The Weekly Town Crier (02/21/20)

All the week’s news that’s fit to cry about (02/14/20).

Read “DJ and producer Andrew Weatherall has died” at Vinyl Factory.

Read “Pete Buttigieg On Faith ‘As A Source of Unity’ And Its Role In The 2020 Election.”

Read “James Cone looked evil in the face and refused to let it crush his hope Antiblackness is outrageous, but it does not have the last word” at Christian Century.

Read/watch “Christians surprise Pride parade marchers with signs apologizing for anti-LGBTQ views” at 10tv.

Read “Will the Real Pro-Life Political Party Please Stand Up?” by Shane Claiborne at Red Letter Christians.

Read “There is beauty and joy at the end of life, too” at Globe And Mail.

Read “Deliver Us, Lord, From the Startup Life In the Midwest, Christian entrepreneurs are searching for relief from the corrosive grind of company-building—while some faith leaders preach the gospel of crushing it” at Wired.

Read “Trump critic Russell Moore, ERLC to face scrutiny by Southern Baptists” at Religion News Service.

Read “First Asian American sheriff in California vows to protect immigrants from Trump policies” at AZ Central.

Read “The No. 1 reason you’re still broke even if you received a pay raise last year” at Market Watch. “When adjusted for cost of living increases, real wages actually declined 1.3% since the end of 2017.”

Read “At the border, “law and order” looks a lot like chaos Trump’s new policies are creating confusion and misery” at Christian Century.

Read/Watch “Why Trump’s outreach to black voters is raising ethical questions” at PBS News Hour. “"It seems like the president suggested that the scholarship for Janiyah Davis was part of a government program. But then we found out that it was paid for by the personal charity of one of his employees," says Donald Sherman of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.”

Read “Trump Administration To Waive Contracting Laws To Build Border Wall” at KJZZ.

Read “Primary Season Is Here And 'Hispandering' Is Back” at NPR.

Read “The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Will Officially Become a Part of Oklahoma School Curriculum Beginning in the Fall” at The Root.

Read “There Is Not Some Separation Between Jesus and Justice.' How Rev. William J. Barber II Uses His Faith to Fight for the Poor” at Time.

Read “Psychology shows it’s a big mistake to base our self-worth on our professional achievements” at Quartz.

Read “Boy Scouts seek bankruptcy under wave of new sex abuse lawsuits” at Los Angeles Times.

Read “If we can't stop active shooter drills, let's at least do them without traumatizing kids” at AZ Central.

Read “US ranks lower than 38 other countries when it comes to children's wellbeing, new report says” at CNN.

Read “A Second School in California Will Be Named After Michelle Obama Michelle Obama Elementary School opens its doors in August” at Global Citizen.

Read “Arizona charter school principal pleads guilty in $2.5 million enrollment scheme” at AZ Central.

Read “Trump Calls For End To Student Loan Forgiveness Program” at Forbes.

Read “To promote success in schools, focus on teacher well-being” at Brookings.

Read “Children stage mass-walkout after teachers were forced to quit for being gay” at Metro.

Read/Watch “Poverty is a winning issue for 2020” at CNN.

Read “'Just Plain Ugly': Proposed Executive Order Takes Aim At Modern Architecture” at NPR.

Read “1,100 Former DOJ Employees Call On Barr To Resign After Intervening In Stone Case” at NPR.

• Read “Federal judges' association calls emergency meeting after DOJ intervenes in case of Trump ally Roger Stone” at USA Today.

Read “2.5M Pounds Of Radioactive Waste Illegally Dumped In Oregon Landfill” at OPB.

Read “Greece Elected an Environmentalist as Its First Woman President Katerina Sakellaropoulou gained support across party lines” at Global Citizen.

Read “Bloomberg set to debate in Nevada after qualifying in new poll” at The Hill.

Read “Trump Commutes Sentence Of Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich” at NPR.

• Read “Trump Threatens to Sue ‘Everyone All Over the Place’ Another morning, another Twitter outburst” at Rolling Stone.

• Read “How Much Has the Government Spent at Trump’s Properties? It Won’t Say” at ProPublica.

Read “Japan’s Lost-and-Found System Is Insanely Good” at City Lab.

Read “The Next Smithsonian Might Be A Women's History Museum” at NPR.

