"closer to God is the one who's in love"

"I don't know if I'm wrong 'cause she's only just gone/ well, here's to another relationship bombed by my excellent breed of gametes disease/ I'm sure when I'm older I'll know what that means" -damien rice

I have some future postings in mind, but I am in my final two weeks of this semester and am drowning in schoolwork. Soon it will be Christmas break, and then I will provide you with some updates and, hopefully, a new zine.

"i watch sad movies and look for sad, sick people like me"

curious and brave.
Originally uploaded by This Year's Love.

This is weird. I didn't know that you could blog other people's photos. I hope they don't mind.

So, I am doing a special edition of my radio show tomorrow. It's the first part in a series of shows of all Canadian Bands. If you have a favorite Canadian band/musician that you think I should play either during tomorrow's show or a future show, let me know. I've got a pretty good sized list so far, but I'd like it to be bigger.

Blogging other peoples' photos is fun. What kind of bird is this?

"i'm thinking about growing a beard"

I just wanted to say:
Too Much Ha Ha, Pretty Soon Boo Hoo.

Oh yeah, and listen to Bunnycuss.

"a busted heart is a welcome friend"

elemess seventeen
Originally uploaded by juniperbug.

okay, here is a picture of my new zine just so you know that i wasn't lying. i am working on a new issue of The Juniper. it's going slow, but i promise it will be out before 2007. (cross your fingers.)

Yo La Tengo's new songs are very Yo La Tengo-ey, however "Beanbag Chair" has a slighty different sound: it's bouncy with horns...where is the droning and endless feedback? I guess I'll have to listen to the whole album to find out what the deal is.

"keep a book of the maggots our bodies will snare"

It's been a while, but I haven't forgotten about you.
I have been staying busy as usual. One of the things that has kept me occupied (besides the usual work and school) is zine-making. It's true...I have recently finished a new issue of The Elephant Mess. It's the seventeenth installment, and it will change your life. Or...at least it will give you something lame to read while your sitting in the waiting room waiting for the dentist to fill all of your cavities (which is another thing I did recently).
This issue of elemess is all about my inability to just come out and say it, my strong belief in "no love," my inclinations towards self-talk and how it's all your fault, my search for a soul in guts I have spilled, my desire to ride horses being just as strong as my inability to communicate with the opposite sex (especially in the event of a crush), and of course my increasing happiness and how I'm a little reluctant to embrace the whole idea. Or maybe it's not about any of that stuff, and it's up to you to find anything even remotely meaningful about what I have written. Are you ready for that kind of challenge?
I like trades of any kind, love letters, words of encouragement, or you can just send me a stamp or two.
Dan Murphy
PO Box 3154
Moscow ID 83843

email me with any questions/comments you might have: messyelephant@hotmail.com

here's to better days...

"freeze your blood and then stab it into me"

I know, I know. In my last post I was saying that was the end of the weekly posts, but there is some news that I keep forgetting to mention. First of all, I finished a new zine a couple of weeks ago. It's called Tiger Ants Gone Telescoping, and it's a sort of artsy/collage/poetic type of zine that I did with my brother, Jeremiah. We both did pages for it, and then I put it all together and copied it off and now there is a small stack of them sitting on my shelf waiting to be given out. So, if you'd like a copy you should send me something like a zine trade, a mix tape, your grandma's favorite recipes, bouncy balls, or the usual dollar or stamps. Send whatever to: Dan Murphy, PO Box 3154, Moscow ID 83843.
Also, I have nearly doubled my distro stock. I have added zines like: Fatty Boom Boom a vegan cookzine, CROQ 5, and Wild Fermentation. I will write descriptions soon, but if you have questions about prices and/or ordering, just shoot me an email: juniperjournal@hotmail.com

It's September already. What the.....?

"it's different now that i'm poor and aging"

School is back in session, so my list is small. Here are the zines I read during the week ending 8/26/06:
-Treasure Maps zine
-Stab Heart #6 1/2
- Zapp Ratt #1
-There Is Still A Chance For Us zine

Yeah so, this is the last of my weekly posts for a while. But keep checking back because I will try to keep this blog somewhat updated.
My new friend Maaike just made her first zine ever. It's called The Sixth Minky. I'm very excited about this. You should check out her blog.

?: Don't you find it odd that the blogger spell checker doesn't acknowledge "blog" as a word?

