AltWeeklies Wire
Jazz Album Taps Into Plena, an Overlooked Puerto Rican Rhythmnew
Ancestral and electrifying, Esta Plena, which lost its two bids for a Grammy Award to Terence Blanchard and Chucho and Bebo Valdes, is nonetheless a milestone recording. For the first time, it creates an album-length conversation between jazz and plena.
INDY Week |
Sylvia Pfeiffenberger |
02-12-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
UNC Stutter-Steps on its Way to Becoming Coal-Freenew
UNC will go carbon neutral, which means it will balance any carbon dioxide emissions with an equal amount of reductions or offsets, officials say. But according to the university's current climate plan, that won't happen until 2050.
INDY Week |
Joe Schwartz |
02-12-2010 |
Environment
Wake Commission Nixes Abortion Coverage for County Employeesnew
The News & Observer is reporting that Wake County Manager David Cooke changed the policy Wednesday and that elective abortions are no longer covered. The county's self-insurance plan, The N&O reported, will pay for abortions in cases of incest, rape or danger to the life of the mother.
INDY Week |
Bob Geary |
02-12-2010 |
Policy Issues
On the Late Molly Ivins and Her Crusade Against Corporatized Americanew
My old Columbia classmate Molly Ivins has been gone for three years now. Things have slipped fast since her funeral. Even Molly, with her keen nose for mendacity, might be amazed by the ethical dry rot that's eating away at the business of news.
Celebrate George's Lighter Side with President Washington's Porternew
The first president was partial to a style of ale called porter, which makes him something of a follower of fashion. Porter was the first mass-marketed, must-have beer. In early 18th-century London, pub-goers enjoyed a mixed beer cocktail that blended brown ale, pale ale and stale (meaning aged) beer.
INDY Week |
Julie Johnson |
02-04-2010 |
Food+Drink
Gil Scott-Heron's Remarkable New Record, 'I'm New Here'new
Gil Scott-Heron is the gruff-voiced griot and spoken-word poet who laid a good chunk of the foundation for what we know today as rapping. I'm New Here is his unremitting self-portrait of a man who's had years to catalogue and now capture his paranoia, thrills and agitations.
The War Comes Home in 'The Messenger'new
The backdrop for The Messenger, Oren Moverman's astonishing directing debut, is especially resonant and cinematically uncharted.
Tags: Oren Moverman, The Messenger
What the Supreme Court's Decision Means For Younew
Citizens United should not be seen as the death knell of campaign finance reform. Indeed, this decision is so unprecedented and far-reaching that it could be the catalyst that prompts elected officials to start taking money-in-politics reform more seriously.
INDY Week |
Chase Foster |
01-28-2010 |
Commentary
Revenge Served Cold: Why Do Hockey Players Fight?new
Despite the obvious risks, fighting is, and remains, an integral part of the game of hockey, including for this hockey fan and reporter. The first fight I remember seeing, in person and fully comprehending what was going on, may have been one involving former 'Cane bruiser Jesse Boulerice.
Rich Kid, Poor Kid: Diversity Takes a Backseat in Wake Schoolsnew
If adopted, Wake County Board of Education member John Tedesco's plan would replace the current fluid system of school assignment zones and magnet schools with fixed community boundaries that would be, in all but name, separate districts in a fractured county.
The Dirt on Dry Cleaning: Durham Residents Concerned About Chemicalsnew
At One Hour Martinizing, workers labored over laundry using the chemical tetracholoroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene or perc, to expertly clean fine garments. But the solvent soaked into the grounds around the business and contaminated the soil and groundwater.
INDY Week |
Samiha Khanna |
01-21-2010 |
Environment
Greensboro Writer Riffs on New Phish Biographynew
First assigned to cover the band for Rolling Stone in 1995, Parke Puterbaugh became both fan and occasional band publicist, which granted him the access to observe Phish at their peak and through their drug-addled nadir.
INDY Week |
Rob Mitchum |
01-14-2010 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
The Buck Stops Here: Chapel Hill Mulling the Culling of Deernew
Heeding calls from concerned residents, the Town Council on Monday directed the parks and recreation department to investigate curbing Chapel Hill's deer problem. Councilmembers said the department's proposal to cure the problem by distributing a pamphlet on deer-resistant plants and fences wouldn't solve anything.
INDY Week |
Joe Schwartz |
01-14-2010 |
Environment
Peter Jackson's 'The Lovely Bones' is Dark and Staticnew
Surprisingly, apart from Stanley Tucci's acclaimed turn as serial killer George Harvey, The Lovely Bones has been shut out of the awards-season accolades. Frankly, some of the catcalls are nitpicky and unjustified.
City of Durham and Daniels Could Reach Settlement in Wrongful Convictionnew
When Erick Daniels was convicted as an adult, Karen Daniel, his mother, sought appeals and rallied anyone who would listen. More than a year since a Durham judge ruled Daniels was wrongfully convicted, Karen is still fighting for justice from city officials and the state.
INDY Week |
Samiha Khanna |
01-07-2010 |
Crime & Justice
