by Rob Brezsny

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): For millions of years, the great rivers of the world have flowed into seas—or at least they have up until now. Because of their overuse by humans, several ancient rivers are in danger of drying up before they reach their destinations. Among them are China’s Yellow River, the Tigris and Euphrates in the Middle East and America’s Rio Grande. I offer this as a cautionary metaphor to consider as you contemplate your long-term future. There are things you can do in the next six weeks to ensure that the river of your life will always connect to a greater source. I suggest you make that a high priority.

by Chuck Shepherd

■ One party active in the recent elections in India’s Uttar Pradesh state represents the interests of “dead” people. Lal Bihari, 48, works on behalf of an estimated 40,000 living people who have been victims of relatives having declared them legally dead, usually in order to inherit their property, and once the government accepts such a declaration, the legal system in India is too slow, crowded and corrupt to bring that person back to “life.” Bihari himself “officially” died in 1976, and despite several schemes (such as kidnapping a cousin in order to be arrested and thus proven to be living), he remained “dead” until his proof of life was accepted in 2004.

After reading how the Goos got dissed by the Elmwood highbrows (“Letters to AV,” Artvoice v6n19), I, as a lowly denizen of the East Side, would like to invite the Goo Goo Dolls to co-headline this year’s Unity Day which is held at Martin Luther King Park. The plusses are that there are less politics and you “progressives” never hold or attempt to hold anything in Martin Luther King park or try to talk to some of us progressives over here to make something positive happen for everybody. Unity Day is in September and two years ago it was headlined by Chris Brown. You can only co-headline though because if we gonna come we gotta be able to buy the persons record at Doris Records and hear them on WBLK.

Attention, Wal-Mart

by Terence Kumpf

Driving eastward on Clinton Street from downtown Buffalo towards Attica, you pass through South Buffalo, Lackawanna, West Seneca, Lancaster and eventually come to Cowlesville, a very small rural community—so small, in fact, you might miss it if you happen to sneeze.

Artie Winners 2007: Make 'Em Laugh, Make 'Em Cry

by Anthony Chase

The 2007 Artie Awards were among the most fun in memory. The event was hosted by Artvoice Theater Editor Anthony Chase, actor Norm Sham and actress Loraine O’Donnell of WKBW Channel 7’s PM Buffalo. We sang the traditional song parodies celebrating the nominated shows, and then the evening quickly evolved into a free-wheeling and often sentimental love fest.

Perfect: Carmelo's Restaurant

by Bridget Kelly

Ordering something at Carmelo’s was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Or, more precisely, I should say, ordering one thing and not ordering all the others. This menu is aglow with potential. Look around the crowded dining room, at all the happy diners; watch the trays of food carried past, each entree more perfect than the last; listen to the exclamations of delight from the next table, and then stare at the menu and decide which of these things you will not order.

Pitching Havoc

by Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell

While the Buffalo Bisons have put together a winning season so far and have a tenuous hold on first place in the International League North Division, Manager Torey Lovullo has to be pulling his hair out dealing with his pitching woes.

Mad Bomber Melville: Part One

by Leslie James Pickering

Sam Melville grew up in Tonawanda in the 1930s and 1940s and was killed in the famed 1971 Attica prison uprising. In between, Melville waged an urban guerrilla war in Manhattan against government agencies and corporations driving the Vietnam War effort, inspiring a flood of similar revolutionary activity in the 1970s.

Paper Kites

by Martha Deed

Dan Waber and Jennifer Hill-Kaucher are poets who thrive primarily outside of academia. Their work, past and present, defies easy categorization. Both approach poetry experimentally, but it would be incorrect to say that they are experimental poets. They are experimental because, while they are steeped in the reading and traditional techniques of poetry, they are constantly at play in their work.

I Am a Patient Boy

by Donny Kutzbach

It’s often said that trumpeter Miles Davis earned his colossal status in part because he was ever evolving and ultimately changed the shape and path of jazz several times. The same might be said of Ian MacKaye and his place in American punk and underground music. Few figures loom larger than MacKaye in indiedom, and he’s still going. The ripple effect of his work, both on stage and off, is still rippling. From the Hold Steady to Pearl Jam, many of today’s most significant acts owe a debt and continue to show allegiance and affection for MacKaye.

by Amy Alkon

Since I was old enough to date I’ve been practicing serial monogamy and loving it. The excitement is always high, and I never have to experience the boredom of the old shoe. I’m 32 now, and wondering how long I can realistically keep this up. What’s your take on serial monogamy? Have I ruined my chances of ever being happy with just one man forever?