WRITING
The Write Life by Don Bacue - The world's greatest writers--both living and, umm, not so living--talk about writing, reading, and the meaning of life. From the files of the American Society of Authors and Writers come words of wisdom from E. S. Forester, J. D. Salinger, Jack London, Anton Chekhov, Ernest Hemmingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Susan Sontag, Jacqueline Susann, Beatrix Potter, J. K. Rowling, Margaret Atwood, and more. (WE, BI, DA)
GARDENING
Inside-Out Gardening by Jon Peterson - A perennial favorite pastime for one in every three adults, gardening today is a billion-dollar industry making huge strides into Americans’ lives. The author tells how to landscape your property for maximum impact and value, how to grow plants indoors (and why), growing plants for health, propagating plants, which plants are “foolproof”, how to grow your own fresh herbs, the requirements all plants share, and more. By a formerly syndicated master gardener and author of numerous popular gardening books. (WE, BI)
HUMOR
Just Thinking … by D. J. Herda - If you like Dave Barry, you'll LOVE this poly-sci exercise in fanatical fun-damery, complete with contributions from Barack and Michelle, Kamala Harris, The Donald, George W., Nancy P., Rosie, and more. Honest. Okay, well, sort of honest. From a nationally syndicated columnist and humorist extraordinaire. (WE, BI)
PHOTOGRAPHY
In and Out of Focus by D. J. Herda - Delving once more into one of the top revenue-generating amateur pastimes, the author shares how to take professional-quality digital photographs for any occasion, which photo gear is best for different situations, how to get the most “equipment bang” for your buck, how to decorate with photos, how to improve upon phone-photo shortcomings, and even how to make money from your photo hobby. From the number-one photojournalist/instructor and author of the original In Focus column, syndicated from 1978 - 1988 in 1,100 newspapers, including the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and many more of the largest dailies in America. (WE, BI, TRI)
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The Suffers
Announce Upcoming Tour Dates
New Album Everything Here Out Now
March 22 | Salt Lake City, UT | The State Room
"On Everything Here, the musicians revel in the multidimensional, multicultural possibilities of their take on soul."
- NPR Music
"The Suffers are incredible ambassadors for Houston because they reflect our diversity of influences as they roam the world with their unique gumbo of soul, R&B, rock, jazz, salsa, reggae, hip-hop and other flavors. The new "Everything Here" album will move your heart, your feet and anything in between as the band expands its horizons
-- and ours."
- Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner
"Everything Here scratches the musical itch for those hankering for some sticky, sweaty, slammin', greasy grooves to satiate the soul. Per usual Kam and the Boys serve up the goods with fingerlickin', funk kickin' aplomb and panache. Get Here or be square."
- Jay Sweet, Newport Folk Festival
"If you can't do this, get out of the business!"
- David Letterman
"They're the sort of neo-retro group you never knew music was so badly missing"
- SPIN
January 28, 2019 - Houston, TX - The Suffers' s have announced their spring headlining tour in support of their new album, Everything Here, available now via Shanachie Entertainment. Fans can stream or download the full album here: http://bit.ly/2NgA4gO. For a full list of tour dates, please see below.
Co-produced by The Suffers, John Allen Stephens, and Zeke Listenbee, Everything Here includes special guests such as Bun B and Paul Wall, along with a duet featuring Lyle Divinsky (The Motet), and additional vocal production from Lili K (Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa). The record explores the many sides of love, celebrates the virtues of individuality, reminds us of the destruction of Harvey and resilience of the human spirit and declares love for their mothers. All of these themes coalesce into one soulful soundtrack.
Established in 2011, The Suffers' lineup was curated by bassist Adam Castaneda and vocalist/keyboardist Pat Kelly, who brought on trumpet player Jon Durbin, trombonist Michael Razo, guitarist Kevin Bernier, percussionist Jose "Chapy" Luna, and drummer/vocalist Nick Zamora, while frontwoman Kam Franklin topped off the group with soaring vocals.
The last three years have brought the band to new heights, as they played 300+ shows across North America, Europe, Colombia, Japan and Australia, visited NPR in Washington, DC for a Tiny Desk Concert, made their national television debut on Late Show With David Letterman, and released their highly anticipated self-titled album alongside performances on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and Jimmy Kimmel Live!
In a short time, the band has progressed from packing Houston venues to accepting invitations for featured performances at Hangout Music Festival, Forecastle Festival, Electric Forest Festival, Afropunk, Pemberton Music Festival, Austin City Limits, Newport Folk Festival, High Water Festival, XPoNential Festival, High Sierra Music Festival, Landmark Music Festival, Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, LouFest, AmericanaFest, UTOPiAfest, SXSW, Free Press Summer Festival, Untapped Festival, CMJ Music Marathon, and more. The Suffers have remained a local favorite, accepting 23 Houston Press Music Awards in the last four years. For further information on The Suffers, please visit: www.thesuffers.com.