Read “The gloriously unhinged progressive pushback against the Babylon Bee The humor may or may not be to your taste but it’s hardly about to bring the republic crashing down in a slurry of ignorance” at Spectator USA.

Read “Court Records Confirm Works From Nirvana, Elton John And Others Damaged In 2008 Fire” at NPR.

Read “Grateful Dead To Release 15-CD ‘June 1976’ Box Set” at Jambands.com.

Read “New Adventures with The Kernal” at Sound And Soul.

Read “Facing Hearing Loss, Huey Lewis Releases What 'May Be' His Last Album” at NPR.

Read “New Musical ‘Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Story’ to Open in London in 2021” at Rolling Stone.

Read “The Day The Music Became Carbon-Neutral” at The New Yorker.

Read “An Attempt To Explain The “Difficult” Neil Young Records” at Vinyl Me Please.

Read “Neil Young Pens Open Letter to Donald Trump: ‘You Are a Disgrace to My Country’ Now an American citizen, Young rails against the president” at Rolling Stone.

Read “Henry Rollins To Voice Tri-Klops In Netflix’s He-Man Reboot” at Stereogum.

Read “Feature-Length Ronnie James Dio Documentary Is Being Made The film is being produced by BMG and will span the singer's illustrious career” at Consequence of Sound.

Read “Watch More Than 400 Classic Korean Films Free Online Thanks to the Korean Film Archive” at Open Culture.

Read “The Original Renegade A 14-year-old in Atlanta created one of the biggest dances on the internet. But nobody really knows that” at New York Times.

Read “LeBron James to release his first children's book this summer” at Entertainment Weekly.

See “This Graffiti Artist Makes Walls Appear Transparent Using Nothing But Spray Paint” at Bored Panda.

See “Portraits of “Most Beautiful Chickens on the Planet” Capture Their Underrated Beauty” at My Modern Net.

Read “Improving the prognosis of health care in the USA” at Science Direct.

Read “Scientists detect an unexplainable radio signal from outer space that repeats every 16 days” at AZ Central.

Read “Generations of Handwritten Mexican Cookbooks Are Now Online North America’s largest-known Mexican cookbook collection inspires both tears and restaurant dishes” at Atlas Obscura.

Read “Arpaio Leads in Sheriff’s Race Cash, But Just 1 in 8 of His Donors Are Arizonans” at Phoenix New Times.

Read “Lawmaker would ban students from listing dormitories on voter registration” at AZ Central.

Read “Caverns Grotto In a 345-million-year-old cave that's 200 feet underground, dinner awaits.” at Atlas Obscura.

Read “7 Arizona Locations On Pier 1 Imports Store Closing List” at KJZZ.

Read “Arizona Governor, GOP Lawmakers End Sanctuary City Ban Push” at KJZZ.

The Weekly Town Crier (08/16/19)

Welcome to the Weekly Town Crier. Here’s a collection of some of the links I found particularly interesting this week. What’s been on your mind?

Browse the “Complete Archive of Folk Music For All Countries.”

Listen to all 52 episodes of The Global Elite Music Radio Podcast Supershow.

Listen to a mix of artists who have performed Habañero Collective house shows.

Read/Watch about the “Man wearing TV on head caught on camera leaving old TVs on Virginia front porches.”

Watch Paul Simon & Bob Weir duet on "The Boxer" at JamBase.

Read “Kurt Vonnegut on Reading, Boredom, Belonging, and Our Human Responsibility” at Brain Pickings.

Because I know you were wondering: “Q&AZ: How Many State Parks Does Arizona Have?”

Watch the piece “SPAM is jumping on the pumpkin spice bandwagon. Really.”

Watch “1,000 Musicians Gather To Cover Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name”

Watch Stephen Colbert say that president Trump is a “heretic to reality,” saying: “Our president wants to live in a fantasy world where only the way he perceives the world is the way it is, only things that sort of serve his vision, and he's also trying to convince us that that is the only world that exists. It's extremely solipsistic. But he's also trying to invite us into this madness that he has, and that is heresy against reality."

Read “How Two Sisters Started Miami's First Afro-Cuban, Woman-Owned Cigar Company” at Miami New Times.

Read about the “driver at a quasi-privately run immigration detention facility in Rhode Island drove their pickup truck last night into a crowd of 'Jews Against ICE' protesters, seriously injuring a 64-year-old man, and others.” “Captain Thomas Woodworth has been placed on administrative leave.”

