just wondering…
if macrock is is scheduled to happen april 2-3, and only 20 bands have been announced/alerted that they are officially on the bill, how do the organizers expect this thing to fly?
are bands expected to hold the weekend “just in case”?
seems like most bands plan ahead – like more than 3 weeks ahead – for a major event.
i bet that back in the day, you didn’t wait around to inform fugazi, elliot smith, and sufjan stevens that they were invited to perform.
what’s up, macrock?
we really look forward to feeling like harrisonburg is cool like austin once a year. it’s been good times in years past…
here’s to hoping that it’s just your website that is a little slow this year…
and, to top it off, even if we wanted to drink away our tears at the state of the nation, we can’t.
or at least it’s more difficult to obtain the necessary ingredients for a manhattan.
the bitters are suspended.
thanks to the recession, which has reached trinidad & tobago, production of angostura bitters has been halted:
glad we picked up a super cheap bottle (randomly) at teetotaling sharp shopper a few months ago.
okay. i have a confession.
i can only list a small handful of female musicians who i really truly love.
there. i said it.
here’s my short list:
patti smith.
odetta.
chan marshall.
billie holiday.
nina simone.
dolly parton.
and i’m sure i forgot someone, but really, that’s my list, with patti smith being almost insurmountable.
but, today, we had an inspired, impromtu dance party in the kitchen to the heartless bastards.
erika wennerstom is crazy fantastic.
and their third album, the mountain, – a good time. here’s “the mountain” from “the mountain.”:
i’m trying really hard not to feel like a fool for it being february 20th. recognizing that they JUST played the gravity lounge on february 11th (the above clip is from an in-studio at WNRN in c’ville). i’m 9 days behind, folks. sigh.
so, go dance in your kitchen too…
there is a beautiful new publication all about “celebrating the food culture of central virginia, season by season” floating around. it’s called edible blue ridge.
i gravitated towards it at last night’s Downtown Wine & Gourmet wine tasting…
this is why it is so spectacular:
1.) it is proudly focused on local food – as opposed to only featuring such ideas as neat sidenotes, a letter to the editor, or an infrequent interview.
2.) the graphic design is FANTASTIC. this is what blew me away. this area is hurting in the graphic design department. our local publications and businesses just can’t quite gather together the funds or talent to really get it right. but this little rag could stand on it’s own in any artistic climate – be it harrisonburg, charlottesville, nyc, or london. well done!
3.) the articles – all of them – are uniformly well-written and – gasp! – interesting. like i would BUY this if it weren’t FREE.
4.) did you catch that last bit? it’s FREE.
5.) it’s excellent for the local community business. after just a brief parousing of the pages – i had set in my mind to finally check out gearhart’s chocolate in c’ville,
actually get around to stopping by blue mountain brewery,
and felt a rise of pride that i frequent and am in the know about T&E’s Meat Market hidden right here in Harrisonburg.
read more about area local eating in a USA weekend article from edible‘s editor, natalie ermann russell here. (THIS IS A LINK ACTUALLY WORTH CLICKING, people)
so my suggestion is for the folks who have been slowly and with questionable success, trying to jump start the excellent idea that is the Friendly City Food Co-Op, to go to the editors and publishers of edible and a.) ask for a feature story ASAP and b.) ask for some advice.
maybe it’s already happened. and i readily admit almost complete ignorance on the inner-workings of the would-be co-op, but edible seems like a fantastically put-together, professional, and successful venture in the same vein and inspiration as Friendly City. i would love to be so-inspired by the ongoing work and PROGRESS of the food co-op. these are obviously radically different projects, but it seems that the supporters of both could be one and the same.
i keep writing somewhat hysterical Friendly City Food Co-Op posts in hopes that someone so affiliated will get annoyed and finally tell us what the deal is. i know you’re out there – because some of my friends are very much involved and passionate about this project.
so – could someone let us know the scoop? a real scoop?
something inspiring. or perhaps spill some angry secrets regarding the hold-up that will be immediately action-inducing. i’m asking you to throw caution to the wind, because the word on the street (yes, i am purposefully rumor-spreading) is that everyone is suspicious that nothing is happening and nothing will happen. and that prospect makes me furious and disappointed and capable of calling for action and explanation.
because this project can and should go on to be crazy successful. a downtown center for local food inspiration, community meeting, and worthy of a proud cover-page feature story in edible blue ridge.
okay. so i got a little excited. the $479 and $699 prices are per person for airfare, hotel, food, spa, etc. for either the budget winter getaway or the winter wellness getaway through iceland air.
it’s still hellava deal.
keep in mind that there are also deals to the kind countries europe and scandinavia:
Experience an intimate Europe with smaller crowds and lower prices – that’s Europe in the winter time!
