Injustices Surrounding Modern Food
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The local voice for news, arts and culture. January 21st, 2015 - February 4, 2015 / Vol. 5, No. 2 / ErieReader.com Injustices Surrounding Modern Food Charlie Hebdo and the Freedom of Expression East Avenue Task Force EERIE ERIC TYLER SMILO SNOETRY TONY HALE Q&A IS TODAY THE DAY YOU IGNITE YOUR FUTURE? FORTIS offers programs in the following areas: Nursing • Medical/Dental Information Technology Business • Skilled Trades Do you know Cosmetology someone under 40 who is IGNITE YOUR FUTURE shaping the future CALL 1.855.445.3276 of Erie? TEXT “IGNITE” TO 367847 nominate them by FORTIS.EDU sending an email to [email protected]. Please include a brief description and FORTIS INSTITUTE contact information. 5757 WEST 26TH STREET, ERIE, PA 16506 All nominations Financial Aid Available for those who qualify. Career Placement Assistance must be recieved by February 28th. for all graduates. For consumer information, visit Fortis.edu. 2 | Erie Reader | ErieReader.com January 21, 2015 CONTENT — JAN 21, 2015 From The Editors headline can say a lot with a lit- economic success.’” tle. Two words shape the feature What came after that was either en- A you’ll find on this issue’s cover: couraging or troubling, depending on Features Food Hypocrisy. What lies beyond is where you live. In a bulleted list, Yahoo! an exploration of our connection — or revealed the top-five cities, the afore- 9 — Food Hypocrisy perhaps better put: our disconnection mentioned four ranking at the top of Injustices Surrounding Modern Food — with the food we consume. “best performing cities.” Immediately Sure, many of us put some level of following were “the cities that declined thought behind the choices we make the most.” And if you’ve read the local when we purchase the various items we headlines already, you know that Erie use to construct our breakfasts, lunch- ranked No. 2 — on the second list. es, and dinners, but is it enough? Is it While the findings of the nonprofit, Editors-in-Chief: enough to simply purchase “organic” nonpartisan think tank, whose mission Brian Graham & Adam Welsh News & Opinion and be done with the matter? is “to improve lives around the world Managing Editor: 4 — Street Corner Soapbox Katie Chriest, with her first contribu- by advancing innovative economic and Ben Speggen tion to the Reader, takes an in-depth policy solutions that create jobs, widen Contributing Editor: The Complications of Freedom of look at our relationship with our food, access to capital, and enhance health,” Jim Wertz Expression, Understanding Charlie which leads to a more important ques- should be both scrutinized and ana- Arts & Culture Editor: tion: How do we treat the people who lyzed, they send a clear message that Alex Bieler Hebdo, and Addressing the Real harvest our food? people considering to move to — or re- Contributors: Threat to Free Speech Picking a tomato from of a grocery main in — Erie, Pa., might want to think Lisa Austin, Civitas store display is easy. The questions otherwise. That is, some people reading Mary Birdsong 5 — Erie At Large posed here aren’t, like: Just how far Yahoo! Finance who digested the words Katie Chriest — and why — did that tomato have to “If you don’t live in one of these cities, Pen Ealain Rick Filippi East Avenue Task Force travel in the middle of winter to make it maybe you need to move,” now look Eric Kisner into our shopping cart, and was the per- at Erie — in a snapshot — one distinct James R. LeCorchick son who plucked the fruit from the vine John Lindvay 6 — Just Toyin’ Witcha treated fairly for his or her labor? But Lili Morton Owl Point these considerations are worth of our Bob Protzman time, because we lose sight of the small Good headlines — Dan Schank details that we perhaps write off as too Jess Scutella aside from saying 6 — News of the Weird by simple for our attention. While we may Tommy Shannon a lot with a little — Ryan Smith Chuck Shepherd think we’re doing good — buying organ- Jay Stevens ic instead of non-organic — we must generate conversation Rebecca Styn — if we wish to be a more thoughtful, because they entice Sara Toth 9 — Considering The City progressive society that treats all indi- Bryan Toy and provoke us to read Viaduct Moxie viduals fairly and with dignity — think Jim Wertz beyond that, lest we continue to act as onward. Cover Design: if our standards for food consumption Liz Venuto 26— ER Sports are higher or more noble that is truly Photographers: the case. Ryan Smith Admittedly, though, this doesn’t come way: A declining city to be avoided in Brad Triana with easy answers — especially when favor of ones holding the keys to