Dr. Jerry Schnoor on "sustainability tax"

Jerry Schnoor, my boss at the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER), argues for a sustainability tax to supplant the income tax.



Video was shot by Ben Hill of the University of Iowa Center for Media Production and edited by myself. You can read Schnoor's scroll-like resume here.

Sonic Youth at The Vic in Chicago

This Sunday, I saw Sonic Youth play The Vic in Chicago.
















Here is a blurry image from said show. Thurston Moore is on the right. Kim Gordon, the sexiest 56-year-old on earth, is smack in the middle.
















The band closed their second encore with "'Cross the Breeze," my absolute favorite Sonic Youth song.

Right outside The Vic, Chicago's largest gay pride parade had taken over the streets.
















A fun time was had by all.

Mark Johnson performs "Love Scripts"

Mark Johnson, singer/songwriter of the Chicago-based band Tough but Fair, performs his song "Love Scripts" at the Awake Cafe in Chicago.



Mark is one of my very good friends. When I was 18, I wrote and directed a 20-minute movie called "Singer/Songwriter" that starred Mark. For the role, he wrote a handful of spectacular songs from the perspective of his character -- a morose indie troubadour who alienates his obsessive fans with a series of saccharine sweet records. Mark knocked these songs out of the park, creating parody tracks that were hummable and enjoyable on their own terms.

Listen to songs by his band Tough but Fair here.
Listen to his solo material here.

Video was shot June 27, 2009.

Iowa City mourns Iranian protesters

Below are two photos from a gathering last night to mourn those who've lost their lives in Iran. The event was held in downtown Iowa City. Over 75 people held candles in honor of Neda and other protesters who've died on the streets of Iran.

Bill Callahan live at The Picador in Iowa City

Bill Callahan, aka Smog, aka (Smog), played a show at The Picador in Iowa City on Saturday, June 20. I saw Callahan perform at the very same venue (then called Gabe's Oasis) six years ago -- my very first concert in a bar.

Below, you'll find videos I took of Callahan performing two of his bigger singles, "Sycamore" and "Cold Blooded Old Times."

Plastic bottle consumption

Earlier this week, The Daily Iowan published an op-ed I wrote on plastic bottle consumption. You can read it here.

Bike sharing

I wrote a guest column for today's Iowa City Press-Citizen on campus bike sharing programs. You can read it here.