CHEYNEYCARE: Task Force Report Condemns Routine Doctor Participation In CIA Torture & Abuse

  THE GUARDIAN: Doctors and psychologists working for the US military violated the ethical codes of their profession under instruction from the defence department and the CIA to become involved in the torture and degrading treatment of suspected terrorists, an investigation has concluded. The report of the Taskforce on Preserving Medical Professionalism in National Security Detention Centres concludes that after 9/11, health professionals working with the military and intelligence services “designed and participated in cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment and torture of detainees”. Medical professionals were in effect told that their ethical mantra “first do no harm” did not apply, […]

CINEMA: Day Of The Dead

  BY HERB GREENE HORTICULTURE EDITOR Oregon was weird long before the Grateful Dead trucked up there in August of ’72 to play it’s legendary concert at the Old Renaissance Faire Grounds near Eugene. It was that same freak-nurturing frontier where a young Ken Kesey roamed and grazed before going on to write One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and later, as head administrator of the Acid Tests, foment the cultural upheaval that defined the era that Time-Warner has branded and sold as “The Sixties” a million times over. The concert, widely-regarded by most fans as the band’s greatest ever, […]

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Built To Spill @ UT

  “Spill it”, screamed the extremely-inebriated-backwards-Phillies-cap-wearing young man standing next to me, while he and his buddies danced along like swerving drunk-driven cars to the music of one Built to Spill, still one of the finest beard-rock bands to crawl out of the lonesome crowded west. I always thought they were the best-named band in indie-rock — because if nothing else, Doug Martsch and co. were built to spill their guts in a blaze of six string glory. Last night, after 20 years of fandom, I  finally got to see them live. These 40something dudes had more energy than most […]

CINEMA: Emancipation Proclamation

  12 YEARS A SLAVE (2013, directed by Steve McQueen, 134 minutes, U.S.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC Just the mention of the title 12 Years A Slave has elicited groans when brought up in conversation; either the concept is too weighty, people feel the subject has been covered or they just can’t deal with the reality of American chattel slavery. Beyond the historical guilt and other political ramifications, British director Steve McQueen’s unforgettable exploration of the plantation life is one hell of a character study and a once in a lifetime role for one of our era’s most gifted […]

KURT VILE & SORE EROS: Jamaica Plane

  This is the title track from Kurt Vile and Sore Eros’ forthcoming EP Jamaica Plane. Kurt Vile and Robert Robinson were introduced to each other back in 2001 by a mutual friend because they were born on the same day (January 3,1980), and by the following year they had begun recording these recently unearthed and previously unreleased tracks.  As one of the most celebrated American songwriters of today, now on his fifth studio album recently released to widespread international acclaim, Kurt Vile really needs no introduction (well he does have his own day in Philadelphia). Collaborator and long-time friend […]

WORTH REPEATING: DDOSing Is Free Speech

  THE GUARDIAN: There is no weapon on the planet more powerful than speech. In recent years, the digital revolution has led to new and unique ways for people to express themselves, and speech has flourished around the world, bringing it closer together. As a lawyer and as someone who promotes the advancement of individual liberties, I was fascinated by the advent of online speech, which was quickly followed by the advent of online protest. While affixing your e-signature to an online petition is a new and somewhat direct way to “petition your government for a redress of grievances”, I […]

VELVET UNDERGROUND: Sunday Morning

The sound of redemption, and Sunday morning coming down. Part of what made VU so great is that they could do heaven and hell as good, if not better, than anyone who specialized in one or the other. As Walt Whitman so famously said of the Velvet Underground, “They contain multitudes.”

GREENWALD: The 1st Amendment Can’t Save Itself

  GLENN GREENWALD: As I leave, I really urge everyone to take note of, and stand against, what I and others have written about for years, but which is becoming increasingly more threatening: namely, a sustained and unprecedented attack on press freedoms and the news gathering process in the US. That same menacing climate is now manifest in the UK as well, as evidenced by the truly stunning warnings issued this week by British Prime Minister David Cameron: British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday his government was likely to act to stop newspapers publishing what he called damaging […]

HUNGER GAMES: Feed The Starving, See Elvis

Artwork by RON KELLOW Elvis Costello’s show at The Merriam Theater on Sunday November 10th is completely sold out. However, Elvis is offering a pair of tickets and a signed CD to the highest bidder, with all proceeds going to WhyHunger Hungerthon2013. WhyHunger believes that access to nutritious food is a basic human right and we are working in communities across the country to change systems and invest in local solutions that work so that no one goes to bed hungry. Find out how HERE. So shines a good deed in a weary world.