Cool comics

Here's one of my favorite comics by my friend Tess Haghighi. She just graduated and could be teaching your children real soon. You should check out her other art. She makes great custom pieces too.

Recipes

Easy + Delicious Stuffed Peppers








This is one of our favorite recipes. The name says it all.

What you need:

About 4 peppers, any color
1 pack ground turkey
1 jar marinara sauce
Several handfuls of shredded cheese, your choice
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch each rosemary, thyme, basil or any other Italian seasoning blend
Salt, pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a frying pan, cook the chopped onions and garlic in a little olive oil or butter.

When onions are translucent, add ground turkey. Add salt, pepper, and seasoning. Brown turkey for about 10 minutes.

While turkey is cooking, cut tops off peppers and clean out the insides.

When turkey is done, transfer peppers to a baking dish and fill each pepper 3/4 of the way full with turkey.

Fill rest of peppers with marinara, top with generous amounts of cheese.

Bake about 45 minutes.

Recipe by Ginger Ivey.

Reel Good Things

The Battle OF Algiers (1966)
Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo



This film is shot like a documentary, but is actually fiction based on true events that happened during Algeria’s struggle for independence from France in 1957. Some of the scenes are bone-chillingly real. The acting constantly makes you forget this isn't a doc. The film is amazingly relevant today, both artistically and politically, and covers a topic that most Americans know little about. A perfect idea of what happens when an imperialist country thinks they will always be powerful enough to enforce colonial rule. If you can get The Criterion Collection version, do it!
Review by Kelly K.O.

Yay!!

Hey! So K.O. Zine was originally supposed to be a printed publication, but in these tough times an online version was much more practical. The goal of this online zine is simple: to compile a collection of some of the best writing, poetry, art, recipes, reviews etc. that I can find. This means that I need as many people involved as possible, so if you're interested please contact me at djknockout@gmail.com so that I can add you to the many talented artists already preparing their first contribution. Expect the first real post tomorrow night!!

Clean Energy? How The Cap And Trade Act Swindled Americans

Written By: Kelly K.O.

On June 26, the House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. Better known as the cap and trade act, it is setup to limit this country’s affects on global warming by, you guessed it, capping and trading the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere.

Basically, a company will have a certain amount of emissions that they can legally release with no penalty. After reaching that limit, the company is then in the penalty and must either gain more permits through other companies who have extra or offset their emissions through things like planting trees.

While the 1500+-page (including a 300-page amendment added the night before!?!) has much more to it than can be covered in this piece, one controversial point is the idea that an increase in energy costs will force companies to develop or use alternative forms of energy, including wind and solar power. Proponents of the bill believe this will create new ‘green’ jobs for the country.

Opponents of the bill claim that companies will simply move to other countries where the cap and trade bill will no longer affect them, costing the US millions of jobs. Other opponents, mainly Republicans, also claim an increase in energy costs would directly hurt consumers, but the EPA and nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office believe the cost would be less than $200 to each household per year.

During a recession it’s hard to convince Americans how necessary this relatively small amount of extra cash, but they must understand that despite everyone’s current struggles the world will not be alright if those of us who can sacrifice refuse to do so. If you can afford it, don’t support the overseas companies who ignore their environmental effects.

And some are still arguing on whether global warming actually exists. Based on almost all scientific evidence this argument is ridiculous, but it must be addressed.

While we can debate all day on whether global warming is fact or fiction, the important point is that this bill was not created to deal only with this issue. It’s also about the massive amount of natural resources in use. At some point these resources will not be as readily available as they are now. It’s better to focus on other forms of energy now than to wait until there is no other choice.

Republicans are not the only ones speaking out against the bill. Former Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich believes the bill needs to be tougher on coal-burning companies. He also doesn’t think the goal to reduce emissions to 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 80% below 2005 levels by 2050 goes far enough.

“Apparently, the planet is not melting; it is just getting better for polluters,” he said in a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives.

President Barack Obama has acknowledged to the New York Times that many environmental groups would not be happy with the so-called modest bill, but he told them it is an “extraordinary first step.”

Unfortunately, the bill still must get through the Senate where it could be hacked until barely recognizable, probably to appease conservatives, not left-wingers like Kucinich.