"so distracted by the things that i don't have, how sad"

Between the days of August 13, 2006 and August 19, 2006, these zines and comics were read by me:
-670 Miles zine
-Frat-Bot & Cod comic
-Straighten Up, Little Schwoogle! comic
-The Super Happy Anarcho Fun Pages #2
-The Constant Rider #7
-Small Town City Living #4
-The Beach Boys zine
-Roots & Branches #1
-Blah Blah Blah #2

Today was back to school day for me and many others. I guess that means that summer is over (though not officially). It also means that my weekly posts are coming to an end. There will be one more after this, and then I will move on to monthly or biweekly or intermittently or something posts. I haven't decided whether or not I will continue to post lists of the zines I've read. It has become a little bit obnoxious because I find myself putting off reading other things (like books or magazine/newspaper articles) just so that I can read more zines and have a longer list to show off...or I will find really small zines to read that I know I will be able to finish before the week is through, avoiding larger zines which are quite possibly much more interesting. I just need to relax and read what I want to read when I want to read it. I always make things so difficult for myself.
Speaking of difficult, dodging all those fraternity boys and sorority girls on your way to class is not an easy task. They are everywhere, like parasitic wasps. And trying to resist the urge to want to vomit all of over the place upon seeing them everywhere is even more taxing. Hooray for college!

"never give up on your stupid, stupid dreams"

This a late post because I was in Portland last weekend at the Zine Symposium and didn't get back home to Idaho until late Monday night. Here are the three zines that I read last week (week ending 8/12/06):
-I Hate This Part of Texas #5
-Milk Leg #1
-Underworld Crawl #4

The PDX Zine Symposium was very awesome. I am sorry if you missed it. I am also sorry if you were there and we didn't get to meet each other. Thanks to Chelsea for letting me stay at her place and to ladypajama for letting me hang out in front of her table whenever I was tired of wandering around. Going to the Symposium has me all inspired to do great things and to hopefully make it to next one where I will get myself a table and show off all the things I'll be working on in the coming year. I hope to see you there. Don't be as shy as me...go ahead and introduce yourself. I wish I could meet all of you. We should hang out some time.

Listen to Bunnycuss.

"it hits me when i'm alone, i'm an angry man"

Between the days of July 30, 2006 and August 5, 2006, I read these zines:
-Zinetopia #1
-Tazewell's Favorite Eccentric #4
-blah blah blah #1
-Racket #0
-Swimming in the Dark zine
-Small Town City Living #1

This coming weekend is the Portland Zine Symposium, and I'm going to be there. It's about time I made it to another one of those. I was privileged enough to attend the very first Symposium back in August 2001, but I haven't made it back since. I'm really looking forward to it, and I hope to see you there. If you don't make it to this zine gathering, then be sure to find a zine gathering in your area and attend that one. You won't regret it. If there are no zine gatherings near you, start one up and let me know about it.
My garden gave me yellow squash, beets and cucumbers this week. And finally, my calendulas are blooming!

"it must be thursday. i could never get the hang of thursdays."

Carrot Row Distro is now open for business.
It's true. These are the zines that I carry and the prices:

Spat Back #3 ($1) – (Re)embracing punk rock & feminism. A break through after a break up. How to make a bag out of an old pair of trousers. Pancake recipe. Optimism & self-esteem. DIY stenciling. Unschooling/educating yrself into action.

Axis of Evil Banquet ($2) - America loves war … but who are we killing? Real people with vibrant cultures who deserve to be acknowledged and validated. Learn more about the people in Iraq, Iran, Korea and Venezuela & come to a better understanding of what imperialism & warmongering are really destroying. Includes recipes from each of the aforementioned countries.

The Anarchists Victory Garden ($1) – The basics of starting your own small garden. Great for beginners & amateurs. Primer includes: building, planning, planting, watering, harvesting, pests, fertilizer and more.

CROQ #4 ($4) – Leading zine of the craft revolution. For all types of crafters & DIYers. In this issue: sell your handmades, open a retail shop, self-publish your book, retro-craft, re-use old clothes, get married inexpensively, start an alternative art center and zine library, go veggie, make compost tea and much more.

The Juniper (stamp for latest issue) – Gardening, farming, bike riding, slow and sustainable living.

Elephant Mess ($1 for latest issue) – Personal zine, but not in the journal sense of the term. More like a long, drawn out, prose-like soliloquy. Trying to make sense of life and the world.

Brown Rot #9 ($1) – Back from the dead. Nestle boycott continued. Smash Technology. Lisa Smith interview. Beyond Recycling. Francois’ artwork.

