Reading an article over at MinnPost a few minutes ago reminded me of a disturbing trend in the brew business in the last few years that has gained some momentum recently. MinnPost’s Mark Neuzil covered the move of large multinationals buying out smaller “green” companies. In this case it was Clorox’s (nothing says natural like the fresh scent of Clorox Bleach) move to buyout Burt’s Bees. As Mark mentions later, many of these companies “forget” to mention who owns them. In one case “Anheuser Busch created a subsidiary, the Green Valley Brewing Co., to sell two organic beers, …

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I’ve seem to have drifted off the news path on this so-called blog, and I’m sure the four of you who read this are pretty pretty pretty disappointed. So here’s some hardcore news from the past few days that will give some junkies a small fix.

Castros

First off, Fidel Castro resigned as president of Cuba last Tuesday 49 years after he obtained power in a revolution. This gives the UK and the US a chance to move Cuba toward democracy, though Washington said they will not lift the current trade embargo. That is exactly what the US should …

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Quacking microphones, awkward pauses and an overall enticing performance marked the release of Now, Now Every Children’s first EP, Not One But Two, last Saturday, February 16. The show was hosted by The Beat Coffeehouse in Uptown Minneapolis.

Band members Cacie Dalager (vocals, guitar), Brad Hale (drums, vocals), Britty Hale (keyboards) and Justin Schweim (bass) combined to form Now, Now Every Children in the summer of 2007. Since being signed in October by Afternoon Records – joining the likes of Mouthful of Bees, One for the Team, Haley Bonar and I, …

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Even though I did not watch any of the Oscars, nor did I see most of the best picture nominees, I feel like part of me won an Academy Award: Best state in the mother fucking union.

The Oscars winners were announced Sunday night and like usual ran way over time. The pomp and circumstance this year was hosted by Jon Stewart, who began the night, according to Reuters, by ripping on how depressing the plots of the best picture nominees were and how the writer’s strike almost caused the ceremony to be canceled, which would have made life …

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Yesterday, after a friend talked me into it, I decided to see St. Vincent’s show at Cedar Cultural Center. St. Vincent is the stage name, or as she called it “superhero name,” of Annie Clark. Before her solo debut this past year she was member of The Polyphonic Spree and toured extensively with Sufjan Stevens. Whenever I hear a female indie artist who can shred I’m instantly reminded of Cat Power. The fact that they share awesome names is not the only thing they share, but also their quirky stage presences. In Chan “Cat Power” Marshall’s case it often turned …

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One of my four jobs and internships here in London is with a Media, Touring, and Management firm called Airmtm. They handle the careers of artists like Jamie Cullum, The Bad Plus, and Manchester’s I am Kloot, among hundreds of others. They also handle all the media work for the world famous jazz club, Ronnie Scotts. It served as a place for the Jazz obsessed Londoners in the 40’s and 50’s to see the greatest artists of the day. It still serves as the premier Jazz venue, and has been a popular hot spot for local artists and celebrities to …

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Late one evening, it was decided that we should head to a nightclub called Turnmills in Farringdon, near Kings Cross Station (of Harry Potter fame). The club was set to have over 20 DJ’s play throughout the night, including from members of Hot Chip and Macabees, and proper sets from The Metros and Fisherspooner. On top of that, there were gift bags at the door, and free Ice Cream and hair-cuts inside.

We arrived early and went to a local bar. There was a Spanish league game on, and struck up a convo with a fellow fan named Johan. He …

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If you’ve seen Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in the recent film adaptation of Sweeney Todd, then you’re probably just as excited as we are to talk with Katrina Yaukey, who plays Sweeney Todd’s foe, Pirelli, in John Doyle’s stage production of the story.

WAKE: As broke college students, it’s exciting to hear about someone else’s journey to actualizing their dreams. How did you get from your beginnings to Sweeney Todd?

Well, I originally went to Penn State as oboe/musical theatre major… I randomly went to some …

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Photo By Michael O’Donnell

Using Harlin’s story as a frame, the film explores the relationship between the Swiss Alps and the people who live in their shadow. Harlin grew up in the village of Leysin, where his father founded the International School of Mountaineering. As a boy, Harlin III observed the relationship between the Alps and the residents of the region. The people had adapted to the environment, developing agricultural techniques according to the steep landscape. Climate expert Professor Bruno Messerli talks on film about …

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Growing up, Beth Novak always loved to dance. When she first came to the University of Minnesota back in the autumn of 2004, she wanted to keep dancing. When she didn’t make the university’s prestigious Dance Team, she found that there were no options for a person in her position short of becoming a dance major. So she created one.

Now a senior in the Carlson School of Management, Novak has watched the dance team she and a pair of high school friends created grow and flourish over the past three years. What started out as a student organization consisting …

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Illustration by Alice Vislova

As defined by the Mercy for Animals Vegan Starter Kit a vegan is an individual who chooses, for health, environmental, ethical, or religious reasons, to abstain from the consumption of all animal products. This includes animal flesh, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, fur, leather, and other goods that cause suffering to animals. The University of Minnesota, along with members of the surrounding community, has taken part in vegan/vegetarianism with Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA), which will celebrate its 10th year anniversary in …

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Photo by Ben Lansky

Initially when someone told me there was a new restaurant on campus that only served chicken fingers I was like, “Wow, that’s ballsy.” Devoting an entire joint to a kids’ meal entrée seemed not so much like an adventure dining spot, but a foray into adventure restaurateur-ing. When I showed up and found out it was a chain I was supremely disappointed.

I can imagine that walking into Raising Cane’s (the name is a hackneyed homage to the owner’s dog) in Minneapolis …

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Illustration by Sarah Morean

During the polar bear’s approximate 200 thousand years on Earth, they have been called many things — from vicious killer to fuzzy, adorable, Coke-guzzling marketing technique. The Inuit call polar bears Nanook, meaning master of all bears, and considered them wise, powerful, and close to human. Early Arctic explorers viewed polar bears as fearless marauders, killing as many as possible and eliminating them from several regions in the Arctic. As of the printing of this article, however, one thing they have …

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Illustration by Anders Carlson

In the debate over what the apocalypse will consist of, I side with film director Richard Kelly over Al Gore, if only because I’d rather see the species implode through a combination of hyper-pervasive entertainment, mad scientists, and interfering parallel universes – à la Southland Tales – than by hearing until death the latest measurement of ever-shrinking polar bear testicles and what that means for my children.

By this I don’t mean to deny the very real …

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Photo by Angie Myhre

Although it is still as cold as a witch’s teat in Minnesota every winter, the climate is changing (no joke). But when most people in the Upper Midwest hear discussion on climate change, they usually think of how it will effect the rest world, not how it will influence little ole Minnesota.

“Paradise Lost: Climate Change in the North Woods,” an exhibit at the Bell Museum of Natural History that runs through April 11, hopes to change that mindset. What makes this …

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