From Eric Schlosser’s new forward, ten years after Fast Food Nation was published:

More than a decade has passed since Fast Food Nation was published, and I’d love to report that the book is out of date, that the many problems it describes have been solved, and that the Golden Arches are now the symbol of a fallen empire, like the pyramids at Giza. Sadly, that is not the case. Every day about 65 million people eat at a McDonald’s restaurant somewhere in the world, more than ever before. The annual revenues of America’s fast-food industry, adjusted for inflation, have risen by about 20 percent since 2001. The number of fast-food ads aimed at American children has greatly increased as well. The typical preschooler now sees about three fast-food ads on television every day. The typical teenager sees about five. The endless barrage of ads, toys, contests, and marketing gimmicks has fueled not only fast-food sales, but also a wide range of diet-related illnesses. About two thirds of the adults in the United States are obese or overweight. The obesity rate among preschoolers has doubled in the past 30 years. The rate among children aged 6 to 11 has tripled. And by some odd coincidence, the annual cost of the nation’s obesity epidemic—about $168 billion, as calculated by researchers at Emory University—is the same as the amount of money Americans spent on fast food in 2011.

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I’ve posted a fair amount about Brooklyn’s controversial Whole Foods store coming to Gowanus in 2013. But now it turns out the chain is opening a location much closer to home. According to the New York Post, a Whole Foods is coming to 242 Bedford Ave (at N. 4th St.).

The site had been vacant for years and sold on Monday for $23 million. It will also house a New York Sports Club and luxury apartments.

So can we expect a reaction similar to the one in Gowanus? Probably not. The main arguments there are that the store disregards zoning laws and will change the character of the neighborhood. But that’s not true in Williamsburg, where Bloomberg’s 2005 rezoning paved the way for places like this, and where the character of the neighborhood is constantly changing (for better or worse). Some, like Portlandia‘s bike guy, will take this as yet another sign that the neighborhood is over. Others will just be glad they don’t have to take the G to Gowanus to get their organic food.

Whole Foods has yet to make an official announcement.

Update 4:30 p.m.: Whole Foods confirmed the project to The New York Times. Construction will begin in the next two to three months and the location will open in mid-2014, a year after the one in Gowanus.

All the cool kids are in Austin for SxSW. It’s finally safe to leave the house again. We’ll be celebrating this special occasion TODAY at Saint Vitus in Greenpoint with a night of hauntingly beautiful moodiness. Canada’s Picastro will be joined by Yosh (Bloody Panda) and Sondra Sun-Odeon. More details below or via the FB invite.

Picastro

“Commanding influences as varied as gypsy field recordings, Greek rembetika, Russian folksongs, Faces, and Black Sabbath, Toronto’s Picastro craft starkly discordant soundscapes where murmured vocals cascade alongside a rich panorama of dissonance and string-laden dynamics. (Polyvinyl)

SONDRA SUN-ODEON photo by Emily Raw

“Her music is …darkly romantic. Guitar loops meet clouds of delicate string arrangements and morph into finger picked arpeggios. Ethereal vocals morph into banshee-wailing abandon adjacent to detuned guitars. The sounds are at times reminiscent of Earth, Keiji Haino, Nico and Grace Slick, and yet exist in a unique tonal world of its own that’s extremely difficult to pin down.Her solo album debut has been a year in the making and includes collaborations with Helena Espvall (of Espers) on cello, Leyna Marika Papach (Carla Bouzalich, JG Thirlwell’s Manorexia) on violin and viola, and percussion by Ben McConnell (Beach House, Brightblack Morning Light, Marissa Nadler, Rain Machine). It is slated for release later this year.”

YOSH

Yoshiko Ohara is the vocalist for avant-doomsters Bloody Panda. This is her solo project. Expect E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

8$ | 8pm | Mar 15 | Saint Vitus Bar | Brooklyn | 1120 Manhattan Avenue
For adv tickets click here.

Videos after the jump…
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One of our favorite times of year is fast approaching: Dine In Brooklyn which runs from March 19th until the 29th. This year there’s a multitude of great places participating in the $20.12 lunch and $25.00 dinner special pricing for the event. Participating eateries in Williamsburg include: 1 or 8, Aurora, Baci & Abbracci, Bamonte’s, Barberry, Bistro Fada, Tabare (our favorite), and many others.

Check out the full list of included restaurants here: http://visitbrooklyn.org/pdf/DIB_2012.pdf

Australian instrumental post-rockers sleepmakeswaves are currently in the US for a short tour. They played at The Acheron in Williamsburg last night. A 2 song video edit of the show is below. Those that couldn’t make it will have the chance again tonight to see the quartet at Saint Vitus in Greenpoint. For more details check out the FB invite.

In Honor of the 15th Anniversary of Biggie’s Death, DJ Terry Urban has released an album that mashes-up B.I.G.’s Ready to Die and LDR’s Born to Die. Yep. It was bound to happen and it now it has. Urban is a skilled masher-upper so if anyone was going to do it, we’re glad it’s him.

Download the soon to be much discussed album here.