What’s really going to determine the impact of the President’s speech and the drive for reform is the role of grass-roots support.
Posts Tagged ‘Arkansas’
Art Levine: Showdown on Health Reform: Chamber, Insurers vs. Obama, Labor, Grass-Roots Activists
July 23rd, 2009 |
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East Jerusalem Settlements: Mike Huckabee Joins The Fray, Will Broadcast From Disputed Site
July 21st, 2009 |
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The dispute over a highly controversial East Jerusalem Israeli settlement project on Arab land came to a head Tuesday when direct, public statements from France and Russia joined statements made by the United States demanding that all construc…
Peter Dreier: GOP Liars on Health Costs
July 21st, 2009 |
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“Democrats’ government-run plan will make health care more costly than ever,” Ohio Representative John Boehner, the House Republican leader, told the Wall Street Journal…
Carol Felsenthal: Should Obama Put Bill Clinton to Work on Swinging Votes for Health Care Bill?
July 17th, 2009 |
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Here’s an idea for President Obama. How about naming the former president and Arkansas governor special envoy to Arkansas Congressman Mike Ross?
Isobel White: Same Sex Marriage in CA: 8 Reasons Why We Should Lay Off the Debate over 2010 v. 2012
July 17th, 2009 |
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In recent weeks, some prominent LGBT organizations have been attempting to energize the rest of us by holding “2010 v. 2012 forums,” where we debate…
Senate Panel OKs Plan To Revamp Health Care System
July 16th, 2009 |
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WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama achieved a milestone Wednesday when a Senate committee approved a plan to revamp the U.S. health care system.
The Senate panel’s action, which attracted no Republican votes, came as the president’s ca…
Levon Helm:Electric Dirt
July 15th, 2009 |
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By: Tim Dwenger
One of the great spirits of American music, Levon Helm, has returned with Electric Dirt (released June 30 on Vanguard Records), a stellar follow-up to 2007′s Grammy winning Dirt Farmer. Like Dirt Farmer, Helm’s new offering features a wide variety of cover tunes but this time the record showcases Helm’s return to songwriting on the bittersweet “Growin’ Trade.” The ballad, which he penned with former Bob Dylan guitarist Larry Campbell (who also produced the album), laments the plight of an American farmer who has been forced to turn his family’s cotton plantation into a pot farm in order to make ends meet. It’s a plight that is close to Helm’s heart as he grew up on a cotton farm in Arkansas in the 1940s and he’s immortalized it beautifully with this song.
From the get-go, the record shows that Helm’s still in fine form behind the kit and at the mic with a strong, horn-bolstered take on Garcia/Hunter’s legendary country shuffle “Tennessee Jed.” From there Helm and a top notch band of seasoned musicians launch into a guided tour of Southern musical history as elements of back porch blues, gospel and Dixieland seep into the arrangements of songs by the likes of The Staples Singers, The Stanley Brothers and Muddy Waters.
Though most of these arrangements were put together by Campbell, Helm renewed a partnership with another legendary musical name, Allen Toussaint, during the sessions for Electric Dirt. The pair had worked together back in the early ’70s when Toussaint was called into handle the horn arrangements for The Band’s 1971 New Year’s Eve concert (documented on Rock of Ages), and it’s clear he hasn’t lost a step either. His contributions to album closer “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” and a rollicking take on Randy Newman’s “Kingfish” are two of the standout cuts on the album.
Helm’s warbly tenor may be a little shakier than it was 40 years ago but it’s every bit as heart-warming and soul-wrenching as it was in his days with The Band. Electric Dirt is a powerful album that adds to Helm’s already monumental legacy and further cements his place as a true American musical legend.
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Obama Campaign Arm Targets Critical Dems And GOP In Late Health Care Push
July 15th, 2009 |
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Barack Obama’s campaign arm is going after Republican and Democratic Senators alike in a major new health care reform advertising campaign that could last for the remainder of the month.
Organizing for America’s 30-second spot, titled “It’s T…
Daniel Krotz: Letters From the Pen: A Review
July 14th, 2009 |
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Letters offers an opportunity to witness a man in an unusual, if not unique, situation as he fine-tunes his craft and his understanding of the human condition.
Stewart Acuff: UNITED STEELWORKERS AND AFLCIO LEAD HISTORIC ARKANSAS MARCH FOR EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT
July 14th, 2009 |
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On Saturday, July 11, we made hsitory in Arkansas. We; civil rights and community leaders, local elected officials, and union activists and leaders–1500 of us;…
Kris Allen Grandmother Dies; “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien†Appearance Cancelled
July 14th, 2009 |
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American Idol champion Kris Allen has been forced to pull out of a scheduled appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien this Wednesday following the death of his grandmother.
“I know I was supposed to do conan on wed, but there was a death in my family,†Kris announced on his Twitter Monday.
The Arkansas native, [...]
Michael Markarian: Strong Federal Law Brings the Hammer Down on Dogfighters
July 13th, 2009 |
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The flagrant disregard that dogfighters routinely show for society’s norms was replaced by the snap of handcuffs and the slap of 30 or so arrest warrants.
Palin Willing To Campaign For Democrats
July 12th, 2009 |
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WASHINGTON — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she’s not only staying involved in national politics, but she plans to jump back into the national scrum when she leaves office at the end of the month.
The former Republican vice presidential n…
Blue Turtle Seduction:16 States Tour
April 19th, 2009 |
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LAKE TAHOE BOYS HIT OKLAHOMA, WISCONSIN, MINNESOTA AND MORE
 Blue Turtle Seduction |
Blue Turtle Seduction is no stranger to the road – and now their “16 States, 13 Floors Tour”, which kicked off yesterday in Sparks, Nevada, leads them across 16 states in support of their digital release of 13 Floors (JamBase review). The bluegrass, folk, hip-hop and rock ensemble will make their way through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota and several other states before heading back west with a finale in Dunsmuir, CA, at Sengthong’s Blue Sky Room on May 16, less than a month after the tour kicks off.
Featuring Jay Seals (guitar, vocals) Glenn Stewart (harmonica, pan flute, vocals), Christian Zupancic (violin, mandolin, vocals), Stephen Seals (bass) and Adam Navone (drums), the band met while working at a resort in South Lake Tahoe. Several highlights on this tour include the Norman Music Festival and the Hemp Hoe Down, as well as sharing bills with Oakhurst, That 1 Guy, Madahoochi, 56 Hope Road and Pert’ Near Sandstone.
16 States Tour Dates:
04/21 – Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT
04/23 – Hodi’s Half Note – Ft. Collins, CO
04/24 – Bottleneck – Lawrence, KS
04/25 – Norman Music Festival – Norman, OK
04/28 – The Deli – Norman, OK
04/30 – Juanita’s Cantina – Little Rock, AR
05/01 – The Old Rock House – St. Louis, MO
05/02 – High Noon – Madison, WI
05/03 – Nomad World Pub – Minneapolis, MN
05/05 – Vaudeville Mews – Des Moines, IA
05/07 – Hemp Hoe Down – Sturgis, SD
05/08 – Filling Station – Bozeman, MT
05/09 – John’s Alley – Moscow, ID
05/10 – Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
05/12 – The Goodfoot Lounge – Portland, OR
05/13 – Sam Bond’s Garage – Eugene, OR
05/14 – The Applegate Lodge – Applegate, OR
05/15 – Humboldt Brews – Arcata, CA
05/16 – Sengthong’s Blue Sky Room – Dunsmuir, CA