Wayne Roberts' The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food covers the loss of "real food," the growing dominance of Western agribusiness, and successful alternative practices based on the concept of community food security. Roberts, who writes about food issues for NOW, is also active in the community food security movement, serving on the board of the Community Food Security Coalition and Food Secure Canada, and coordinating the Toronto Food Policy Council. "[The book] clocks in at just under 200 pages and is a great primer for how the global food system really works," writes Jeff Nield in a review on Treehugger.com.

Continue ReadingNOW Magazine Columnist Releases Book on Global Food Issues

City Paper publisher Paul Curci invited graphic design and industrial design students from the University of the Arts to rework the paper's street boxes, and "the results are, by and large, stunning," according to editor Brian Howard. The mock-ups use ideas ranging from the utilitarian (a box that collects rain water and funnels it into a street-level dog bowl) to the futuristic (the "multi-lingual distributional information kiosk" pictured at left which features solar power, USB and headphone ports, and allows individuals to print out personalized issues of the paper). A jury that included arts professionals and Curci chose winners, some of which may be produced in the coming year.

Continue ReadingArt Students Reimagine Philadelphia City Paper News Boxes

Express president Hal Brody tells the Berkeley Daily Planet that the paper's circulation manager saw two men in a white van stealing free circulation newspapers from street racks on Wednesday morning and made a citizen's arrest. After the Berkeley police arrived and processed the arrest, the two suspects were charged with theft of free publications, driving on the wrong side of the road and driving with expired plates.

Continue ReadingEast Bay Express Circ Manager Nabs Newspaper Thieves

According to a case management summary (pdf) filed in Creative Loafing's bankruptcy proceedings on Monday, revenues are off at the six-paper alt-weekly chain. Atlanta Magazine's Steve Fennessy reports that when CL was looking for financing to purchase the Chicago Reader and Washington City Paper, it projected the expanded company would see revenues of $43 million in fiscal year 2008. But the court filing says that revenue in FY08, ending June 30, 2008, was $35 million, and predicts that sales in the first quarter of FY09 will be only $3.5 million. In other CL bankruptcy news, Washington City Paper has published a statement from one of the company's lenders, Atalaya, which says the bankruptcy filing was "unfortunate and unnecessary," and assures "all interested parties that Atalaya has no intention of attempting to shut down the business." MORE: City Paper editor Erik Wemple talks to the George Washington University student paper The Hatchet about the changes in store as the paper shifts focus.

Continue ReadingCourt Filings Shed Light on Creative Loafing’s Finances

Former City Newspaper typesetter Gloria La Riva is running for president, the Rochester, N.Y., alt-weekly reports. La Riva, who worked at City in the late 1970s, is on the ballot in 12 states as the Party for Socialism and Liberation candidate. Former San Antonio Current staffer Kat Swift also mounted a presidential run this election cycle, aiming for the Green Party nod. She ultimately endorsed the Green nominee Cynthia McKinney.

Continue ReadingAnother Alt-Weekly Alum Aims for the Oval Office

Atlanta Magazine's Steve Fennessy reports that during Wednesday's bankruptcy proceedings, Creative Loafing's lenders "fired a shot across the bow" at CEO Ben Eason, "saying in court papers that the bankruptcy filing was a gambit by Eason to preserve control of the company and 'dodge' the lenders' 'bargained-for rights to have a say in corporate governance.'" The lenders, Atalaya Funding and BIA Digital Partners, filed a motion (pdf) to reverse the earlier court injunction against them, which prevented them from seizing CL's assets. However, according to Washington City Paper, the judge struck down that motion on Wednesday. "It was a legal maneuver they were doing to get more control," Eason says. "When we filed the bankruptcy, there was a concern that Atalaya or BIA might use the collateral as a part of the bankruptcy to come in the backdoor and use the shares to basically foreclose on the shares and function as the board of directors." MORE: Former Creative Loafing (Atlanta) publisher Michael Sigman weighs in.

Continue ReadingCreative Loafing Bankruptcy Battle ‘Getting Testy’