Phish Fans on Dave Matthews Fans – and Vice Versa
Riverfront Times writer Annie Zaleski’s polling data are in. And it turns out that many more Dave Matthews Band fans are also Phish fans than vice versa. Zaleski’s article, “Jam On It: Phish and DMB fans sound off — about each other,” is accompanied by caricatures guaranteed to offend both camps equally. Also, and not…
Battling for the Soul of Young Republicans (in 140 Characters or Fewer)
Not only older Republicans like Gingrich and Cheney are grappling with the age of Obama. According to a recent article in Slate, even College Republicans are having an identity crisis. “We’re the dead-meat party,” said one young conservative. “We need to be the happy meal.” The first College Republican National Committee (CRNC) convention since the…
In the Wake of the Quake: Abigail Washburn and Shanghai Restoration Project’s ‘Artquake’
I first heard the singer and clawhammer banjo player Abigail Washburn in the excellent all-female bluegrass group Uncle Earl. It’s always cool to hear Washburn sing bluegrass in Mandarin, which she learned while studying in China. Washburn returned to China in 2005 with her Sparrow Quartet, which includes Bela Fleck. In May 2008, an earthquake…
Farm Sanctuary Has Serious Beef With USDA’s ‘Naturally Raised’ Meat Label
On January 16, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) began allowing agricultural companies to slap a “naturally raised” label on meat and meat products from animals whose upbringing may well be far from natural. In response, Farm Sanctuary, a nonprofit that combats the abuses of factory farming, has launched a petition demanding a more…
Hidden Track Interviews HeadCount Founders
Over at Hidden Track, Scott Bernstein interviews HeadCount founders Andy Bernstein (no relation) and Marc Brownstein about HeadCount’s new What’s Your Issue? campaign, staying engaged beyond elections, and bringing the HeadCount message to a larger community. MB: It’s interesting that you mention Bonnaroo, Andy. In following the model of Bonnaroo in terms of starting with…
Nice People Take Drugs
That’s the message of a new British advertising campaign for drugs policy reform. And I suspect it’s a phrase we’ll be hearing more about in the coming months as marijuana legalization, or at least pot decriminalization, reaches a tipping point here and abroad. The campaign is sponsored by Release, “the national centre of expertise on…
Two American Journalists Sentenced to 12 Years’ Hard Labor in North Korea
Current TV reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee were sentenced by North Korea’s Central Court to twelve years’ hard labor for “committing hostilities against the Korean nation and illegal entry,” according to the New York Times. The reporters, who were on assignment for the San Francisco-based company co-founded by former vice president Al Gore, have…
Five Questions For Bonnaroo Sustainability Coordinator Laura Sohn
What’s your role with Bonnaroo and how did you come to hold this position? I’m the festival’s Sustainability Coordinator. The festival has had a long commitment to greening and sustainability and worked with outside consultants for years. As the greening efforts grew they realized the importance of having someone involved in the day-to-day, year-round operations…
Barack Obama’s New Beginning Speech in Cairo
Watch it below or read it here. For human history has often been a record of nations and tribes — and, yes, religions — subjugating one another in pursuit of their own interests. Yet in this new age, such attitudes are self-defeating. Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates one nation or group of…
Introducing… HeadCount Festy Food Reviews
While attending a festival, my friends spend a lot of time critiquing, analyzing and dissecting. They talk about the music sometimes, too. Mostly though, serious analysis is reserved for food. We share important information, like Spicy Pie going up to $6 a slice (and still burning the roofs off everyone’s mouths) or that some quiet…