Prices are postage paid, but stamps are a nice gesture (especially when ordering multiple zines). I am also on the lookout for more zines, etc. to carry so please send your stuff if it is at all related to things like bike riding, skateboarding, gardening/farming, self-sufficiency/sustainability, eco-warrioring, crafting, cooking/canning, permaculture/biodynamics, seed bombing, greywater, passion and compassion, etc.

Orders, letters and zines can be sent to:
Dan Murphy
PO Box 3154
Moscow ID 83843

I can receive money through paypal, too: messyelephant@hotmail.com
Just make sure to include the stuff you are ordering in the comment box.

More good news:
German competitors have sent Wal-Mart packing. Wal-Mart suffers at least a billion dollars in losses. Too bad they are still so monstrous and devious (read the article to see how they plan to cut their losses through tax breaks).

"if all of us hated high school so much, why was nothing ever changed?"

Again I didn't read many zines this week (week ending 7/29/06), but I did finish making a zine of my own (see the post below):
-The Home Made Geodome zine
-Small Town City Living #2
-Small Town City Living #3
-Keep Loving Keep Fighting #6

I have a new skateboard. Now that I live downtown it is much easier for me to get around on my skateboard. Riding my skateboard makes me feel young again. It also makes me feel tough. I'm really not that tough, but I ain't saying nothin'.
This weekend was my ten year high school reunion. I didn't go, of course. Why would I? I hated high school and seriously had no friends in my graduating class. There is only one girl that I wonder about. I had a major crush on her all throughout junior high, and then I totally screwed everything up when I got into high school and became an angry and spiteful misanthrope. She asked me to one of the school dances and I accepted, but I didn't say a single word to her the whole time. Not only was I shy and socially inept, but I was also a jaded fool hellbent on falling off the deep end. Everything was so exaggerated back then, but I guess that's high school for you. So, why have a renioun to remember all that crap? That's like taking a trip to hell just to see if it's really hot or not.

The Return of Brown Rot

The Return of Brown Rot
Originally uploaded by juniperbug.

A new issue of Brown Rot...Can you believe it?! And you thought Brown Rot was dead. Or maybe you never even knew it had existed in the first place. Well, it's been almost five years since the last issue, and I wasn't ever going to do another one, but I guess things change...so here it is, issue #9. This issue includes: beyond recycling, Nestle boycott info, interview with Lisa Smith (Sweet Pea Distro and One Girl zine), artwork by Francois Marceau, rant against technocrats and more. You can get a copy for yourself by sending one dollar bill or trade of any type to:
Dan Murphy
PO Box 3154
Moscow ID 83843

"how could you have known the temperature and the distance of the sun"

It looks like I read more this week (week ending 7/22/06) than I actually did because some of these zines were really short or didn't require much reading:
-Touched by an Anvil #16
-Free, Blonde and 21 zine
-Public Notebook #4
-Risin' Up #1
-Ladypajama Is... #23
-Inarticulate #6.5
-Pony Express Zine #1

I should tell you that Public Notebook is one of my most favorite zines. It is written by a smart, courageous, young kid in Michigan. He was 14 when he started. He's turning 16 next month. His zines are small and simple, but his words are honest and real. It's tough growing up. I am glad he has found ways to make it more bearable such as doing a sweet little zine for zine obsessed aging guys like me to read. Also, Public Notebook is one of my most favorite zine titles of all time.

I have a broken tooth. It has been broken for over a year. It is the tooth to the very left of my two front teeth. It looks like there is a big hole in it. I am very self-conscious about it, so I try not to smile or laugh to big in public, and I would prefer it if you stayed on my right hand side while talking to me so that hopefully you won't notice it so much. I should really just bite the bullet and get that fixed, but dental work is so expensive and I don't have any insurance. Soon I will probably end up needing a root canal on it or something, and what is cheaper? Better to fix it now and save money so that I can smile more.

"i'll stay here and fight for lover's rights"

I told you I would read more stuff this week (week ending 07/15/06):
-Permaculture & Seed Exchange Newsletter Spring/Summer 2006
-Local Grub Newsletter June 2006
-The Drama #5
-Mrs. Noggle zine
-Hydroge-Nation zine
-Nontoxic Housecleaning zine
-Scam #5 1/2
-Ladypajama Is... #22
-The Pleiades #16
-Crapulescence #2

My stomach has been bothering me more than usual all day today. It is not uncommon for me to have these stomach problems. I am still not sure what's causing them. Several years ago I decided to let the doctors check me out. They ran a number of tests on me which included putting cameras into my stomach and colon. All the tests were inconclusive. The only thing they could tell me was that my stomach lining was red and that there was more acid than usual. They gave me some drugs that I decided not to take after reading the seemingly endless list of side effects, preferring a bad stomach to all those other less desirables. Thus, the stomach problems continue. I don't trust doctors, so until I find some other option I will just have to deal.
Aren't you glad I told you all that?

