Thursday, August 19, 2004

Wilco: Learning How to Die , By Greg Kot 'Wilco' history captures a young man as tortured artist. Wilco: Learning How to Die , By Greg Kot, Broadway, 256 pp., $14 Much of "Wilco: Learning How to Die," Greg Kot's passionate history of the bold, restless band that for some represents the salvation of rock 'n' roll, is devoted to its leader, Jeff Tweedy, and the harsh education through which he learns to live with himself and his ... [Boston Globe -- Living / Arts News] 6:03:09 PM

Pearl Jam to Play Fleet Center Pearl Jam announces FleetCenter concert. Pearl Jam has announced it will play the FleetCenter on Sept. 28. The show is a warmup performance before the band joins the all-star Vote for Change tour, but the group stressed that it is not part of that tour. [Boston Globe -- Living / Arts News] 5:58:30 PM

Bush's Taxing Day in Ohio (Via Workbench) Bush's Taxing Day in Ohio. Energized by the Democratic National Convention, I'm going to spend more time following the frenetic presidential campaigns during the last days of the race (93 and counting). During a stop in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday, one of the swing states hit hardest by the sour economy, President Bush tried to cast doubt on Kerry's plan to roll back the tax cuts for Americans earning over $200,000 to invest in health care, education, and job creation: "He said he's only going to raise taxes on the so-called rich. But you know how the rich is -- they got accountants. That means you pay." I know the moral of that story is the Republicans' favorite scare tactic -- them Dems gonna raise your taxes -- but let's stop for a moment and consider how he tells it: The president, 3.5 years into his term, declares that rich people are effectively untaxable because they can afford accountants who find loopholes. How can that argument possibly reflect well on Bush? He's calling rich people tax cheats, telling the rest of us that he's resigned to a system where they evade taxes, and admitting by implication that he did nothing with the Republican Congress to change it. [Workbench] 7:29:38 AM

America: Republic, Not Empire Mediaburn story on Gary Hart's visit to Phoenix last year. Republic or Empire. Gary Hart: The New Caesars. The United States cannot be simultaneously republic and empire. For evidence, see Rome (circa 65 B.C.). We salute the flag of the United States of America "and the Republic for which it stands." Since the time of the Greek city-states, republics have shared certain immutable qualities: civic virtue or citizen participation, popular sovereignty, resistance to corruption (by special interests) and a sense of the common good. Empires consolidate power in the hands of the few; seek expanded influence, by force if necessary; export centralized administrations to foreign lands; dictate terms to lesser powers, and manage foreign occupied peoples for their own political and commercial advantage. [Dan Gillmor's eJournal] 7:22:10 AM

Future Energy Fortune Magazine Backs Renewable Energy: "The cost of the plan is modest, about $7 billion to $9 billion per year, much of which can be offset by eliminating current subsidies and giveaways.  "Will it be enough to kick our longtime oil addiction?," asks [editor] Varchaver. "Of course not. Even a far more radical plan is not going to solve this problem in ten years. Progress will be incremental and will take decades. But with the hole we have to climb out of getting deeper every day we wait, this plan at least promises what we need right now--a good start." Fortune's plan consists of four approaches: 1. Improving fuel economy. Hybrids... [and] drop the exemption that allows SUVs to be considered light trucks instead of passenger vehicles. 2. More spending on alternative fuels. Fortune estimates that a $3.5-billion-a-year investment in two key areas.. [hydrogen fuel cells, and] biomass fuel called cellulosic ethanol, which can be blended into gasoline with minimal modifications to current engines and gas stations. 3. Redoubled commitment to efficiency. .. 4. Getting serious about solar and wind. .. For Fortune's plan to work, the government will have to do its part; when it comes to transformation on this scale, Washington needs to jump-start the process. Still, In Fortune's plan, government intervention would be modest.. "That 20 percent [cut] might sound like a modest figure," concludes Varchaver. "But that percentage turns out to be more than the portion of our imports that come from the Persian Gulf. If we do nothing, you can be sure Americans will pay more than just the price at the pump." [Ken Novak: Future energy] 7:14:46 AM

Vince Gill and Road Show Vince Gill and road show revive Grand Ole Opry style. Vince Gill isn't ready to relegate the Grand Ole Opry to the ash heap of history just yet. [Boston Globe -- Living / Arts News] 7:11:46 AM

Tucson and Biotech $7M needed for big step in biotech. Tucson stands to lure a major drug-development institute to town if local leaders can line up $7.5 million in donations over five years. If they don't, the University of Arizona and Tucson risk... [Arizona Daily Star: Front Page] 7:09:57 AM

Prosecuting Polygamy Polygamists' schools may lose funding. Arizona's auditor general announces a decision that could take away hundreds of thousands of dollars of state funds from the sect that runs the nation's largest polygamous community along the Arizona-Utah line. * Special report: Prosecuting polygamy [azcentral.com | republicfront] 7:04:47 AM