Vegan Delight.

As seen at the Mount Pleasant Latino Festival.

Loneliness in a Cup.

As seen in our new favorite bar.

An Ode to Ripley.

All dogs go to dog heaven, right?!

Transitioning out of Transition.

Amidst transcontinental and major life changes, this question seems timely.

Source:
http://2bydesign.blogspot.com/2011/09/waddup-yo.html

Sarah Markes Exhibit.

Dar based folks -- head's up an an exciting up coming event.

On a More Positive Note.

As found on Catalogue Living blog.

Gary! One of the dog plates is getting frisky. I told you we should have had them fixed.

Happy Weekend Folks!

New map shows link between food and insecurity.

A new map of food security risk around the world is, in some ways, depressingly familiar. Sub-saharan Africa leaps out as the place where the most people fear for their next meal, while the rich world has more to fear from obesity. But there's plenty of salutary reminders and fascinating detail, like India's food problems and the vulnerability of Spain.


And it demonstrates the sickening, symbiotic relationship between lack of food and conflict: where one leads, the other follows.

We must start with the worst, in the horn of Africa. In Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, human failings mean a severe drought has tipped millions into famine. It's a textbook case of why things go wrong. War begets poverty, leaving food unaffordable. Devastated infrastructure destroys both food production and the ability to truck in emergency food. The collapse of society means the effects of extreme weather such as drought cannot be dealt with. And the fear of violence turns people into refugees, leaving their livelihoods and social networks behind.

The recent spike in food prices, linked by some to the uprisings across north Africa and the Middle East, had also hit hard in Somalia. Maize prices in Mogadishu were 100% higher in June 2011 than in June 2010, and the price of sorghum in Somalia rose by 180% compared with 2010 prices.


Sharing Somalia's unhappy ranking as having the greatest risk of food crisis is the Democratic Republic of Congo, where all the factors above apply, plus the impact of as much as half its rich arable land being land grabbed by foreigners. The situation in DRC is simply scary: it is on track to be one of the most populous nations on Earth in coming years.

Turning to India, the new map, produced by risk analysts Maplecroft, reminds us that behind the booming economy of that vast nation, hundreds of millions of poor people remain hungry. Almost half of India's children are malnourished and one in four of the world's hungry poor live there.

"Despite the enormous economic growth India has and is experiencing, it still has very stark income inequality, which is reflected in the malnourishment and infant mortality data," says Helen Hodge, head of maps and indices at Maplecroft. The Maplecroft index, reviewed last year by the World Food Programme, uses 12 types of data to derive a measure of food risk that is based on the UN FAO's concept. That covers the availability, access and stability of food supplies, as well as the nutritional and health status of populations.

Spain and Portugal stand out as very rare examples of rich nations with a medium risk of food security problems. Hodge explains, that while water problems are an issue there, the major reason is heavy reliance on grain imports. Spain buys in 11bn kilograms of grain more than it exports every year at a cost of $2.6bn, while Portugal pays $890m for 3.3bn kilograms.

"Spain and Portugal have made the decision that olive oil and wine exports are more profitable than grain," she says, along with salad crops. So they sell lettuce and Rioja and buy wheat and corn with the profits.

That calculation may change if global food prices continue on their current upwards trend. In other parts of the world, soaring food costs may well ignite further conflict. "It is striking is how much food security plays into the wider picture of unrest," says Hodge.

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2011/aug/31/food-security-prices-conflict

MuralsDC Project.

How cool is this?!

The MuralsDC project is a program created by DC Councilmember Jim Graham as an effort to replace illegal graffiti with artistic works to revitalize sites within the community and to teach young people the art of aerosol painting. The goal of this initiative is to positively engage the District's youth by teaching proper art techniques, providing supplies, and a legal means to practice and perform their skill in a way that promotes respect for public and private property and community awareness. Site selection was based on areas of the District with high incidence of illegal graffiti as identified by the Department of Public Works and other agencies. Each mural reflects the character, culture, and history of the neighborhoods in the District and interests from business/residence owners.

Check out some before and after pictures:

“Cultivating The Rebirth” Bruce Monroe Park, Columbia Rd. NW off corner of Georgia Ave. (Ward 1)

Lead Artist: Joel Bergner with youth from Latin American Youth Center’s summer program at Roosevelt H.S.

cell phone tour: dial (202) 292-2565, when prompted dial stop no. 2 to hear more about this piece.

“DC 500″ 1208 9th Street NW (ward 2)

Produced by Words, Beats & Life Inc., Lead Artist: Coby Kennedy

cell phone tour: dial (202) 292-2565, when prompted dial stop no. 4 to hear more about this piece.

