'/> Uncommon Hours: December 2010
Blogging on culture, politics, and the environment since 2008.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

A new documentary film about New York's Colony Records!

This sounds cool! A new documentary film is being made about New York City's fabled Colony Records in Times Square. Located in the historic Brill Building, the family-owned store has been a mecca for stars from every corner of the music business since 1948. One of the last remaining independent music stores in the country, Colony is battling to stay alive. The film celebrates both the rich tradition and present day story of this landmark of New York's cultural identity. Check out a trailer, read more about the film, and donate to the production at:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1386333480/manhattan-lullaby-a-documentary-about-colony-recor

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Sen. Bernie Sanders: Obama's tax deal is a 'moral outrage'

Washington - Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued a statement in response to President Obama's deal to continue deficit funding the Bush-era tax breaks for the wealthiest of the wealthy:

"In my view, it is a moral outrage that at a time when this country has a $13.8 trillion national debt, a collapsing middle class and a growing gap between the very rich and everybody else that the Republicans would deny extended unemployment benefits to 2 million workers who are desperately struggling to pay their bills and maintain their dignity. It is also beyond comprehension that the Republicans would hold hostage the entire middle class of this country so that millionaires and billionaires would receive huge tax breaks. In my view, that is not what this country is about and it is not what the American people want to see. Our job is to save the disappearing middle class, not lower taxes for people who are already extraordinarily wealthy and increase the national debt that our children and grandchildren would have to pay.

"The immediate political task in front of us is to rally the American people so that in the next several weeks we can find at least a few Republicans who will join us in saying no to increasing the deficit by giving tax breaks to the wealthy and no to holding the unemployed and the middle class hostage.

"I believe that we have the American people on our side on this issue. My office, and I come from a small state, has received more than 600 calls today, 99 percent of them in opposition to this so-called compromise that the president negotiated with the Republicans.

"I will do everything in my power to stand up for the American middle class and defeat this agreement."

Source: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/12/07-12

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Eric Weltman: 'A Wasted Crisis'

How the environmental movement missed the moment on climate change.

By Eric Weltman
In These Times
December 1, 2010
"The solution ... is building a movement that can play hardball."
When BP's Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers, the ensuing environmental crisis could have been a transformative moment for our nation's energy policy. It was not.

In the midst of widespread public outrage against the oil industry, years of effort by environmental organizations culminated in the Senate's failure to vote on a bill to combat climate change and spark a transition to renewable energy. Nor did the Senate approve needed reforms to the Oil Pollution Act that would eliminate the liability cap on oil companies.

The lack of results revealed tensions within the movement--differences revealed in climate change legislation that many environmentalists were glad to see die.