Read as ABC News and Good Morning America finds “36 cases invoking 'Trump' in connection with violence, threats, alleged assaults.”

Watch Cardi B and Bernie Sanders Talk About the Issues at a Detroit nail salon” at Flood Magazine.

Read Consequence of Sound’s report: “St. Elmo’s Fire series being developed by NBC.”

Read/watch as Republican Steve King tries to defend a total ban on abortions by arguing that rape and incest have helped grow society.

Read Slate’s piece: “The New Hate Pastors Sarah Silverman is “a God-hating whore of Zionism.” We need to “Make America Straight Again.” How a new class of religious zealots is going viral—and already tearing itself apart.”

Read Universal-Sci’s piece: “The Milky Way’s Black Hole Just Flared, Growing 75 Times As Bright For A Few Hours!”

Read Atlas Obscura’s piece about “Champing,” or “Camping in Abandoned Medieval Churches.”

Read as Christianity Today argues: “Preaching Against Racism Is Not a Distraction from the Gospel.”

Read Sojourners piece: “Politically Homeless: How Republicans — and Democrats — Are Leaving Many Christians Behind.”

Read AV Club’s piece: “Hugh Grant says Paddington 2 is his best movie, so don't tell him otherwise.”

Read AV Club’s piece: “Flea is dropping a dreamy, jazz-inflected memoir later this year.”

Read “Tom Waits: Our 1985 Interview, Tom Waits for No Man” at Spin.

Stream Here Lies Man’s new album ‘No Ground To Walk Upon’ at Brooklyn Vegan.

Watch the “the Trailer for Terrence Malick’s New Religious War Drama ‘A Hidden Life’” at Relevant.

Hear “Wooden Wand – The Thump Sessions” at Raven Sings The Blues.

Read “Voice of the Desert: After Making a Name at Gawker and Wonkette, Ken Layne Created the 'Desert Oracle' to Showcase the Wacky, Weird and Wonderful of the High Desert” at CVIndependent.com.

Read as Jambands.com report: “Garcia Peoples Announce Five-Night Nublu Residency.”

Listen to Jeff Tweedy with Tape Op.

Read the Santa Maria Times’ piece: “Santa Barbara County supervisors agree to use cannabis revenue to close three libraries’ budget gaps.”

Read Post-Punk’s report: “Peter Murphy Suffers Heart Attack During NYC Residency.”

Read the Riverfront Times’ piece: ‘Burglary Suspects Foiled by Meddling Comic Book Store Owner’.

Read the Independent’s 2011 piece: “Douglas Adams said it was the answer to the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. He meant it as a joke, but a new book shows how the number 42 has played a significant role in history.”

Pre-Order the latest Garcia Peoples album One Step Behind at Bandcamp.

Read about the Americana Awards giving Elvis Costello a Lifetime Honor at Variety.

Read about the “The pickle sandwich” (pickles instead of bread) at The Take Out.

Read “Mr. Bungle reunite for first concerts in 20 years” at Consequence of Sound.

Browse Treble Zine’s “Top 150 Albums of the ’70s.”

“Relive the moment Andy Warhol went digital with his portrait of Blondie’s Debbie Harry” with Far Out Magazine.

Watch “Watch Jeff Buckley Tear Through ‘Mojo Pin’ in Previously Unreleased Video” at Rolling Stone.

Read as Rolling Stone considers the question we’ve all been wondering: “How Randy Newman ended up on a Chance the Rapper song.”

Read Vinyl Factory’s piece: ‘Krautrock guitarist Dominik von Senger collages archival recordings on Brüsseler Platz.”

Download “oichai daen-isan: molam brake taek” from monrakplengthai.blogspot.com.

Read “Arizona's Troubadour Hans Olson Reflects on 50 Years” at Phoenix New Times.

To celebrate the return of AMC’s Lodge 49 for season 02, read Jason Woodbury’s talk with show “creator Jim Gavin about the “inexhaustible metaphor” of alchemy and secret societies—and the gap between the seen and unseen—last fall for Aquarium Drunkard. No big spoilers, so feel free to read even if you're not caught all the way up.”

Read Vulture’s piece “Lodge 49 Wants to Be the ‘Least Aspirational Show on TV’.

Stream the first episode of Lodge 49 Season Two at the AMC site.