Depart from Boston
London from $449*
Oslo, Stockholm or Copenhagen from $449*Depart from New York-JFK
Oslo, Stockholm or Copenhagen from $449*
here are the conditions for the above fares:
Fares are subject to availability and are not guaranteed until purchased. Availability is very limited through January 15, 2009. Fares are valid for departures through March 2009. Prices are per person round trip.
Minimum stay: Saturday night
Maximum stay: 30 days*Prices quoted are exclusive of applicable taxes and official charges by destination of approximately $100-$210, per person, including the Sept. 11th Security Fee of $2.50 per U.S. enplanement.
so, there are a few catches, but it still works out to be a fantastic deal. considering ticket to europe have been well past the $1000 mark for awhile…
we’re looking at the olso deals. johan is feeling awfully norwegian right about now…
Dassen i Sofienbergparken by rockphotog. The automatic and self cleaning public toilet in the Sofienberg park, Oslo, Norway. Winter 2006.
after having a lovely, out-of-hospital birth in 2006, i owed exactly $99 dollars to my midwife. everything else was covered by my washington state-based insurance company.
i was reading a recent NYTimes article and was struck by this final paragraph:
In contrast, health authorities in Britain view home births as a safe option for women at low risk of complications. In April 2007 the United Kingdom Department of Health rolled out plans for a “national choice guarantee,” to be put in place by the end of 2009, ensuring that all women can choose among giving birth at home, or at a hospital or another facility, and still have access to midwifery care.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives issued a joint statement in support, agreeing that for most women, home births “may confer considerable benefits for them and their families.”
the preceeding statement was this:
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has had an official policy against home births since 1975, and this year it asked the American Medical Association to adopt a similar statement. The A.M.A. agreed, and in June also condemned home births.
perhaps because of policies from organizations such as ACOG & AMA, virginia moms often have to work hard to have their homebirths covered by insurance companies. however, after appealing (sometimes multiple times), many have had success getting full or majority reimbursement of costs. from the Northern Virginia Homebirth Community website:
We also had BC/BS [editor's note: Blue Cross/Blue Shield] Carefirst when we had our son’s homebirth. You should call and call and call until you get the right person who will tell you it is indeed covered and that you can send your papers to them directly – ask for someone in appeals. I was told prenatally that we would be covered, then when I submitted after the birth all of the birth related items were denied, the prenatals were all covered. I called and somehow landed at the appeals desk and the guy kept going away and checking things and then coming back and asking more questions. Eventually he told me that birth happens with a provider (Tammi) not a company (natural beginnings) and so I needed Natural Beginnings to send me a letter that said Tammi is a provider with them (of course, this was all just coming from Tammi!). Anyway, we sent that in and I resent all the forms directly to this person and they covered us! Of course, they covered 70% of the contract rate only because Tammi isn’t in the network. In the end they paid about 75% of our total birth expenses. They didn’t cover the birth tub, but I wouldn’t have given that up for the world.
Here’s the guy’s name and address who helped me, not sure if you’re dealing with the same plan, but maybe it will be helpful:
Craig Turner
BC/BS Carefirst
840 First St., NE
Washington, DC 20065
this is all really weird, considering that a homebirth is a HUGE costsaver from an insurance company standpoint.
but…it does make sense when you consider the potential losses to the revenue-driven medical system if the 80% of women who have normal, uncomplicated pregnancies & births take their deliveries (and money) out of the hospital. sigh.
it’s distressing that the british medical system allows professional organizations to make research-based suggestions while our medical profession is left looking foolish.
here’s what i mean about research: (thanks to cara muhlhahn midwifery)
image by liz rubicam; from cara muhlhahn midwifery website
A recent study of 5,418 women across North America giving birth at home with certified professional midwives found maternal and infant mortality rates matching those of low-risk women giving birth in the hospital, with a significant decrease in medical interventions: 12.1% of women planning to deliver at home were transferred to a hospital, and only 3.7% of the homebirth group were delivered via C-section.
