Prompted by a proposed Wal-Mart in the heart of Athens, Georgia, Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood teamed up with John Bell and Todd Nance of Widespread Panic, Mike Mills of R.E.M., and many more Athens-based musicians to protect the small businesses of their town. Their shared interest in keeping Wal-Mart out and supporting small businesses led the musicians to unite and create a powerful protest song: After It’s Gone.

The college town outside of Atlanta is home to the University of Georgia, as well as a small business district that thrives on the patronage of students, alumni and locals. The music video (featured below) highlights the areas that would be the most negatively affected by the proposed Wal-Mart and shopping center. The musicians, who recorded the song under the moniker “Patterson Hood and the Downtown 13”, hope that that the song will help bring the issue to the attention of the public.

“This Atlanta developer wants to clog our cultural heart and build a bunker the size of three city blocks next to the vibrant downtown scene,” said Hood in a press release “They hit the easy button: a big box store in our downtown district is clearly misguided and a somewhat ridiculous notion. Downtown Athens is a dynamic network of local businesses — Athens already has a meaningful brand and we are extremely protective of it.”

While the locals behind the cause are not opposed to any specific company, they are broadly opposed to developing the area, which they believe would detract from Athens’ vibrant downtown economy. "We don't need a big box retailer, the very definition of the past, to once again bring us back through that dark episode of closed down storefronts and empty parking lots" said Hood, "Protect Downtown Athens-- that's what this is all about."

Legendary photographer Danny Clinch has worked with some of the biggest names in music over the last few decades. Phish, Tupac, Bob Dylan, Radiohead and Johnny Cash have all been on the other side of Clinch’s lens, and his work has been featured on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine numerous times. Now you can view some of his best work on your iPad with the new “Discovery Inn” app in the iTunes store.

While anyone can look at Clinch’s work for free with a simple Google Image search, the “Discovery Inn” app allows you to hear narration for every photo from the photographer himself. The app is currently going for $2.99, which is a small price to pay if you’re a photography enthusiast who wants to look inside the mind of a master of the craft or a music enthusiast who is curious what working with these stars is like.

Paying for a few narrated photos isn’t for everyone, so if you don’t feel like dropping the $2.99, I'd still recommend checking out Clinch’s work in other ways. The guy has been doing good work for a long time – he started as an intern for Annie Leibowitz – and a lot of his portraits have become iconic.

It's been proven over and over: education gets the attention of voters. As the Republican primaries proceed, it's worth taking a good, hard look at the candidates' stances. This is one area where they have some real differences.

• First up, longtime watchers of education policy will remember Rick Santorum as the senator who proposed the Santorum Amendment back in 2001, an attempt to require the teaching of creationism in schools while questioning the validity of the theory of evolution. He still strongly supports this movement.
• Mitt Romney has laid out an education policy position that stresses standardized testing and school choice, although he has not taken a position on vouchers (a system where families would receive government funding that could be put toward their choice of private schools). On the issue of college affordability and funding, he is not a supporter of direct government support for education costs. Instead, according to one of his campaign managers, “He wants to empower families to save for their children's education by making money earned on savings interest, capital gains and dividends tax-free for all middle class taxpayers. In this way, middle class families could save more money for education or a home.”
• Candidates Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul have both come out against government-supported college loan programs. At one debate, Gingrich called it an “absurdity” and said it “expands the ability of students to stay in college longer because they don't see the cost.” Where Paul and Gingrich disagree, though, is on the issue of vouchers. Paul has called them “another tax-funded welfare program establishing an entitlement to a private school education.” Gingrich, meanwhile, is “a vocal supporter” of the School Choice Movement, with vouchers at the center of that policy position.
• Another issue dividing these candidates: whether the federal Education Department should exist at all. The general theme, when education has been raised in the debates, is that the federal government should leave education to the states; some of the candidates have gone so far as to promise to eliminate the department altogether (Ron Paul and former candidate Rick Perry foremost among them). Romney is the odd one out in this field, having never been especially vocal about keeping education at the state level – he is the only candidate who had kind words for Obama's “Race to the Top” education program, for which he has taken heat in debates.
• Finally, let's look at some of the more unique stands brought out by the Republican field. Newt Gingrich has come up with the plan that's drawn the most attention: he believes that schools should cut budgets and support children of low-income families by firing their janitors and hiring the kids. This comes as part of his push to roll back child labor regulations, which he believes are limiting the ability of low-income kids to better themselves. Meanwhile, Rick Santorum has been railing against Obama for what he sees as elitist attempts to get all kids to go to college, saying he was “outraged” by it. In a later campaign appearance, he said left-leaning “indoctrination” occurs at colleges and universities and therefore "It's no wonder President Obama wants every kid to go to college.” Most of the other candidates have stated the need for widespread higher education as a way to get America's economy back on track.