“Greetings From Deanwood” 4748 Sheriff Rd. NE (Ward 7)

Produced by Words Beats & Life, Lead Artists: Juan Pineda

cell phone tour: dial (202) 292-2565, when prompted dial stop no. 1 to hear more about this piece.

“Changing Gears” Metropolitan Branch Trail NE DC near New York Ave. (ward 5)

Produced by The Midnight Forum, Inc. w/ Street Artists Workshop, Lead Artist: Asad Walker

cell phone tour: dial (202) 292-2565, when prompted dial stop no. 3 to hear more about this piece.

“Sousa’s New Marine Band” 1432 Pennsylvania Ave. SE (Ward 6)

Produced by Albus Cavus, Lead Artists: Decoy

cell phone tour: dial (202) 292-2565, when prompted dial stop no. 5 to hear more about this piece.

“Explore & Learn” Malcolm X Elementary School, 1351 Alabama Ave. SE

Produced by Albus Cavus, Lead Artists: Peter Krsko, Jazirock, Michael Pinnix

cell phone tour: dial (202) 292-2565, when prompted dial stop no. 6 to hear more about this piece.

and one more mural is coming to our neighborhood this fall. be on the look out around mid-November

Safeway grocery store, 1747 Columbia Rd. NW, alley side (ward 1)

“Building Together” 1747 Columbia Rd NW (alley way) (Ward 1)

produced by The Midnight Forum, Inc., Lead Artist: Aniekan Udofia

cell phone tour: dial (202) 292-2565, when prompted dial stop no. 7 to hear more about this piece.

Donkey.

with a Side of Baby Goat.

Unfortunately my current commute to work does not include a side of baby goat. Alas. Baby Goats are so cute and bouncy.

On a somewhat related note, if anyone is ever lucky enough to find themselves adventuring in British Columbia. I highly recommend a pitstop @ Goats on the Roof, otherwise known as Coombs Country Market.

Also, I tasted goat cheese for the first time in a long long while this past weekend, compliments of the Cherry Glen Farm at the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market. It made me a believer. Swing by our 'hood next weekend and see for yourself. I promise it will not disappoint. For those a wee skeptical, the bacon truly will knock your socks off.
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Source: http://www.isuwannee.com/2011/09/donkey-of-day.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ISuwannee+%28i+suwannee%29

Labor Day Weekend Recap.

It ain't the Indian Ocean, but it surely is closer to family.
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Photo Credits: #1,3,4 Andrei Sinioukov

Wilco Weekend: Happy Holiday.

Happy Labor Day weekend greetings brought to you by Wilco. Wilco.


We've got a few announcements and then we're gonna get out of here and fire up the grills for what could be the last time this summer as a world tour awaits. So with that in mind, (Glenn: a drumroll please) here is the next group of North American tour dates. Ticketing info will follow in a week or so.

Nov. 29: Dallas TX Music Hall at Fair Park

Dec. 1: Austin TX Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater

Dec. 3: Kansas City MO Uptown Theater

Dec. 4: West Des Moines IA Val Air Ballroom

Dec. 6 & 7: Minneapolis, MN State Theatre

Dec. 9: Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theater

Dec. 10: Detroit, MI Fillmore Detroit

Dec. 12: Chicago, IL Civic Opera House

Also, less than 150 tickets are left for the September shows in Indy, Toronto (both nights) and Boston. And for all of our North American tour dates (in case you missed the announcement on Facebook and Twitter), we're starting the Fan Video Project this week. Details here (in short, we want you to create a video stage backdrop for the band).

If that isn't enough, we're gonna do a special under-the-radar stream of the new record tomorrow for Wilcoworld only. Here's the deal -- as a reward for your labors, ours, and those of our forefathers/mothers -- starting at 12 Noon Central time tomorrow (Saturday) and for 24 hours straight we're gonna stream The Whole Love in its entirety, at wilcoworld.net. That's right. Your first chance to hear the whole thing is tomorrow. Trust us, you'll be glad you made time to check it out.

Next up, The Whole Love is officially out and in stores on September 27 -- which is less than a month away. Have you preordered yours yet? If not, you can at our store, iTunes, the ANTI- Records store, Amazon and many indie retailers. We suggest you give a listen, maybe check out a couple of the videos we have up on the site, and then pull the trigger and order one for yourself and maybe a couple more for holiday gifts. What the heck, may as well get an early start, right?

More soon. Have a great holiday weekend.

Cheers (sound of bottles & cans opening....)

- Wilco HQ