The Beat, The Scene, The Sound: A DJ's Journey Through the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of House Music in New York City
Henry Kronk is the co-author, along with DJ Disciple, of The Beat, The Scene, The Sound: A DJ's Journey Through the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of House Music in New York City. The authors approach the story through Disciple's point-of-view, but also include over 60 interviews with groundbreaking DJs of their day. Some of these names will be familiar, like Bobby Konders, Double 99 and Todd Terry. Many others they reached have never told their story publicly before.
The book explores the cultural, demographic, and technological puzzle pieces that needed to fall into place to make house music possible. It also traces how that fabric was ripped apart by zero-tolerance policing, the War on Drugs, and, among many other forces, Rudy Giuliani in the NYC mayor's office.
The text then follows the journey Disciple, along with several of his peers, made overseas to the UK and Europe when house music lost its favor in the US. The authors pay special attention to Disciple's work with Grant Nelson and the development of UK garage. They close out with its return to American soil with EDM, festival circuits and, most recently, a genuine pop culture house music revival from artists like Beyonce and Drake.
Cash Dries Up for Locals Fighting Climate Change
Jorge Cantuarias has paid thousands of dollars a year since 2020 to more than 700 families in the Peruvian Amazon to preserve the rainforest while they harvest Brazil nuts.
The money came from the sale of carbon credits, a once booming market that has collapsed in the past two years. Now Cantuarias is sitting on roughly three million credits he can't sell. [Read the full story]
Select Reporting for OPIS
Coverage of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan
Following a negotiated outcome on Article 6.2 and 6.4 of the Paris Agreement at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan last weekend, carbon market stakeholders applauded the update and prepared for the hard work in coming months needed to begin trading credits.
The nine-year period between when the Paris Agreement was negotiated and the outcome reached in Baku was "too long," said Bruno Carvalho Arruda, deputy head of climate action in the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs during a webinar hosted by the International Emissions Trading Association on Tuesday.
"I think [the outcome in Baku] was driven by a political understanding that it's time to start implementing," Arruda said. "We need to start implementing." [Read the full story]
REDD+ Project Hedges Against Drought and Weakening Carbon Markets
Despite criticisms of REDD+ projects and a decline in related carbon credit prices this year, offsets issued by the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project in Kenya have consistently commanded a price premium in the voluntary carbon market.
The project, which is operated by the company Wildlife Works, injected income into the region just as shifting rain patterns began to make longstanding ways of life increasingly untenable. Participating landowners have in turn helped the project to expand ... [Read the full story]
Prospective Atlantic Offshore Wind Could Flood REC Markets, Drive Down Prices
The offshore wind power that has been solicited by U.S. East Coast states, if and when it is constructed, has the potential to flood the U.S.'s tightest Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) markets with fresh supply and drive down prices.
The Biden Administration has set a goal of commissioning 30 GW of new offshore wind capacity by 2030. Many East Coast states have supported that target with their own goals and/or legally-mandated solicitations, amounting to over 40 GW in total planned capacity to date. It remains to be seen when, and indeed if, these targets will be reached, however ... [Read the full story]
Voluntary Carbon Markets Stakeholders Play Hot Potato With Market Risk
With the integrity of carbon offsetting under fire, buyers are looking to lock down the forward delivery of high-quality credits from trusted climate projects, but there's just one problem: some offset project developers don't want to play ball.
From accusations that climate projects have disadvantaged local communities to claims of fraudulent carbon credit issuances, market proponents have weathered a hail of criticism in recent months. In response, some corporate buyers have ramped up purchasing due diligence and pushed for contracts that guarantee a fixed volume delivery over time ... [Read the full story]
My Linktree
Sadly no OF. Just some things I wrote. <3
Latest Short Fiction: We Found Out
... "The Janks could be back any minute," Cote broke in again. "If we take this back to Captain, he'll chew us out for not taking a closer look. And then he'll round up a half dozen more experienced rangers and investigate. And if—if—this freighter is still around when they come back in a couple hours, they're going to keep all the scotch and cigars they find for themselves."
Code Burst
In the Appalachia region of the U.S., a region once dominated by the coal industry, mines have continued to close one after another. In answer, two tech consultants have established a free coding bootcamp called Mined Minds to retrain out of work coal miners and others for work in tech. What they promise seems like it could improve the socioeconomic status of communities around the world.
But some believe they aren't as beneficial as they come off. Several ex-learners have criticized the bootcamp, saying they were promised employment upon completion of the program and were fired days later. Others have filed a class action lawsuit against them on charges of fraud. Code Burst investigates Mined Minds, their efficacy, and whether their model can work for others.
Code Burst is produced as a collaboration between CKUT 90.3 FM and eLearning Inside News. Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.