The education field could be an important one in this primary, as it seems to be one area where the candidates are willing to show their differences. For now, as primary season continues: enjoy the fireworks.

Music and musicians have been at the heart of the Occupy movement. And while there may not be a single anthem that defines the cause; a notable, and badass artist who has used her voice to stand with the 99% is Amanda Palmer. The founding member of the Dresden Dolls has been performing impromptu ‘ninja gigs' all over the country including Oakland, Vancouver, New York, and in her hometown of Boston. Amanda uses social media outlets like Twitter (@amandapalmer) and her blog to share her travels and ultimately bring new faces to the movement. We got a chance to catch up with the ukulele cabaret punk who shared her thoughts on the power of music and her hopes for what the movement is really occupying in all of us.

What was your mission in playing at Occupy events?

Mostly to bring attention and awareness to the fact that it was happening. I generally do free, spontaneous outdoor shows (I call them "ninja gigs") everywhere I go, and since I had a tour coinciding with the start of the movement, it made sense to gather people at Occupy instead of a random local park. I like connecting the dots. A lot of my fans hadn't been to their city's Occupy site, and this was a good excuse to get them there to experience the site in person instead of just seeing footage on CNN. On top of that, I liked the idea that I could bring some random joy to the actual occupiers... like a traveling minstrel. I played music that was both geared towards the movement and played music that was totally irrelevant and simply entertaining... but that's not actually irrelevant, is it?

The Occupy movement has exploded all over the world. Since your travels to many of the occupation sites, what do you think is really at the heart of this movement?

People are discontent and this was a chance, an outlet, a platform from which to express their discontent. And yes, I think the Occupy movement has had an effect. It brought people together, it tightened communities, and it reminded a whole generation that democracy requires participation to function. If it only leaves a small wave in the ocean, that wave will hopefully grow to a tsunami when today's teenagers grow into tomorrow's leaders and recall the images of people trying to speaks their minds.

How did you see music play a role or place in the Occupy movement? 

I think music and protest are perfect bedfellows. Music can often get to to the emotional heart of a matter much more quickly than speaking, that's why songs are so powerful. Can you imagine the Vietnam War protests without the soundtrack provided by the generation of music-makers? Way more boring.

Do you think music has the power to cause real change?

What kind of change? I think music often changes people more than anything. Even if it's just for a moment. It's funny, I've been thinking lately what the world would look and feel like if music were suddenly removed from political TV ads, from commercials, from films? Imagine this clip about Occupy (my favorite) without the soundtrack. Music provides a bridge into the deeper parts of our emotional beings.

In your blog posts about your travels to the Occupy sites, you mentioned that “what was bizarre was how INCREDIBLY similar the feel of every occupation was; yet how different the energy was depending on the city.” Could you give an example of how the energy was different from place to place?

Oi vey. Sure. The energy at Occupy LA was slightly off-putting... Everywhere I turned people were getting pissed at each other. The main square was pumping techno and people were hula-hooping and playing soccer, but the vibe wasn't very...inclusive? I mean, in a way it was sort of cheerful, but it also just seemed like Burning Man had taken over a city block and people were just psyched for the party. Then again, my experience in all these places was based on an hour or so of walking around. Oakland had incredibly hard-working, peaceful energy around it. The energy in Boston was also very Boston-y, super-intellectual and slightly grumpy. The energy in Vancouver was stark ... A death by overdose had taken place there two days before.

What was single the most interesting thing you saw at Occupy?

i was definitely impressed by the vision of someone at Occupy Oakland providing ice cream en masse for the occupiers and the general public...  and for good measure, here's some beautiful graffiti at Occupy Vancouver: 

Some people think the movement is fading. What are your thoughts on that?  What do you think is (should be?) next for the movement, and the young activists involved?

My thoughts are that the movement will evolve. If it's fading, then it's fading and it's served whatever purpose it was supposed to serve. The real question is whether people will keep voicing their opinions without the romance and the drama of the tents and encampment. One of the best things I think could come of this is the opening of people's eyes to how they can take democracy into their OWN hands. On their own street. Maybe some barriers have been broken down and people will feel less reservations about helping their neighbors. I'd hope that's the case. If we're going to turn this system around, we have to go deep, to the root, and it means letting go of fear. Fear of helping each other. We're so disconnected from each other, and we've been convinced into it. We've all been raised by a culture that lead us to believe that to get ahead, we've got to step on the head of the person beneath us. And that's not really working, is it ...for anybody.