"but this is love so we'll survive"

Okay so this week isn't officially over, but I already know that I won't be reading anything more than the three zines I have already read this week before the day is over so here ya go:
-no one noticed #3
-Here It Is #2
-You Can Work Any Hundred Hours A Week You Want (In Your Underwear)!! zine

I promise I will read many more than three zines next week. Is there anything else to report? Well, on the 4th of July I visited the Pullman Community Gardens just across the border in Pullman, WA. I even took some pictures. My garden is looking better than it has ever looked, but it still has a ways to go. Things at the farm are going fabulous. My youngest brother moved to Seattle. I am still dying to get a zine (or zines) done. My distro remains at a standstill because I haven't had a second to do anything with it. I love listening to The Boy Least Likely To and feeling sappy and happy all at once. When the revolution finally takes us into a brave new world, I will send you a postcard. I've spent all this time trying to make myself invisible, and now I can't figure out how not to be.

"Checked myself into emergency, urgently / drove up in my bone camarrow thinking only about you" - The Unicorns

emma reviews the mess

Is it vain or silly of me to post reviews of my own zines for all to see. Probably, but these reviews (albeit slightly dated) are some of the best I've received. They are found in the Flying Machine Zine Distro catalog and were written by Emma of Australia. To find out more about this awesome little Aussie distro you should contact Emma (Flying Machine) at PO Box 4, Enmore NSW 2042, Australia or fake_space_program@graffiti.net

Elephant Mess 15 - Dan describes Elephant Mess as the world's worst perzine, but I can't say that I agree with this self-depreciation. In this issue Dan imagines people all over the world being connected unknowingly through their mutual possession of Elephant Mess. Putting aside the tyrannical connotations of this fantasy, Dan's zine is infused with a sense of longing for another world, a world that is big and noble, while maintaining the sense that this nobility is built with small things - insects and secret obsessions, mix tapes and maps - the places we call home and the little things that keep us going. I like it a lot.

Elephant Mess 14 - Excuse my disregard for chronology, but I felt that #15 was perhaps a better means of introducing Elephant Mess than this, #14, as it's a somewhat darker, more introspective affair, right down to being photocopied in the negative. Subtitled 'the roman numerals issue,' it consists of a seven-part meditation on loneliness, or perhaps aloneness is a better way to describe it. Dan catches something of what it feels to have been alone for so long that upon entering into conversation with another human being you find you've forgotten how to project your voice, and the experience leaves you with a greater sense of significance than it actually bore.

"you've gotta bite into life like it's a big hunk of bison"

Last week (ending 7/01/06) I read this stuff:
-Das Papierkrieg #10
-Connected: Boston zine
-ladypajama is... #21
-Connected: Portland zine
-Jane Boston journal entries
-Mixtape minicomic
-You Live For The Fight When That's All You've Got #1

Some music that I've really been into lately mainly due to having a radio show:
-Starlight Mints
-Dressy Bessy
-The Boy Least Likely To
-Kimya Dawson
-Half-Handed Cloud
-Mates of State
-The Gerbils
-Great Lakes
-The Unicorns
-Destroyer
-Flying
-The Microphones
-Nellie Mckay
-Little Wings

Okay, that's enough name dropping. Am I cool now?

"maybe we can get Assuck to play the senior prom"

Would you like to know what zines I read this week (week ending 6/24/06)? Well, here they are:
-ladypajama is... #20
-Comic Jam #44
-Herbivore #11
-My Little Friend #2

I moved into a new apartment this week. It's super tiny but very close to downtown. As soon as I get settled and organized it will be a pretty nice little place.
I ate the first radishes and snowpeas from my garden! They tasted real good. It's nice to see something positive come out of it because overall it's not going too well. That's okay though....it takes practice.
I'm itching to make another zine. The two that I have been slowly working on are being continually delayed for various reasons...mainly because I've been so busy. I'm thinking of making one of them 24 hour zines. That would be exciting. I should have time for it soon because I think I'm finally going to start getting some days off at work...more than just one or two a week.
What zines have you been reading?