Upcoming Tour Dates
February 7 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
February 8 - Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
February 9 - Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
February 10 - Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
February 12 - Kansas City, MO @ recordBar
February 14 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
February 15 - Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
February 16 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
February 17 - Detroit, MI @ El Club
February 19 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Café
February 21 - Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern Café and Music Hall
February 22 - Roanoke, VA @ Jefferson Center
February 23 - Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
March 7 - El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
March 9 - Phoenix, AZ @ Flying Burrito Festival
March 11 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
March 12 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
March 14 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
March 15 - Petaluma, CA @ The Mysitic Theatre
March 17 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
March 19 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
March 21 - Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Festival
March 22 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
March 24 - Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
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Check out more on The Suffers, here:
Website: www.thesuffers.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesuffers
Twitter: www.twitter.com/thesuffers
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thesuffers
Youtube: www.youtube.com/TheSuffersTX
Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/thesuffers
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UNITED UTAH PARTY DEMANDS THAT ALL BILLS BE MADE PUBLIC
Utah Legislature files over 1200 bills, three-quarters of which are “protected”
SALT LAKE CITY, UT — On the first day of Utah’s legislative session, the United Utah Party called for increased transparency in how lawmakers draft legislation.
“Legislators have opened files for over 1200 bills, but only about a fourth of them have been made available to any member of the public,” said Richard Davis, the UUP Chair. “It does not inspire confidence in the process when constituents are only allowed to view less than a quarter of the legislation being proposed.”
Davis pointed out that even the U.S. Congress has a higher standard of transparency than Utah does. “In Congress, every bill that is filed requires a name and a sponsor, and that information is instantly made public,” Davis said. “It’s entirely reasonable to expect lawmakers in Utah to do the same.”
The current process allows lawmakers to open files for bills before they are drafted, which gives them the opportunity to write controversial legislation without alerting the public as to what they are doing. Davis said that this was “not the way the people’s business should be conducted.”
“Representatives and senators want to protect their bills from scrutiny, and that defeats the purpose of why they were elected in the first place,” Davis said. “The United Utah Party stands firmly opposed to this practice, and we call on lawmakers to do the right thing and change the rules to allow for greater transparency and a more open process.”
For more information, visit unitedutah.org.
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A weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else — from the nation’s leading voice on education innovation and opportunity.
CAPPING OPPORTUNITY? Today in Los Angeles, thousands of charter school parents will rally to protest the union-backed ban on charter schools. As a condition of ending the teachers strike, the School Board agreed last week to a public vote banning charter schools, as if they are some plague on society that need to be terminated. No, they are a bastion of hope and success for those who have been plagued by failing schools. It’s not too late to join in solidarity the cause for parent, not bureaucracy control of education. Details here
WHAT THE STRIKE WAS REALLY ABOUT. USA Today carried our CEO’s commentary about what’s really at the heart of the strike. “It is about a union losing membership as a result of the freedoms finally restored to teachers by the U.S. Supreme Court case Janus v. AFSCME. It is about a union protecting a status quo that’s not working for teachers, parents or students who want flexibility, access to path-breaking innovations and improved opportunities no matter where they live.” As we argue here and everywhere, instead of rallying for a massively outdated system, educators and parents should fight for schools that work for children.
VIRGINIA IS FOR LOVERS? Today, Virginia teachers are also being led to follow the lead of their comrades in other states as they walk out on kids and education in an effort to draw attention to poor pay scales. But as we have argued, public education is mis-funded, not underfunded. States and districts allocate funds based on programs, not students. Funding is mandated by rules and laws that remove any authority for the allocation of dollars to the people closest to our kids. The teachers need to be asking themselves, their leadership, unions and policymakers where the money is in order to truly understand what must change. If you want to solve the problem of teacher pay, reimagine education. Only when funds follow students will teachers reap the rewards they sow.
CAPLESS IN SANTE FE: Clearly taking a page out of the anti-charter, establishment playbook, a proposal that would have capped the number of students at charter schools has died in the legislature. The idea to limit enrollment to 27,000 students was designed to better even out state funding. While charter schools serve about 8 percent of the state's public school students, they've received 55 percent of new school funding in the last few years. What isn’t reported are existing funding inequities and the already current cap of no more than 15 schools authorized per year.
CITIZENSHIP TEST REQUIREMENT FOR GRADUATION MOVES FORWARD. The Indiana State Senate became the first legislative chamber to approve a bill mandating passage of the U.S. Citizenship test in order to graduate from high school. The bill passed 31 – 17, and if as expected the Assembly also approves, Indiana will be a trailblazer in this idea, which is gaining currency across the country. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem was the first elected official to suggest this idea, and her legislation is currently pending in Pierre. This is a great move. If you’ve seen the test, you know it seems to require more from new citizens than we require of students.
EUREKA, “I found it!” could be the motto for innovative higher education, as well as the moniker of Eureka College, whose students are part of an effort to provide greater access to higher ed regardless of your institution. Eureka, President Reagan’s alma mater, takes part in online course-sharing among members of the Council of Independent Colleges (independent liberal arts colleges who have banded together to share course and tuition revenue when students take the courses) all the while improving retention by helping students fill gaps in their transcripts. In the words of one Eureka student, it allowed him to “take a management course online from William Peace University and an online American government class from Jacksonville College, in Texas. I live on a farm, and we show animals and such, and this gave me the opportunity to work” while keeping up with class”. New student-centered learning and approaches - just the ticket to a successful future.
As always, for more information or to give suggestions on news that should be covered, please go to edreform.com
Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education.