- Johnson & Daviss, 2005
To read more about the results of this study, click here.
or this:
A study of 1836 women giving birth at home or in the hospital in the Netherlands found no difference between the groups in perinatal outcomes including fetal distress, newborn 5-minute apgar scores, perinatal death, operative or C-section deliveries. Multiparous** mothers giving birth at the hospital were more likely to have blood loss greater than 1000L and to require blood transfusions. In addition, babies from both primiparous* and multiparous mothers giving birth at the hospital were more likely to have problems within the first 24 hours after birth. Overall, multiparous mothers showed slightly better outcomes at home as compared to the hospital.
again. i’m just sayin’…
i’ve been a busy night-shift worker this weekend, so it’s been light on the posts.
fear not.
this is what we have cooking:
-a review of the new play down at the courthouse theater, almost maine. jpremmus was there this afternoon. remember, we were really excited.
- a review of the cinnamon band show from a couple of days ago. djressler was there, and the word on the street is that she was taking notes for the blog.
- a new series: “we love you, but…” or “loving bitch slaps from the state.” or ” we want to love you, but you’ve got to get yourself together.” there are several local establishments or organizations or businesses that are, in theory, absolutely excellent, but, in practice, unbelievably frustrating.
we will be posting our gentle suggestions for improvement.
- a continuation of our “what does harrisonburg need?” townie-to-townie series. we’ve zero’d in on employees and management of both the blue nile and the little grill.
it’s in the works, folks.
in my head, there is a whole genre of music that falls into the “everything is going to be okay” category. for example:
REM’s “nightswimming.”
paul beribeau’s “i thought i could find you.”
tom waits’ “come on up to the house.”
ben harper’s “the three of us.”
clap your hands say yeah’s “the skin of my yellow country teeth.”
low’s “two step.”
the mountain goats’ “this year.”
i found a new one today. it’s a fleet foxes cover by two swedish sisters who call themselves first aid kit.
they said, “we went out in the forest this morning and recorded…” here it is:
thank you to the rockstar diaries for this little discovery.
anyone out there preggers? nursing? parenting? interested in birth issues?
there is a lovely group that meets once a month (usually on the second Tuesdays) at melaine copeland’s house (right next door to the little grill – 661 n. main st. call melaine at 540-433-7738 for more info). the next meeting is all about breastfeeding. it’s on november 18th from 7-9pm.
{note: this section added 11/11/08 for corrections} i wrote to melaine to confirm that i had the details right about Birth Matters goings-on…and i got some things wrong. so sorry! i should research better before i write… so, here is, in her words, a clarification:
Birth Matters Harrisonburg hosts two different gatherings each month. One is the Birth Circle, which is at my house, every second Monday (last night), 7-9 and is really just for women (babies welcome of course and even the occasional toddler). The other is the Birth Matters Educational Series, 7-9 every 4th Tuesday <except this month, it falls too close to Thanksgiving, so we have bumped it up a week – a week from today, the 18th> and this is the gathering that is open to anyone. The location of this gathering has varied this year and is as yet undetermined for November. And we take December off for BMES, but not BC.
at this group (a birth matters virginia birth circle), women and babies get together to share birth stories, ask birth questions, discuss, eat snacks, drink tea, and learn.
thanks to susan darcy photography
many are interested in out-of-hospital birth, but not everyone. many have kids already, but not everyone. many know a lot about pregnancy & childbirth, but not everyone.
so you should come.
there is a lot to do in our community, state, and country when it comes to improving maternity care. maybe you read the recent nytimes article that told us again that,
Infant mortality has long been considered one of the most important indicators of the health of a nation and the quality of its medical system.