"sometimes bird poop tastes like candy"

I read a few more zines this week, okay? Here is the list for week ending 6/17/06:
-Erik & Laura Marie Magazine #37
-Unless Indicated #8
-Artichoke #5
-Artichoke #10
-Carbon & Carbide #2

I found a new apartment, and I will be moving in this week. It's very tiny but also very cheap. The best thing about it is that it's closer to school and work and I will not have to climb over a giant hill on my bike 2 or 3 times a day.
I took more pictures of my garden. I will try to get them posted on my flickr page this week for all to see. I posted some pictures of the radio station that you should check out for sure. Next I will try and get some photos of the farm.
I have a new favorite magazine. I have seen it at the co-op a few times and flipped through it, but this time I went ahead and bought myself a copy mostly because it's the music issue. Maybe you have heard of it; it's called Herbivore Magazine. It mainly deals with vegetarianism/veganism, but in a much cooler way than other similarly themed megazines do. You should check it out...especially the current issue because they have some great interviews in there. I am still in the process of reading it.
Oh yeah...check out the post below for the big news.

A Distro Is Born

A Distro Is Born
Originally uploaded by juniperbug.

Okay so... the big news is that I am launching a new distro. It's called Carrot Row Distro and I'll be distro'ing zines that deal with subjects similar to my zine the Juniper (i.e. gardening, cooking, sustainable living, bikes, eco-warrioring, diy-ing, ect.). So far I have a few zines in stock, but it will take me a couple weeks to get prices and things set up for them. I am in the process of moving, so this project is being delayed momentarily. But as soon as I have more details I will let you know.

"punk rock was my first girl"

Here are the zines I read last week (week ending 6/10/06):
-Amnesty International House of Pancakes #1
-Axis of Evil Banquet cookzine
-Deja Vu Funnies mini-comic
-Artichoke #7
-Stab Heart #06
-Das Papierkrieg #7
-Erik & Laura-Marie Magazine #36
-Ladypajama Is... #19

In other news, I turned 28 last week. Not something I am too excited to be reporting, but it's the truth. I am not much of a celebrater, so I didn't do much for it. In worse news, I bought a tiny Red Rubin basil plant (a variety with very dark purple leaves) from the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning and promptly planted it in my garden near the tomato plants. I went up to my garden this morning to find that some pest had eaten nearly every last leaf off of it. I'm not sure what it was, but it had to have been something nasty because it/they left bits of leaves scattered around the base of the plant. Perhaps it was a bird? I'm terribly disappointed. This pales in comparison to the pea weevils devouring all of my pea plants.

Big news is on the way...

"you're the funny little frog in my throw-at"

Okay so I didn't get around to reading that many zines this week (especially compared to last week). I got a new job at the hospital, and I watched the entire second season of Tripping The Rift on DVD. It's been raining like a mother for the past few days, and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever get a garden going this year.

Here are the zines that I read (week ending 6/3/06):
-Go Fly A Kite: a collaboration in miniature form
-Mumbai Walkie zine
-ladypajama is... #18

Also, I made wheatberry sprouts this week. They're okay, but not as good as the lentil sprouts I made a while back. You should tell me what sprouts you like best so that I can try them. Now that I have made my first couple batches of sprouts I want to keep at it and try out all sorts of flavors.

"normal is weirder than you would care to admit"

I read lots of zines this week (week ending 5/27/06) due to extremely slow days at work and sleepless nights. Here is the list:
-Assassin & The Whiner #15
-ladypajama is... #17
-Glossolalia #6
-How To Skin A Cat #3
-BCN (bicycle commuting now) #2
-The P.R.A.N. #1
-Checkered Past #13
-Barrelhouse #2
-Just Like A Gemini zine
-Jen Pillosophy zine
-Penny Sentinel zine

It's been a rainy, cold and cloudy week. I haven't done much in my garden, but I did spend a good part of Saturday helping out at the organic farm. We planted leeks and several varieties of onions. There was a lot more that needed planted, but it was cold and rainy and the ground was so hard it took us most of the time just get a few rows ready for the onions. Rain is good, but if the soil is really clay-ey and lacking in organic matter it just clods up on you, and that was the case out at the farm.

PETA recently announced the winners of this year's "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" award. The winners are Prince and Kristen Bell. I'm not at all a fan of Prince, but I will publicly (though hesitantly) admit that Veronica Mars (a TV show in which Kristen Bell stars) is one of my guilty pleasures. I don't actually watch TV (mainly because I don't get any channels where I live), but I rented and watched the entire first season on DVD, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it, so there. That whole sexiest vegetarian contest is lame anyway, and PETA is really getting on my nerves lately, so whatever.

