twirl a lock of my hair around her finger. I found it very calming, but now I understand the closeness we shared during those times were calming and restorative to her, as well. My mom was always quite proud of her hair. It was gorgeous, dark, and thick, with enough curl to give it body and bounce. She did not spend a lot of time on her appearance, but she was careful to k

Imagine for a moment, you are minding your own business, browsing in the airport bookstore. As you quietly turn the pages of a magazine, someone stands next to you and simultaneously asks and touches your hair. It’s me. It happened to me. I quickly leaned my head away from her reaching hand and took a step back. Looking both offended and afraid, she said, “I’m sorry. Your hair is so beautiful and curly, I just wanted to touch it! It’s softer than I thought! Did it take a long

When I was in fourth grade, my mother dyed my brown hair black. She, a redhead, wanted my hair to match my father’s dark hair. The dye turned my hair so black it was purple. My head shimmered like grackle feathers. Though it sounds pretty and daresay trendy now, I was mortified as a 10-year-old. That was the last time I dyed my hair. In middle school, I experienced a brief affinity for neon punk fashion and temporarily colored swaths of my hair in pink and green. Flash forwa

Passion Flower By. Leslie Whaylen Passiflora incarnata, commonly known as passionflower or maypop, is a fast-growing vine that grows here on our island and has large, intricate purple flowers, small red fruits containing many seeds, and a tart edible juice. This tropical plant received its name from Christian missionaries in the Amazon. Its flowers are pollinated by bumblebees, carpenter bees, and hummingbirds, and its leaves are larval food for several butterflies, includin

In March 2021, world-renowned artist Reginald Adams and his team of artists, the Creatives, began to place paint on the wall of the Old Galveston Square building located at 2217 Strand. The east facing wall of the building has been exposed and visible since the Osterman building was torn down many years ago. The Osterman building was the location of the Union Headquarters on June 19, 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger gave the command to issue General Order number three