and that,
“Infant mortality and our comparison with the rest of the world continue to be an embarrassment to the United States,”
and that,
“We’re spending twice what other countries do,”…“and we’re falling further and further behind them in important measures like infant mortality.”
sounds like we need to put our heads together as a community to come up with a better plan. we owe it to our mamas and our babes. (and this is coming from a labor&delivery nurse who works at a very lovely hospital but chose to have her baby in a freestanding birth center.)
so, see you at birth circle or the educational series? let’s get to work!
we’re lame parents.
we are just now furiously completing both the halloween costume and pumpkin carving. it’s 6:30pm. on halloween night.
but we’re feeling in the holiday spirit and – i thought that everyone could use a recipe to turn that slimy mass of seed yuck into a delicious treat.
thanks to hogwash:
TIME: 10 minutes prep (not including seed excavation)
MAKES: 3 1/2 cups roasted pumpkin seeds
3 1/2 cups raw fresh pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and more for sprinkling
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Place the seeds in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of the salt and add hot water to cover. Let sit for 4 hours (or overnight), until the seeds are puffy. Scoop the seeds off the top of the water, avoiding any leftover pumpkin bits, and transfer them to a large tea towel. Use another towel to pat them mostly dry – they’ll still be a bit slimy, but do what you can.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees; line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Transfer the seeds to a large mixing bowl, and stir in the olive oil and maple syrup. Blend the remaining ingredients, plus the remaining teaspoon salt, in a small bowl, and sprinkle the mixture over the seeds as you stir them. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then spread the seeds on the baking sheets in a thin layer.
Bake for about 25 minutes, rotating sheets and stirring seeds once or twice, or until browned and crisp. Remove seeds from the oven, sprinkle immediately with additional salt, and let cool on baking sheets. Break seeds apart and enjoy, alone or on salads. Store cooled seeds in an airtight container.
Filed under: -of jhumphrey
from JMU’s website:
Individuals are strongly encouraged to use public transportation throughout the day.
huh?
what public transportation?
i sure can’t depend on harrisonburg’s half-assed public bus system to get me from my house to the obama event today…
(but that’s a discussion for another day)
in case you are interested in attempting to go by bus, here’s the schedule.
i would love to encourage you wholeheartedly, but instead, i’ll just wish you luck.
“let’s get to work”…
i am. tomorrow. right here. in our town. when this guy comes:
are you?
here are the parking/logistics details via hburg news. see you there.
Filed under: -of jhumphrey
shit. – why does the headline of bbc say this?:
‘US troops’ strike inside Syria
US helicopter-borne troops have carried out a raid inside Syria along the Iraqi border, killing eight people including four children, Syrian officials say.
ummm. and the front page of the nytimes (albeit, in small print)
Syrians Blame U.S. in Deadly Blast on Iraq Border
and al jazeera english:
| News Middle East | ||
| ‘US helicopter raid’ inside Syria
|
||
|
and the washington post:
apparently they have yet to pick up on this story. unfortunately, i feel very “breaking news” right now.
shit. that’s all i have to say.
so, i was at a party last night and my friend was regaling me with a funny sharp shopper story.
apparently, there was some pretty fine natural acai-raspberry juice for an excellent price ($0.99 i believe). for some reason, it was in the cheese section. but, that’s beside the point.
so, a man, who happened to have his shirt party unbuttoned to reveal a carpet of hairy chest, told the shoppers around him that this particular juice was “very good. very good.”
and then proceeded to saddle up to the case, and envelop about 25 of these bottles into his hairy bosum, and place them all into his cart. he did this again and again until his entire cart was filled with hundreds of bottles – the entire pallet, in fact – of acai-raspberry juice, all with the expiration date of 10/31/08.
my friend nabbed the last two bottles.
the other shoppers in the vicinity were all overcome with a terrible desire to also fill their cart with acai-raspberry juice. simply because this man had broken the unspoken, yet sacred, thrifty shopper rule and gorged himeself on good deals. they felt cheated. suddenly, everyone wanted that acai-raspberry juice. suddenly, it was the only reason they had come to sharp shopper.
but no one made a move. they just all stood there in the cheese section. open-mouthed with disbelief. muttering angrily to themselves.