Read AZ Central’s piece: “Misfiled in the Don Bolles files: Filming 1976's 'A Star Is Born' at Sun Devil Stadium,” which reports about “A misplaced document shows how "A Star Is Born" producers got crowd scenes for the movie. They put on a dirt-cheap concert at Sun Devil Stadium.”

Read Relevant’s piece about Hillsong writer Marty Sampson, who says: “I’m genuinely losing my faith, and it doesn’t bother me. Like, what bothers me now is nothing."

• Read as Michael Frost wonders: “What could have helped Marty Sampson's faith?”

• Read Relevant’s piece: “Marty Sampson Has Responded to the Skillet Frontman’s Viral Criticism of His Doubts About Faith,” in which Sampson is cited as saying: “Wow. Where do I begin? What right have you to put words in my mouth? I wouldn’t presume to put words in yours."

ReaRead as Vanity Fair profile Ta-Nehisi Coates about his forthcoming novel, The Water Dancer.

R.I.P. Toni Morrison.

• Read as the New York Times considers 12 of Morrison’s most memorable quotes.

• Read as the New York Times considers “Toni Morrison’s Essays and Criticism".

• Read as The Believer considers “Five Poems by Toni Morrison.”

• Read as Image Journal reflects: “Toni Morrison Wrote the Novel That Will Help America Heal.”

R.I.P. David Berman.

• Read as Jagjaguwar remembers Berman.

• Read one of Berman’s last interviews with City Pages.

• Read as “Drag City Shares Eulogy For David Berman” at Stereogum.

• Read as Thomas Beller remembers Berman for the Los Angeles Times.

• Watch Phosphorescent, Hiss Golden Messenger & more cover Silver Jews songs live in tribute to David Berman at Brooklyn Vegan.

• Read Pitchfork’s piece: “David Berman Changed the Way So Many of Us See the World.”

Stream a new track from Moon Duo at Paste Magazine.

Read David French’s piece “Another Pop-Culture Christian Loses His Faith” for National Review which states in part: “Christians are not prepared for the social consequences of the profound cultural shifts — especially in more secular parts of the nation. They’re afraid to say what they believe, not because they face the kind of persecution that Christians face overseas but because they’re simply not prepared for any meaningful adverse consequences in their careers or with their peers.”

Reserve your place at Arizona’s Changing Hands Bookstore for a Debbie Harry book reading.

Read NPR’s piece: “On The Border With Maybelle Carter And Lydia Mendoza.”

Read as Brian Falduto (“the gay kid from School of Rock,”) shares new, exciting chapters of his life.

Browse Dead & Co.’s Fall tour dates at Jam Base.

Read as Pitchfork reports: “A$AP Rocky Found Guilty of Assault in Sweden.”

Read as Aquarium Drunkard interviews Terry Allen.

Watch “Stereolab perform “Miss Modular” live in Chicago for Pitchfork Music Festival 2019.”

Stream a new song from the Pixies at Spin.

Help Preemptive Love help Refugee kids get an education.

Read as Vice considers “Ten Essential Books That Illustrate Toni Morrison's Literary Legacy.”

Read as Aauarium Drunkard reconsiders Bob Dylan’s Oh Mercy as the album turns 30.

Read as The Current Rewind interviews Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker about their 25 years in the band Low.

Read “Duane Allman 1957 Goldtop Les Paul Scores $1.25 Million At Auction” at Jam Base.

Watch the latest trailer for “The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance” which AV Club says “somehow looks even more impressive” than the last. What do you think?

Stream a new Guided By Voices song at Brooklyn Vegan.

Read as The New York Times recommends books to better understand the U.S.-Mexico border.

Read NBC News’ piece: “'Green shirt guy' goes viral over reaction to 'sanctuary city' heckler.”

Read as #GreenShirtGuy considers “How I went viral’ at CNN in which he states: “I was lucky in many ways to be where I was: inches away from hate but miles away from danger. In another locale, or with different bigots, I could have been in serious trouble."

Read Rolling Stone’s report that “Lady Gaga is Funding Classrooms In Cities Affected By Recent Mass Shootings.”

Read about the “Lost David Bowie, Krautrock, and Sly Stone Outtakes Found in Fab Philly Funk Soul Archive” at Dangerous Minds.

Stream a new song from Mudhoney: ““One Bad Actor” from their upcoming EP Morning In America.