eco- Designers: downtown Erie is a food desert, with nomic success. Liz Venuto Culture the nearly 28,000 downtown residents We can protest all we want — the Leah Yungwirth lacking access to a grocery store within study’s flawed! but Erie didn’t suffer Interns: 14 — Calendar one mile. But reading Katie’s feature is a nearly as bad as other cities during the Michael Iverson good first step. Then questioning where recession! we’re essentially the same Zach Knight the food we choose to purchase comes as we were ten years ago and that’s not Candice Martone 12 — Tony Hale Brings from rather than blindly force-feeding that horrible, right?! — but the word is Christopher Sexauer His Next Big Thing To Erie it to ourselves is the next. out there. Successful cities on the rise 1001 State St. Suite 901 Good headlines — aside from saying will point to studies like these as affir- Erie, Pa., 16501 a lot with a little — generate conversa- mation of their prosperity and prog- [email protected] The star talks about Veep, Arrested tion because they entice and provoke us ress and use them to market to those Development, and his work with to read onward. That is, if one happens looking for places not just open to but The Erie Reader is the local voice for news, arts, to read the headline: “If you don’t live in embracing of innovation and entrepre- and culture, and is Erie’s only independent, Emma’s Footprints alternative newspaper. Founded in 2011, the Reader one of these cities, maybe you need to neurship. Each time they do, people has quickly become the region’s award-winning source for arts coverage, a strong cultural compass, move,” one would most likely read on, will be reminded that on the opposite and a dynamic resource for news and opinion. 23 — Music Reviews considering that most of us want the end is Erie, Pa., with its reputation of With a dedication to long-form journalism and a commitment to provoking thoughtful discussion, best opportunities for ourselves. decline, a city with the door to opportu- the Reader tells the stories of the people and places If you read that headline, published nity locked and no sight of the keys to making and shaping Erie, while highlighting the 25 — Geeked Out events and issues influencing life in northwestern by Yahoo! Finance on Jan. 8, you’d find economic success to be found. Pennsylvania. The Erie Reader is published every Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft that two sentences followed: “San Fran- Now, we can either react with denial other week at The Corry Journal, 28 W. South St., Corry, Pa. 16407. The Erie Reader is distributed at Takes Card Games off of the Table cisco, Austin, Provo and Raleigh: these or apathy, rejecting or ignoring these over 250 high foot-traffic locations in Pennsylvania are just some of the best performing findings, or we can push forward by from North East to Girard to Edinboro. In addition and Onto the Digital Screen to appearing in print, Erie Reader adds new content cities in the United States according the demanding better answers from those daily at ErieReader.com as well social media sites. All rights reserved. All content © Flagship Milken Institute’s annual list of dynam- responsible for spurring economic Multimedia, Inc, 1001 State St., Suite 901, Erie, ic metro areas. Each year, the economic growth in our region, because it’s time Pa, 16501. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. The opinions of think tank measures jobs, wages, sala- the headlines change, and it’s time we our columnists and contributors are their own and ries, and technological output to map stop celebrating the management of do not always reflect that of the editorial board or organization. Direct inquiries to 814.314.9364 or out the cities it believes ‘hold the key to mediocrity. [email protected]. January 21, 2015 ErieReader.com | Erie Reader | 3 NEWS & OPINION Street Corner Soapbox The Complication of Freedom of Expression, Understanding Charlie TV 54.1 • Radio 91.3FM • WQLN Education • Q-Media Hebdo, and Addressing the Real Threat to Free Speech Schedule Highlights By: Jay Stevens ou pronounce it “SHAR-lee EB-doh.” We do know it was Walt Kelly who said, “I came within 5 million votes of the presi- The irreverent, bawdy Parisian sa- may not understand what you say, but I'll dency, and have some $50 billion in assets, Ytirical newspaper whose staff was defend to your death my right to deny it.” which is more than the GDP of Lebanon, gunned down by French-born Islamist ter- Charlie Hebdo, too, is more complicated Jordan, and Somalia. rorists for printing satirical cartoons of the than what it appears. It's raw satire. South Speculate away why Islam draws violent Prophet Muhammad.