The Weekly Town Crier (01/10/20)
All the week’s news that’s fit to cry about (01/10/20).
Browse all the Weekly Town Crier posts so far.
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.
Browse the Musical Worldview posts.
Stream/download an introductory mix of Sacred Steel music.
Browse all my favorite music of 2019.
Listen to Volume 01 of my 2019 Year-End Playlist
Listen to Volume 02 of my 2019 Year-End Playlist
Listen to Volume 03 of my 2019 Year-End Playlist
Listen to Volume 04 of my 2019 Year-End Playlist
Read “Author of ‘Prozac Nation’ Elizabeth Wurtzel Dead at 52” at Rolling Stone.
Read “American Christianity Has Failed" at Sojourners.
Read “Todd Bentley Investigation Finds ‘Steady Pattern’ of Immoral Conduct The edgy Canadian preacher was declared unfit for ministry due to credible allegations of adultery, sexting, and substance abuse spanning the past 15 years” at Christianity Today.
Read “On the Assault of James Cone & Black Liberation Theology” at The Witness SBC.
Read “Last call for aging white evangelicals: The political marriage to Trump will collapse. What then?” at Baptist News.
Read “Outspoken Chinese Pastor Wang Yi Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison” at Christianity Today.
Read/watch “Millennials are leaving organized religion. Here’s where some are finding community” at PBS News Hour.
Read “The MAGA Church (Teaser) It is clear that in exchange for power and money these “pastors” have been tasked with recasting Trump’s absurdities and moral failures as nothing short of prophetic divinity.”
Read “Montana Court Reverses $35 Million Child Abuse Verdict Against Jehovah's Witnesses” at NPR.
Read/Listen to “'Your Body Being Used': Where Prisoners Who Can't Vote Fill Voting Districts” at NPR.
Read/Watch “A Phoenix researcher interviewed 100 homeless people. Here's what she found can help them” at AZ Central.
Read “How to Be a Better White Person in 2020” at The Root.
Read “White evangelicals' attacks on James Cone are about power, not truth” at Religion News Service.
Read “India Rules Sex With a Child Bride Is Always Rape in a Massive Win for Girls’ Rights” at Global Citizen.
Read “Children of color projected to be majority of U.S. youth this year” at PBS News Hour.
Read “Facing Unprecedented Anti-Semitic Attacks, New York Jews Are Learning To Fight Back—Literally” at NPR. “ Across New York City, anti-Semitic hate crimes went up 26 percent in 2019, according to the NYPD. That's prompting some Jews to take matters into their own fists.”
Read “U.S. imposes visa bans on International Criminal Court investigators - Pompeo” at Reuters.
Read “Patti Smith wrote Greta Thunberg a poem for her 17th birthday” at Consequence of Sound.
Read “Climate Skeptic Meat Loaf Says Greta Thunberg is ‘Brainwashed’ at Bloomberg.
Read “A belief in meritocracy is not only false: it’s bad for you” at Aeon.
Read “Terry Gilliam: “I’m tired of white men being blamed for everything wrong with the world” Terry Gilliam sneered at #MeToo and defended white men in a controversial new interview” at Consequence of Sound.
Read “The Advantage of Not Fitting In Being an outsider lets you invent your own systems” at Forge/Medium.
Read/Watch “The culture of masculinity and its negative impacts on men” at PBS News Hour.
Read “Intellectual humility: the importance of knowing you might be wrong” at Vox.
Read “Vermont bill would ban people under 21 from having cellphones” at 12 News.
Read “Diapers and feminine hygiene products are now tax-free in California” at The Hill.
Read/Listen to “How The CIA Overthrew Iran's Democracy In 4 Days” at NPR.
Read “War With Iran” at Truth Dig. ““So why go to war with Iran? Why walk away from a nuclear agreement that Iran did not violate? Why demonize a government that is the mortal enemy of the Taliban, along with other jihadist groups, including al-Qaida and Islamic State? Why shatter the de facto alliance we have with Iran in Iraq and Afghanistan? Why further destabilize a region already dangerously volatile?”
Browse “The history of US-Iran relations: A timeline” at PRI’s The World. “In 1953, the CIA helped orchestrate a coup that laid the groundwork for future hostilities between the US and Iran. But in 1967, it was the US that gave Iran a 5-megawatt nuclear reactor and weapons-grade enriched uranium fuel. Here's a look at the long and complex history of US-Iranian relations.”
Read “Pence Falsely Links Soleimani to 9/11 Attacks to Justify Assassination” at Slate.
Read “Iraqi parliament calls on government to expel U.S. troops over Soleimani killing” at Axios.
Read “None of Trump’s Iran Policy Makes Sense. All of It Is Dangerous” at Rolling Stone.
Read “War With Iran Is Nothing To Worry About, Men Who Launched Iraq War Promise” at Huff Post.