Read “Relevant’s” piece "How to Grieve With People Who Are Suffering” and please let me know what you think.

Read as Brooklyn Vegan looks back on The Stooges' debut album, released 50 years ago.

Read What’s Your Grief’s piece: “Grief and Regrief (aka growing up with a grief monster).”

Stream a new track from New Pornographers at Spin.

Read The Telegraph’s piece: “Why diners look like trains – a brief history of the American fast food icon.”

See John Coltrane’s “Picture Illustrating the Mathematics of Music.”

Read “Jon Foreman on Mass Shootings: ‘This Is a Volcano That We Need to Face’” at “Relevant.”

Stream a new track from Bat For Lashes at Spin.

Stream a playlist of cover songs curated by David Byrne.

Browse Egyptian Street’s post: “Summer Read Suggestions: 11 Literary Works by Egyptian Writers.”

Read Christianity Today’s piece “Jesus, Deliver Us from This Racist Evil Age” which states: “Regardless of political affiliation, Christians must not play political games with racism and white supremacy. We must reject all forms and expressions of racism and white supremacy. We must not employ racist rhetoric about image-bearers who are immigrants and people of color. We must not dehumanize or hate any image-bearer based on the color of their skin (Asian, black, brown, or white).”

Stream a new song from Elbow featuring Jesca Hoop.

Read AV Club’s piece: “A TV adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's memoir A Moveable Feast is in the works.”

Read Relevant’s piece: “Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Forms Social Justice Partnership with the NFL.”

Read Jambands.com’ report that ZZ Top has announced a biographical documentary.

Listen to a new song from the Muffs at Brooklyn Vegan.

Read NPR World Cafe’s piece: “T Bone Burnett On Producing Legends And Singing His Own Tunes.”

Stream the new Sleater-Kinney song ““Can I Go On” at Stereogum.

• Watch “Sleater-Kinney Perform ‘Stripped Down’ Version of New Song ‘Broken’” at Rolling Stone.

• Read as Hanif Abdurraquib considers “What It Means To Listen To Sleater-Kinney Now” for NPR Music.

Hear Eamon Fogarty and Chris Schlarb of Psychic Temple’s free-jazz version of Chris Bell of Big Star's "I Am the Cosmos" at Aquarium Drunkard.

Read about the “Single Dad Has Fostered More Than 50 Young Men In The Last 12 Years” at HuffPost.

Read “Boots In Transit: An Appreciation of the Dead on Cassette” by J Jackson Toth at Aquarium Drunkard.

Read about “President Trump’s top immigration official suggested a footnote to the iconic poem at the base of the Statue of Liberty,” to say: “Give me your tired and your poor — who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge.” Later, clarifying himself: “Trump official says Statue of Liberty poem is about Europeans.”

See Shepard Fairey’s largest mural yet in Vancouver.

Read Rolling Stone’s piece: “Museum of London to Host ‘The Clash: London Calling’ Exhibition.”

Read app.com’s piece: “Jimmy Cliff and 'The Harder They Come': 'It's the story of politics and religion.'

Listen To David Crosby, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh and Mickey Hart Perform As ‘David And The Dorks’ at Live For Live Music.

Read AZ Central’s piece: “Toxic groundwater lies beneath Phoenix, and a cleanup has been delayed for years.”

Read the Relix report: “Apparently Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon Dropped Acid Backstage with Dead & Company”.

Read the Brooklyn Vegan report: “Dave Navarro, Billy Idol & more performing Stooges & Bowie albums at benefit show.”

Watch a 1952 Anti-Prejudice PSA at Archive.org.

Read NPR Music’s report: “Los Tigres Del Norte Announce Documentary, Album Of Historic Folsom Prison Concert.”

Read Stuff’s report: “Crowded House reunite to headline Aussie music festival.”

Read AZ Central’s report: “Jimmy Eat World drummer calls out Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins on Twitter after tour.”

Hear Amanda Palmer Read Wendell Berry’s Stunningly Prescient Poem “Questionnaire” at Brain PIckings.

New music from Sahel Sounds! “Tuareg guitar gets the electronic treatment, with a reissue of the cassette by legendary Nigerien composer Abdallah Oumbadougou. Produced in Benin in 1995, “Anou Malane” is one of the first studio recordings of Tuareg guitar”.

“Watch the Highwomen and Jimmy Fallon Cover Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’” at Rolling Stone.