Broadcasting Live

I now have my very own radio show on the University of Idaho student radio station. I play math rock and space pop ... or in other words I play indie rock and some punk. I'm leaning more towards music by the Elephant 6 Recording Company and similar sounding bands. It turns out that I really love pop rock...but the good stuff, ya know. You can listen to my show online on the station's website. My show is every Wednesday morning from 6 - 8:30 pacific time. It's early, but I'll try and make it worth it.

Also, recently in a community on livejournal.com I read an interesting article that deals with a topic I wrote about in The Juniper #6: local food vs. organic. It's a very interesting and thought provoking article, and it includes some good comments so I am offering you a link to it. If you have any interest at all in this sort of thing or if you just feel like getting educated on a new issue or topic, you should definitely give it a read.

"it's not quite summer, but it feels like summer to us"

Now that school is out for the summer, I have time to catch up on some reading. Each week during the summer break I plan to list here on this blog all of the zines and things that I read during that week, so plan on hearing from me fairly regularly...at least until school starts up again in August.
Here is this weeks list (week ending 5/20/2006):
-various plays by Maaike
-One Girl #3
-dimanche #2
-Teaching Nutrition zine
-Crushpuppy zine
-ladypajama is... #16
-Hip Hop Don't Stop #4
-Fatty Boom Boom: vegan cookzine
-Devil Girl #2

I am also going to be posting pictures of my gardening on my flickr page. I simplified the web address, so here it is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniperbug Check it out sometime. Things should pick up in the next few weeks as I recently discovered that the growing season here is much shorter than I originally thought it was. Consider yourself lucky if you live in the warmer states and have been gardening since March or April.
In other good news: I am going to have a radio show at the university student radio station here in Moscow, Idaho. Wednesday mornings from 6am to 8:30am pacific time. If you get a chance you should check it. The station streams online at www.kuoi.org. I am mainly going to play eccentric indie pop rock in the vein of Elephant 6 and company, but I'm also going to throw in a mixture of other great stuff as well. It will be awesome....I promise.

Let's Be BFFs!

This post is generating quite a bit of response on livejournal so I figure I should post it here as well:
First off, my mom works in a library in a small Idaho town called Mountain Home. The library has just recently reopened after an extensive remodeling and expansion project. Due to the expansion, my mom now has space to put together a small zine library for folks in the area who may be interested and to spark interest in indie publishing for those who may have never heard of such a thing. Maybe you don't realize how incredibly awesome this is: a zine library in a small Idahoan town in the middle of the desert. It may be the only zine library of its kind in the entire state (I don't know though, so someone can correct me if I'm wrong). Anyway, you should send me your zines so that I can give them to her to put in the library. It's an opportunity for your zine to be exposed to people who may be totally new to the idea. And it could also be a continuation in your plans for world domination.
Also, I am starting up a mini-distro of sorts. I haven't decided yet exactly what it will amount to, but I'm looking for zines and things to carry nonetheless. The zines I am looking for are of a semi-specific (but also fairly broad) genre. I want to distribute zines that are similar in content to my zine, The Juniper. Thus, if you do a zine or diy project about gardening, bikes/alternative transportation, cooking/food preservation, food politics, diy, sustainable living, eco-warrioring, treehugging, eco-villages, organics, permaculture, biodynamics, greywater, seed saving, sewing/knitting/crafting or anything up that alley, you should definitely get in touch with me and we'll talk.
Send your zines for the zine library and zines for distro consideration along with anything else you feel like mailing to:
Dan Murphy, PO Box 3154, Moscow ID 83843
juniperjournal@hotmail.com
School is almost out for summer, but not forever.

a blog and a vlog

I've got two websites to recommend to you. One's a blog and one's a vlog. A fellow blogger and Bush hater contacted me to inform me of his super sweet blog, and I think you should know about it as well. It's called Empires Fall, and it's true, they really do...today's empires are tomorrow's ashes.
The other website recommendation is probably one you already know about and have been visiting for months, but I'm a little slow when it comes to this interweb crap and didn't find out about this site until I saw an article about it in the current issue of Rolling Stone. It's a daily video blog called Rocketboom, and it's hilarious. Sometimes political, sometimes comedic, sometimes serious, sometimes goofy, sometimes nerdy, sometimes informational. There is something for everyone depending on which days you choose to view. I tend to like it all, but probably because I think that Amanda Congdon is so darn cute. Anyway, check it out.
So I don't exactly know how to make a links list like I have seen on other people's blogs, otherwise I would make one and include these sites. If anyone reading this could explain it to me in layman's terms, it would be greatly appreciated. Now get off the computer and go do something relevant.

