posted by: Jonathan Perri in Personal Liberty on September 2nd, 2010 | | No Comments »
Folk legends Peter, Paul & Mary, have sent a cease and desist letter to the National Organization for Marriage, telling them to stop using their rendition of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" at anti-gay marriage rallies.
The National Organization for Marriage is one of the biggest backers of California's Proposition 8 and most vocal organizations opposing same sex marriage. This summer, NOM organized the "Summer for Marriage Tour 2010: One Man One Woman," a bus tour that held 20 anti-gay marriage rallies, often playing "This Land is Your Land."
When Peter Yarrow was notified by Courage Campaign that NOM had been using their song for this purpose, he said he was "heartbroken" and would be contacting NOM to demand that they stop using the song. Below is the letter signed by Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey, the surviving members of the band.
posted by: Dana John in Food and Farm Policy on September 2nd, 2010 | | No Comments »
Whether it's the chicken, the egg, or luncheon meat, the packaged food at WalMart is literally starting to make stomachs turn. Tyson-brand cold cuts were recalled last week due to Listeria monocytogenes (say what?!) including enough ham and roast beef to fill 1.5 million sandwiches. It was the second major recall of Tyson products in less than a month. Either the system of checks and balances within the food industry is failing miserably or the media is simply paying more attention.
An entertaining and informative article on Grist unveils the food catastrophe Tyson, Zemco Industries and Walmart are facing. While a retail chain touting slogans of "rolling back prices" has never exactly been a beacon of high quality products, it's frightening to know that the largest seller of groceries in the US (yep, you read that right) has been serving up meat packaged July 2 with a corresponding Sept 10th expiration.
Just when Tyson was scoring points for joining up with Neil Diamond for Gulf relief, they managed to pull this stunt: introducing bacteria with dangerous side effects. From the Food Safety and Inspection Service, via Grist:
'Listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, and nausea.' Worse still, it can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as 'serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy.'
Wow.
posted by: Dana John in Music and Activism, Trends in Music and Society on September 1st, 2010 | | No Comments »
As reported by Relix, Johnny Depp, Ben Harper, Eddie Vedder and many others performed at a benefit in Arkansas over the weekend to bring attention to the West Memphis 3, a notorious trio of boys accused of brutally murdering three eight year old boys in 1994.
CBS news explains, Jessie Misskelley, Jr., Jason Baldwin, and Damien Echols, AKA the West Memphis 3, have all been in prison for 17 years. After Echols, only 18 at the time, confessed himself and linked his friends to the crime, he was sentenced to lethal injection. The other boys, both under 18, were sentenced to life in prison. All three maintain their innocence and continue to lobby for retrial. This benefit, among many other events organized by Free The West Memphis 3, is attempting to raise community and financial support for their defense efforts.
Little Rock's Robinson Center Music Hall hosted performances by Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Fistful of Mercy (Ben Harper's new project), Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines and Johnny Depp. Vedder and Maines will be on Larry King tonight at 6pm EST to discuss why they performed this weekend and why the boys deserve a new trial.
posted by: Sebastian Freed in Music and Activism, News on September 1st, 2010 | | No Comments »
Look out for HeadCount this weekend at moe.down. We'll be registering voters and grabbing pledges to vote. If you pledge to vote you'll enter into a raffle to win a signed photo donated by Jam Forums.
Thanks to Dan Foote at Jam Forums for the donation!
posted by: Sebastian Freed in HeadCount Community on August 31st, 2010 | | No Comments »
Name: Nathaniel Fisher
Location: Kingston, Rhode Island
Alma Mater: University of Rhode Island
Favorite HeadCount Band: The Disco Biscuits
Best HeadCount Experience: My best HeadCount experience was actually the Lotus and STS9 show a few weeks ago. I met a lot of cool people and had numerous people register and pledge. I feel like I made HeadCount's presence known at the concert.
What's your Issue? My current issue is about people who think the political system is entirely flawed, and give up on the system rather than fighting to change it. They dismiss the current problems as unfix-able, and spend more time complaining about the judicial and political system than helping it get better.
Why do you like volunteering for HeadCount? I like volunteering for HeadCount because I can show people through example that I can have a fun time and enjoy the concert just like the rest of them, while also making a difference in the community and engaging individuals in topics that might not necessarily pertain to the show or concert at all. If people applied this ideology to their everyday lives, I believe the world would be a different place.
Hobbies: I enjoy reading, skateboarding, writing, debating, and having philosophical and spiritual conversations with new and random people.
Nathaniel helped the Boston team have a great night at STS9/Lotus.
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