August 14, 2007

Don’t Refuse Music News on Tuesday

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  • John Lennon‘s solo material now available on iTunes. Sixteen of the former Beatle’s solo albums and videos for EMI are up on the digital storefront, joining Paul and Ringo’s solo output. What could it all mean? (Billboard)

  • A trustee of James Brown‘s estate returned a “questionable” payment of $350,000 from the Brown trust that was made three days after the soul legend passed away. Also, 14 potential children are still waiting for DNA tests to prove their heritage. And, nobody paid for Brown’s funeral. (E! Online)

  • Turning now to news about people who are alive, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams enjoyed sampling Thom Yorke so much that now they’re hoping to record a whole album under the name CRS, or Child Rebel Soldiers, which Idolator points out “sounds like a skit that was cut from the M.I.A. album.” (Billboard)

  • Todd Haynes‘ amazing-looking Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There (that uses six different actors to play Bob) also features everyone cool in the world ever on the soundtrack. Steven Malkmus, Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, Karen O, Mark Lanegan, Cat Power, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Daft Punk? Check, check, check, check, check, check, check, non. (Stereogum, USA Today)
    •

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    WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

    “Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

    That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

    That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

    Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

    This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

    “This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

    Wow.

    And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

    About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

    If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

    payment methods

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