harrisonburg, these are the voices of the people you see everyday at the bank, at the grocery store, behind you at the stop sign. they might even be your friends and family.
i did pick and choose some comments from the DNR’s reader response to the breaking news article announcing Obama’s Tuesday rally – but the job of selecting a few to post here was dreadfully easy. comment after comment of crazy wingnut hate.
seriously – as a community we need to demonstrate intolerance to this type of bigotry and race-baiting. differing opinions are one thing. this is a whole new level. scary.
| 45. RE: Obama To Hold Rally At JMU
All of you followers of The One are a funny bunch. It’s really too bad you will be the ones to decide this election. |
October 26, 2008 10:47 AM | ||||||||||||||||||
| TheDude Harrisonburg
|
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one day i will write a bold piece about some of the pathetic political bloggers around these parts.
but not today.
today i will apologize for spelling barack obama’s name wrong. twice.
and i call myself a political blogger…
obama sent me an email. check it out:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/harrisonburgBO
and we have the details:
CHANGE WE NEED RALLY WITH BARACK OBAMA
James Madison University Convocation Center
Harrisonburg, VA
Media Pre-set: 12:00pm to 12:30pm EDT
Media Access/Doors Open: 3:15pm EDT
Program Begins: 5:15pm EDT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 25, 2008
Barack Obama to Hold Change We Need Rally in Harrisonburg Tuesday
RICHMOND, Va. – U.S. Sen. Barack Obama will hold a Change We Need rally Tuesday at James Madison University. It will be Obama’s ninth trip to the commonwealth since the end of the primary campaign.
In Harrisonburg, he will lay out his plans to jump start the economy, provide affordable health care to Virginians and make college more affordable and contrast his vision for America with John McCain’s plans for four more years of the same failed policies of the last eight.
This event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, though, an RSVP is strongly encouraged. To RSVP, please visit www.VA.barackobama.com.
Details of the event below:
TUES, OCT. 28, 2008
Harrisonburg, VA
CHANGE WE NEED RALLY WITH BARACK OBAMA
James Madison University
Convocation Center
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Media Pre-set: 12:00 to 12:30PM (Equipment must be dropped at the site by 12:30PM; media will not have access to their equipment from 12:30 to 3:15PM)
Media Access: 3:15PM
Doors Open: 3:15 PM
Program Begins: 5:15 PM
Throw: 50ft
Cable Run: 500ft
Live truck parking: Lot B (Directed on site)
Media Parking: Lot B
Press Entrance: Gate A
Internet will not be available on site.
Workspace will be available on site.
The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required but an RSVP is strongly encouraged. To RSVP please visit www.VA.barackobama.com. Seating is limited, first come, first served.
Media Coverage: The event is open to the press. For credentials, please visit www.barackobama.com/mediarsvp.
For logistical and planning purposes only, please contact Nicole Lynch at 917-673-0652 or nlynch@obamaforamerica.com.
***For security reasons do not bring bags or umbrellas and please limit personal items. No signs or banners allowed.***
we have been reading a lot in the local blogosphere about this lady:
who
told police that she was robbed at an ATM in Bloomfield Wednesday night and that the suspect began beating her after seeing a John McCain bumper sticker on her car.
Todd claimed that the mugger even cut a backwards letter “B” in her cheek.
for a few hours, she was a face for the conservative right to flaunt as evidence of liberal psychosis. the victim also reported that the perp was ” a 6-foot-4 black man.” word has it (i.e. a campaign aide told reporters) that both mccain and palin called ms. ashley todd to offer their condolences.
until she confessed last night that she made the whole thing up.
FOX news executive vice-prez had this to say:
“If the incident turns out to be a hoax, Senator McCain’s quest for the presidency is over, forever linked to race-baiting.”
dang.
from hburg news:
This has probably shown up on some other blogs already, so I apologize for the delay. Jeremy mentioned the rumor in another post, but Obama will in fact be in Harrisonburg on Tuesday the 28th. I spoke with some non-local campaign workers this afternoon and I’m expecting a call once everything is finalized. It appears that the event will probably be at the Convocation Center but the time was still up in the air. I will update as soon as I have more information.
ummm…whoa.
