Climate Change: Why It's Not Changing the Minds of Weathercasters

With over 700 heat records broken in June and the ferocity of Hurricane Sandy, one would think weathercasters would address the possibility and threat of global warming. The reason for this, Rolling Stone's Jeff Goodell believes, is the weathercaster's refusal to accept the evidence of global warming made apparent by climate scientists.

Goodell argues that most weathercasters do not have advanced credentials and are just bright personalities like Al Roker. By ignoring global warming, they are failing to fulfill a scientific duty on a nightly basis. More than a quarter of today's meteorologists call global warming a "scam."

Co-founder of the Weather Channel, John Coleman, has said that global warming is "a fictional, manufactured crisis." How does somebody required to know a great deal about weather and its now unpredictable patterns not believe clear and close to indisputable evidence of global warming?

Another example of contradiction is weatherman David Bernard, who has gone on to call global warming "a global wealth redistribution." Bernard, a weatherman for a CBS affiliate in Miami, is now moving toward network television with CBS as a severe weather consultant. Bernard, however, found it more important to post 131 pictures of his dog on Facebook in June rather than pictures that should have been of the extreme high temperatures that month.

What we must do is incorporate and address global warming in our weather forecasts. Though it is difficult to incorporate it within such a short segment, weathercaster Jim Gandy has found an audience for the subject through his segment titled "Climate Matters" in Columbia, South Carolina.

Global warming is not a new idea. Why then do people, yet alone weathermen, still not understand that human activity is causing abnormal climate patterns? The solution to educating society about global warming is simple: it must be incorporated in weather segments by experts, not meteorologists with a bright personality.

Songwriting: A Weapon of Choice

For the past decade, a treatment other than a copious amount of antidepressants and anxiety pills has been sought for returning soldiers. This treatment lies in musical expression, and it is working.

Songwriters Darden Smith and Radney Foster are working side by side with veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder by helping them write, compose and record the music that they make during their stay at the Texas retreat.

Smith has released over 12 country albums since the 1980s, and Radney has created hits for himself along with stars like Keith Urban and the Dixie Chicks.

More and more fathers and husbands are coming home with battle scars as well as emotional scars. With feelings of severe depression, anger and anxiety, veterans don't have an outlet other than alcohol. What Smith and Foster are doing is saving lives. 

Sgt. Josh Hartman, a soldier whose vehicle ran over an IED in Baghdad, has found comfort in writing and recording songs about his traumatic experiences during his two tours of duty in Iraq. The finished product, "The Soldier Game," was the first of ten tracks recorded alongside fellow soldiers Staff Sgt. EJ Obregon and Sgt. First Class Scott McRae that weekend. 

"To take those things we were talking about and all of a sudden, it's music, that was one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life. That's the best therapy I've had since I've been home," says Obregon.

The story and mission of Smith and Foster's retreat deserves to be Spin's spotlight article, the very first story the site's viewers see. Readers are usually welcomed by some underground, hipster indie artist trying to make it to the radio waves, ultimately ending the whole hipster image. The point is, however, that music publications must sometimes put artist profiles on the back burner for musicians making a difference.

Radney Foster embraces Staff Sgt. EJ Obregon

I applaud Spin for its in-depth coverage of a music retreat literally saving the lives of veterans. The personal and graphic stories told by the soldiers featured in David Peisner's article give readers a sense of how skewed reality is for soldiers returning home with PTSD and a lot more baggage than they originally left with.

I'm Political in My Songs, but I Don't Vote

"I don't vote...do what you do. Do good with your people and live your life because what's going on isn't really in our hands," rapper Kendrick Lamar told Truth Is Scary.

Lupe Fiasco, who criticized President Obama's actions during the Gaza Strip bombings, admitted during a CBS interview this year that he does not vote.

Why are current rappers openly blazoning their views in public as well as their songs? When Barack Obama first won the presidency in 2008, the rap industry celebrated the election of America's first African-American president with songs like Young Jeezy's "My President" and "It's A New Day" by will.i.am.

In a Nov. 8 Spin blog, Brandon Soderberg investigated why a wave of political apathy has surfaced in rap. Soderberg confessed in the blog that the only time he had been afraid at a rap show was at the Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh, N.C. when the audience cheered and applauded for Killer Mike's delivery of the line:

Ronald Reagan was an actor, not at all a factor / Just an employee of the country's real masters / Just like the Bushes, Clintons, and Obama / Just another talking head telling lies on the teleprompter

One can argue that Kendrick Lamar's music, especially on good kid, m.A.A.d city, contains an underlying sense of community which is good and all, but this is strikingly similar to Mitt Romney's approach to Hurricane Sandy when he said he once helped clean up a trashed football field with some buddies.

"Some things are too big for even a determined group of individuals to fix, and both Lamar and Romney must know that," says Soderberg.

Obama has influenced rappers like Jay-Z to help significantly reduce the misogynistic message portrayed in rap music. At Obama's final campaign rally, Jay-Z altered his hit "99 Problems" and took a stab at Romney. "I've got 99 problems but a Mitt ain't one."