Snow?!

Can you believe it? It's snowing outside. What's the deal? I was going to work in my garden today. There was even a community garden orientation scheduled with the garden coordinator today at 11pm. I have a feeling that it's probably cancelled. Anyway, I may not be doing any gardening this weekend, but I did post a couple pics of my plot on flickr so you can see what it looks like. It's a 10' x 10' plot in the northeast corner of the garden. I can't wait to actually do something with it. I did plant some peas and carrots in there three weeks ago, but they haven't come up yet. Again, what's the deal? Anyway, Happy Easter.

Counting Carbons

Have you ever wondered how much CO2 you are personally responsible for having emitted into the atmosphere? Well now you can find out. Just go to www.carboncounter.org and use one of their CO2 emissions calculators. There is an estimated calculator and an exact calculator. Once you're done with that, you can use your dollars to donate to groups that work to lower CO2 emissions and thus become CO2 neutral. That last part seems a little weird seeing how giant corporations throughout the world are allowed to do a similar thing (buy and sell their rights to pollute). However, you can at least see how much CO2 you are emitting and decide to do things that will lower that amount like riding a bike, using alternative (renewable) sources of energy, or even just turning off some lights. Global Warming is real, and former Vice President Al Gore even just recently wrote a book and made a documentary film about it (both book and film are entitled, An Inconvenient Truth). Be afraid. Be very afraid.

The Future of Food is Slow Food

I just watched the documentary, The Future of Food. It's all about how our food is losing its genetic diversity, thousands of varieties have gone extinct, genetic engineering and agricultural chemicals are taking over and the food supply is being controlled by a handful of corporate brats. It also discusses the erosion of the family farm and the hardships farmers go through when faced with evil agricultural companies like Monsanto. But there is hope: the organic and sustainable agriculture movement is growing and gaining ground and people are fighting back. Several countries including the European Union and Japan will not accept imports of our genetically modified food and farmers and citizens alike are standing up to seed giants. The future of food is a scary thing to think about, but the growing movement against GMO's and the corporate control of food brings hope. Watch this movie. (I rented it from Netflix, so I'm sure you can get your hands on it fairly easily.)
Also, I mentioned in my last post that there were things that I wanted to include in the latest issue of The Juniper but didn't have the space. One of those things was Slow Food. I wrote about buying local and buying seasonal and that's what the Slow Food movement is all about. It's a worldwide organization fighting back against the current fast food phenomenon. Quoting from its website, Slow Food "promotes gastronomic culture, develops taste education, conserves agricultural biodiversity and protects traditional foods at risk of extinction." There are chapters in over 100 countries and lots of ways to get involved. Check out Slow Food USA if you live here in America, or go to the main Slow Food website to find a chapter near you.

The Juniper #6: Out Now!

Just as I promised, The Juniper #6 is out in time for spring. You can go to my flickr account to see a picture of it if you don't believe me. This issue was a tough one; I had so much that I wanted to say and include, but alas time and space and funding are great restrictions so I had to cut a few things out... but don't worry, it's still worth a few minutes of your time. In this issue: houseplants (improving air quality and removing soil mold), the high cost of cheap food, buying local, seasonal foods, five acres to freedom, all written with much love and affection. So send your stamps my friends. One 39 cent stamp will do as long as you send it directly to: Dan Murphy, PO Box 3154, Moscow ID 83843. Or drop me an email if you lack resources or are particularly lazy: juniperjournal@hotmail.com

Map Yourself On My Mappity Map

Greetings dedicated readers of this tepid blog which is rarely updated and only mildly entertaining. I am pleased to inform you of a brave new step that I have just taken in the wide world of wires and satellite signals otherwise known as the interweb. I have just opened up an account at Frappr! and created a group for Juniperbug Publications. Frappr! of course is just another one of those blog/profile/photo sharing/friend gathering sites, but what is unique about it is that it has a map so you can see where all your friends live. Thus, what I would like all of you readers of my zines (Elephant Mess, The Juniper, et al.) to do is to go to my group page and plot yourself on my map. It's really easy to do, and it will only take a few moments of your time. That way I can see how well I am progressing towards world domination. I love maps and such, so this is definitely the site for me. Plus, you'll get to see where all of the other wonderful readers of my fine zines live and possibly even find a fellow reader in your hometown. Then we can all become a big group of geeky internet friends. Yeah!!!!

