Exotic Magazine - Issue 339

Short, Strange (but True) Historical Facts

by Wombstretcha

This article is definitely of the species of articles which are to be read idly, possibly while bored at work, or on the toilet. So what we have here is a list of facts from all over the world, covering odd little nuggets of human history, and yes, they are all true, except for one. See if you can guess which it is.

In 300 B.C., Mayans worshipped turkeys as vessels of the gods. Their gods were, for the record, really weird.

The Olympic Games used to hand out medals for arts and humanities. At the time, 151 medals were awarded for architecture, literature, painting, music, and sculpture. Art competitions formed part of the modern Olympic Games during its early years but ended in 1954 because the Olympics are for amateurs, and artists are considered (by the Olympics) to all be professionals, regardless of whether or not they’d ever been paid for their work...

Build Back Better: The House Show Economic Recovery Plan

by Blazer Sparrow

These are trying times, etc., etc. Between the pandemic, the widespread job losses, the skyrocketing rent, and the ever-increasing tent cities, the "cool" factor of Portland is at an all-time low. Clearly, Portland’s "cool" factor is the most important effect of these unprecedented global events. Who reading this magazine would argue? To be honest, it has been a continuous downhill plummet since the peak, sell-out "cool" of the Portlandia days, so the pandemic isn’t wholly to blame. It was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back. It lifted the veil, exposing the cracked and crumbling infrastructure of the state of our house show economy.

Jokes aside, a co-worker actually referred to the "economy of house shows" here in Portland and how it’s been in steep decline for the better part of two decades. Thinking of the state and value of house shows in Portland and some sort of economy made me realize that, just like the "real" economy in America that’s also in a flaming nosedive, this little house show market collapse can be solved with some misdirection, empty promises, and fancy talk!