Some thought it was cheesy, and others thought it was uncalled for and offensive to conservatives; that's besides the point though. The point is, he dissolved Mitt Romney with the forcefulness of poetry in lyric form.

Because Obama endorses the careers of rappers like Jay-Z, less prominent and established rappers like Lupe and Kendrick are trying to gain publicity by making controversial statements about the president in interviews and their work.

Though there is no doubt hip-hop helped make its listeners politically conscious when it went through a political phase driven by Public Enemy, those who refuse to vote like Lupe Fiasco and Kendrick Lamar have no right to criticize or even question politics through outspoken, cut-throat statements.

Dave Grohl Retakes the Drum Throne

Queens of the Stone Age front man Josh Homme confirmed during a BBC interview that Dave Grohl, ex-Nirvana drummer and singer of the Foo Fighters, will rejoin QOTSA for the band's new album set for release sometime in 2013.

Spin and Rolling Stone also broke the news of the Grohl addition, both attributing the departure of drummer Joey Castillo for Dave's return. Their coverage of the story, however, was very dry and lacked details surrounding Castillo's departure.

Dave appeared on the band's 2002 album Songs for the Deaf which peaked at  #17 on the US Billboard 200 chart. He toured with QOTSA, headlining internationally at festivals such as Glastonbury in England in 2002. The band will perform at the 2013 Download Festival in England June 14-16 with Iron Maiden, Rammstein, Alice in Chains, the Gaslight Anthem, Motörhead and more.

It is not clear whether Grohl will once again tour with Queens of the Stone Age, but the break from the Foo Fighters makes it seem promising.

"[Grohl] and I have this wonderful musical relationship which we don't have with other people. It's a very cool and comfortable position," says Homme.

Both Homme and Grohl performed in the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures alongside Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones in 2009.

Dave's drumming contains influences from the heavy drum hitting of John Bonham who helped usher in the heavy metal genre. Like Bonham, Grohl has played a key role in the music industry by helping foster the grunge subgenre of rock & roll as a member of Nirvana.

                                                John Bonham "Moby Dick" drum solo live 1970

The addition of Dave Grohl to Queens of the Stone Age may bring back the commercial success the band experienced with Songs for the Deaf which many critics consider to be one of the greatest rock albums of the 2000s.

                             Dave Grohl in the music video for Queens of the Stone Age's "No One Knows"

Andrew Goldman of the New York Times Suspended

Andrew Goldman, New York Times Magazine columnist known for the "Talk", is currently serving a month-long suspension following a publicized Twitter feud with novelist Jennifer Weiner over the nature of Goldman's questions to actress Tippi Hedren.

Weiner criticized Goldman's writing, calling it sexist after he asked Hedren if she was ever tempted to sleep with directors. An Oct. 8 tweet from Weiner read, "Fact is, women can, do sell books, get parts in movies, shows on the air w/o sleeping with anyone! Even the un-pretty ones.@andrewrgoldman "

Hugo Lindgren, editor of the Times magazine, stated:

"I made it clear to him that kind of behavior he exhibited in this Twitter exchange would not be tolerated, and he was contrite and accepted that without argument.... Readers are entitled to whatever opinions they have of his work, and he needs to be comfortable with that and engage thoughtfully when appropriate, or not at all."

Goldman's suspension began Oct. 28 and will continue to write his column when the suspension is lifted.

Weiner explained that she did not ask for Goldman to be suspended from the Times magazine, further explaining that she accepted his apology and gave credit over Twitter to the talented writer and interviewer that he is.

Unintentional sexism has been an issue for journalists for decades; however, Goldman has consistently brought up sleeping around for fame in many of his interviews. During an interview with comedian Whitney Cummings published Sept. 16, 2011, Goldman asked, "On those Comedy Central roasts, your fellow comedians liked to joke about how you slept your way to fame. How accurate is that criticism?"

After Cummings countered by arguing that if sleeping around worked then she would be doing it, Mr. Goldman fought back by insisting that Chelsea Handler, a close friend of Cummings, was given her own show while she was dating the head of E!'s parent company, Comcast.

Taibbi vs. the Wishy-washy Romney

As Nov. 6 is approaching fast, Rolling Stone contributing editor Matt Taibbi confronted and revealed Republican candidate Mitt Romney's continuous change in stance in his Oct. 9 blog post.

Before his presidential nomination, Romney flirted with both pro and anti-choice views as well as reneged on his pro-gay rhetoric during the race for Massachusetts governor.

Fast forward to the present; Romney is still contorting his standpoints according to Taibbi. During the second debate held at Hofstra University, Romney stated that his job plan would create 12 million jobs based on three studies. However, one study stated 2 million jobs would be created if China stop infringing on U.S. patents, the second suggested that growth in the energy sector might create three more million jobs, while the last argued the Romney tax plan would cause more people to want to work. The study is meaningless considering that there are already more people who want to work than there are jobs available.