Read “White House Withholds 20 Emails Between Two Trump Aides on Ukraine Aid It contends the release of the documents sought by The Times would “inhibit the frank and candid exchange of views” in government decision-making” at The New York Times.
Read “Bolton ‘prepared to testify’ if subpoenaed in Senate trial” at PBS News Hour.
Read “Defamation lawsuit from Trump's sexual misconduct accuser is put on hold Summer Zervos was a contestant on "The Apprentice" and says Trump made unwanted sexual contact with her” at Salon.
Read “Much Of The World Doesn't Trust President Trump, Pew Survey Finds” at NPR.
Read “Appeals Court Allows Trump To Divert $3.6 Billion In Military Funds For Border Wall” at NPR.
Read/Listen to “Stanford Researchers Bring Together People With Different Political Views” at WBUR.
Read “Chinese Tech Giant Tencent Wants A Piece Of The World's Most Successful Record Label” at NPR.
Browse “In Remembrance: Tributes to Ten Notable People Who Died in 2019” at Englewood Review of Books.
Read “Linda Ronstadt sees 'great parallels' between Donald Trump's America and Hitler's Germany” at AZ Central.
Read “Prince Harry, Meghan Markle ‘Step Back’ From Royal Family Decision comes amid family tensions, legal battle with British press” at Rolling Stone.
Read “The ‘warspeak’ permeating everyday language puts us all in the trenches” at The Conversation.
Read “Coachella reveals 2020 lineup” at Consequence of Sound.
Read “Rod Stewart Faces Battery Count After Scuffle With Security Guard on New Year’s Eve Singer and eldest son considered “primary aggressors” in incident at Florida resort” at Rolling Stone.
Read “Dave Grohl Reunites With Nirvana Members For Special Performance Beck, St. Vincent and Grohl’s daughter Violet perform alongside Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear at 2020 Art of Elysium Gala” at Rolling Stone.
Read “Mickey Hart Remembers Robert Hunter” at Relix.
Read “How Music Copyright Lawsuits Are Scaring Away New Hits” at Rolling Stone.
Read/Watch “the sound shirt lets deaf people feel music on their skin” at Design Boom.
Read “Bonnaroo 2020 Lineup & Interview with Bryan Benson of AC Entertainment” at Relix.
Read “The Endless Potential Of The Pedal Steel Guitar, An Odd Duck By Any Measure” at NPR.
Read/Listen to “How Bill Graham's Nazi Escape Might Explain His Fillmore Apples” at KQED.
Read “Hear A Previously Unreleased Version Of David Bowie's 'The Man Who Sold The World'“ at Rolling Stone.
Read “Prince Is Getting an All-Star Grammy Tribute Concert” at Rolling Stone.
Read “The Venetian ice cream maker with a 26,000-strong record collection” at Vinyl Factory. “Using a different sound system for every genre in his collection, Carlo Pistacchi is one of the biggest reggae collectors in Italy.”
Read “Artist to Watch: Revealing the Mystery Man Behind Rose City Band” at Vortex. Listen to “‘Fear Song’ by Rose City Band from the album Rose City Band” on Volume 01 of my 04-volume 2019 year-end music wrap-up.
Browse Rolling Stone’s picks for the “25 Most Anticipated TV
Browse Rolling Stone’s picks for the “25 Most Anticipated TV Shows of 2020.”
Read “Timothée Chalamet to play Bob Dylan in new James Mangold movie” at AV Club.
Read “The 2020 Oscars Will Be Hostless Again” at Rolling Stone.
Read “William Tyler Scores New A24 Film First Cow: Watch the Trailer” at Pitchfork.
Read “Lori Loughlin hires prison coach, learns martial arts "She's knuckling down, learning the lingo, and practicing martial arts" at Consequence of Sound.
Read “FEC Commissioner Rips Facebook Over Political Ad Policy: 'This Will Not Do' at NPR. “The FEC commissioner is blasting Facebook's policy to continue allowing political ads to target its users — saying Facebook's "weak plan suggests the company has no idea how seriously it is hurting democracy.
Read “Rumi, Caught Between The U.S. And Iran.”
Read “Czech grandma transforms small village into her own art gallery” at My Positive Outlooks.
Read/Listen to “Making Art Is Good For Your Health. Here's How To Start A Habit” at NPR.
Read “The World Is Using Natural Resources Faster Than Ever Before” at Global Citizen.
Read “Africa's Most Ancient Trees Are Dying Due to Climate Change” at Global Citizen.
Read “Why Newfoundland Is Turning Its Moose Into Bologna” at Atlas Obscura.
Read “The Prickly Symbolism of Cactus Fruit in Israel and Palestine On different sides of border checkpoints, different views of a sweet treat” at Atlas Obscura.
See “There's Now A Tote Bag That Looks Just Like An Office Binder Clip, For Extreme Office Nerds” at Oddity Mall.