go here: www.frappr.com/juniperbugproductions

something new and two reviews

It's about time I tell you about the new issue of Elephant Mess. I finished it a few weeks ago, but I've been on vacation and such so I haven't really gotten the word out. It's the sixteenth installment and it's subtitled, The Bug Issue. All that really means is that the writing revolves in some erratic way around bugs and is accompanied by bug clipart. Bugs getting comfy on your couch and snug beneath your rug. You can order this by sending me a dollar bill or a trade or stamps or something else nice. You can mail your order here: Dan Murphy, PO Box 3154, Moscow ID 83843 ... or paypal money to me here: messyelephant@hotmail.com

now here are a coupla reviews:
Stoked on Spokes: A Community Resource Cycling Guide
A great little zine put out collaboratively by the folks at Pedal Play and The Purple Thistle Centre (both located in Canada). There are a couple of bike history pieces in here; the most interesting of which discusses the use of bikes during wartime. There is info on how to fix a flat, how to stay safe while riding, how to start up a Critical Mass bike ride and a great little fold-out section entitled "A DIY Punk Rock Bike Touring Guide" which will give you all sorts of great advice if you're like me and are planning a future long distance bike ride. Another awesome little piece promotes "celebratory activism." There is no contact info listed in this zine (besides the websites), but I just ordered it from Microcosm Publishing for a buck plus postage and you can surely do the same.

Ker-bloom! #56, Sept.-Oct. 2005
This zine comes with the companion zine, The Blackberry Bloc. That's because this issue of Ker-bloom is all about a bike trip that artnoose went on with her new friend Scott. They rode their bikes from Eugene, OR to San Francisco, CA in 11 and a half days, and due to the abundance of blackberry picking they did during the first part of the trip, they started calling themselves The Blackberry Bloc. Ker-Bloom! gives a brief written overview of the trip all printed in letterpress, which if you're familiar with artnoose's zine you know that that's how every issue is done. The Blackberry Bloc is four times the size of Ker-Bloom! and it contains a day to day recount of the trip, handwritten with a hand drawn map for each day/page. The story is told by pointing out certain places on each map and telling about the adventures/misadventures that took place there. The final page includes lists of the "merit badges" each one of them received for the trip and other lists derived from events that took place on the trip. Each zine costs $2 (or $4 for both). You can order them directly from artnoose by mailing your money to PO Box 3525, Oakland CA 94609. I ordered mine from Whammy! Industries.

Carbusters #25

This is a well-established bicycle advocacy magazine out of the Czech Republic. For their big 25th issue they decided to change their name to a conjunction (it used to be Car Busters and now it's Carbusters), but that's beside the point. This magazine covers bike advocacy happenings around the world and is perfect for anyone excited about bikes and their potential to change the world and save our cities (and our sanity). It's a positive arena created to discuss and promote the creation of carfree (or at least car-lite) cities. It's not out to alienate or attack cardrivers, but simply to educate people about the destructive and unsustainable nature of cars and to suggest ways that people can improve their lives and their cities by embracing alternative and more enlightened forms of transport and by working towards improved and more accessible public transportation. My favorite article in this issue details life on car-free islands around the world. It mainly focuses on The Toronto Islands in Canada, Mackinac Island in Michigan and car-free islands in Croatia. There are also reports on actions that took place across the globe in celebration of World Carfree Day 2005 (Sept. 22) and an article chronicling a Critical Mass bike ride in Budapest that was 30,000 bicyclists strong. This magazine is ad-free and can be purchased for $4 at finer independent bookstores near you or you can contact them here:

Carbusters
Kratka 26
100 00 Prague 10
Czech Republic

editors@carbusters.org
www.carbusters.org

Anchor Archive Zine Distro

This is a zine distro that you should know about if you're at all interested in gardening, sustainable living and DIY projects/ethics. It's run by Sarah Evans in Halifax, NS. Sarah does the zine, Root, among other zines and things, and seems really excited about promoting the independent press in her neck of the woods. It also seems like she's living the life that the zines she distributes are about. So far, I've only ordered a few zines (zines about vermicomposting, geodomes and dandelions), but there are plenty of zines that I'd like to order. The catolog includes zines about greywater, self-defense, herbal medicine, DIY gynecology, knitting, screenprinting, zine making and more. There is even a zine entitled "Knit Your Own Beard." Many of these zines are written by Halifax residents, so Sarah is keeping it local which is awesome.
write to her for a catalog and more info:
Sarah Evans
POB 33129
Halifax NS
B3L 4T6 Canada
anchorarchive@gmail.com

Oh, and by the way, HAPPY NEW YEAR!