Where did Romney pull the 12 million figure from anyway? Romney has a tendency to use fabricated statistics with no mathematical significance to them whatsoever. He argued, for example, that 583,000 women lost their jobs under Obama. Following the debate, FactCheck.org stated:

"Romney claimed 580,000 women have lost jobs under Obama. The true figure is closer to 93,000."

The Republican primary forced Mitt Romney to maintain a strong Right approach to assuring his victory. Now, however, the quickness of his answers and way in which he presents himself have pushed him to a statistical tie with Obama according to the Gallup polls.

Matt Taibbi is the political voice of reason for the politically unconscious and is fulfilling a journalistic duty to inform his readers of the truth especially during a vital and pivotal moment of the year; Election Day.

 

Taylor's "Swift" Growth

Rolling Stone writer Brian Hiatt followed Taylor Swift, inspiration and role model for heartbroken teenage girls, and revealed a different side to the superstar in the most personal interview she has ever faced.

She starts off her day with Hiatt by backing right into her bassist's car while attempting to pull out of her parking spot. "Oh, my God. OH, MY GOD. OH, MY GOD. OH, MY GOD. OH, MY GOD. OH, MY GOD. OH, MY GOD. OH, MY GOD. OH, MY GOD. OH, MY GOD. OH, MY GOD. OH, MY GOD." That, my friends, is the sound of Taylor Swift losing it according to Hiatt. Swift has bad starts to her day just like you and me.

In the article, Swift talks about boyfriend and prep school senior Conor Kennedy, her anxiety of losing her voice while performing and the infamous Kanye West incident at the MTV VMAs.

Above her fireplace hangs a picture of Kanye West interrupting her acceptance speech with a caption that reads "Life is full of little interruptions." Swift overcomes adversity through little epigrams displayed throughout her home as a reminder that, oftentimes, life does not always go one's way.

T-Swift, as she is referred to by her fans, explains to Hiatt that her feelings get hurt easily. There is a compilation video online of Swift's lottery-winner surprised face each time she won an award. SNL comedian Kristen Wiig does a brutal impression of Swift's astonished reaction.

"I never won anything in school or in sports, and then all of a sudden, I started winning things," says Swift. "People always say, 'Live in the moment' - if you really live in the moment at a big awards show and you win, you freak out!"

Though the seemingly naive pop/country singer desperate to find love continues to release songs about all of her ex-boyfriends, she continues to inspire and influence her audience through the relevancy of her lyrics.

Jack White's Short Set

Jack White of White Stripes fame ended his Radio City Music Hall concert short Saturday, stirring both anger and disappointment throughout the crowd. SPIN magazine reports that fans attempted to return merchandise and later proceeded to assemble outside the backstage exit to protest.

White, disappointed in the energy of the crowd, asked, "Jesus Christ, is this an NPR convention?!" while in between tracks.

His decision to leave the stage was not foreseen; White played an average of 20 tracks during other dates of his Blunderbuss tour in comparison to the 12-song set he played in New York. Fans seemed more aghast by Jack White's actions than his Edward Scissorhands getup pictured above. "F*** you, Jack White" was chanted throughout Radio City Music Hall.

If fans weren't angered enough, they were enraged when they saw pizza deliverymen walking into the backstage area after the show.

Tickets for the show ran between $40 and $90 before additional fees; those who purchased normal seating paid about $4 per song while those in the front row forked up $9 a track (don't get any ideas, iTunes).

This is not, however, Jack White's shortest performance ever. In 2007, the White Stripes made news when they played a one-note concert in St. John's, Newfoundland in Canada.

Billie Joe Armstrong Q&A and Freak Out

Rolling Stone magazine sat down with Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong, dicussing the band's upcoming 3-disc LP, rockers at the RNC and Armstrong joining Team Christina on NBC's "The Voice."

In the article of the Sept. 27 issue, Armstrong seemed to be in high spirits, joking often. When asked if Green Day's song "Kill the DJ" contained influences by the Clash, Billie Joe wittily responded, "If you're a punk-rock band, you can't escape the Clash [laughs]! It's like trying to escape the Beatles when you write melody. It's just going to happen."

Armstrong also went on to tell Rolling Stone's David Browne, "At this point, we can do whatever we want." He proved this statement during the 2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on Sept. 21.

When a sign indicated that Green Day had one minute remaining in their set, Bille Joe cut off the band while performing "Basket Case" and proceeded to go off on a 2-minute tangent comprised of 20 f-bombs and at one point yelling, "I'm not f***ing Justin Bieber, you motherf***ers!"

Before finally leaving the stage, Armstrong smashed his guitar and threw the microphone over his head in protest of his lack of time.

Two days after his tantrum, the band announced on their Facebook page that Billie Joe Armstrong will seek treatment for substance abuse:

"Billie Joe is seeking treatment for substance abuse. We would like everyone to know that our set was not cut short by Clear Channel and to apologize to those we offended at the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas. We regretfully must postpone some of our upcoming promotional appearances."
 

Billie Joe Armstrong's antics on stage have convincingly proven that punk-rock is surely not dead.

Read Rolling Stone's post of the Billie Joe incident here.