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NPR News and Notes With Farai Chideya

Archive for the 'The Topsoil' Category

01 Jul

Are we two kinds of people? — One Part

Several months ago, Topsoil Columnist Andrew Padula submitted a piece triggered by TI’s gun insanity. It was a good post, but in it Andrew made the observation that increasingly, there were two kinds of people in America. Beyond black and white or brown, there were those who were striving, adhering to the law and doing [...]

08 Jun

The Topsoil: Ode to Bo Diddley

Contributor Andrew Padula has been in situations throughout his life where he’s felt compelled to address racial issues from his unusual perspective. Andrew is a white, politically conservative, blues musician who’s been teaching and touring the U.S. and Europe since 1993. He can be seen with blues legend Bobby Parker on B.E.T. Jazz Central as [...]

23 Mar

The Topsoil: Power to the Peeps

Contributor Andrew Padula has been in situations throughout his life where he’s felt compelled to address racial issues from his unusual perspective. Andrew is a white, politically conservative, blues musician who’s been teaching and touring the U.S. and Europe since 1993. He can be seen with blues legend Bobby Parker on B.E.T. Jazz Central as [...]

12 Mar

The Topsoil: Mississippi Meltdown

Contributor Andrew Padula has been in situations throughout his life where he has felt compelled to address racial issues from his unusual perspective. Andrew is a white, politically conservative, blues musician who has been teaching and touring the U.S. and Europe since 1993. He can be seen with blues legend Bobby Parker on B.E.T. Jazz [...]

01 Feb

The Topsoil: Willie O’Ree and the NHL

Contributor Andrew Padula has been in situations throughout his life where he has felt compelled to address racial issues from his unusual perspective. Andrew is a white, politically conservative, blues musician who has been teaching and touring the U.S. and Europe since 1993. He can be seen with blues legend Bobby Parker on B.E.T. Jazz [...]

18 Dec

The Topsoil: BULLETIN

Amalgamated North Pole Industries. L.L.C.
100 Candy Cane lane
North Pole, Arctic Circle 10001
December 17, 2007
To Whom it May Concern,
Last january, in a moment of tequila induced mayhem, the naughty elves trashed a bar in St. Thomas. A probation officer assigned to one of these little trolls recently disclosed to government officials that I had [...]

15 Nov

The Topsoil Guide to Healthy Protest

Contributor Andrew Padula has been in situations throughout his life where he has felt compelled to address racial issues from his unusual perspective. Andrew is a white, politically conservative, blues musician who has been teaching and touring the U.S. and Europe since 1993. He can be seen with blues legend Bobby Parker on B.E.T. Jazz [...]

05 Nov

The Topsoil: Dog the Bounty Hunter

Contributor Andrew Padula has been in situations throughout his life where he has felt compelled to address racial issues from his unusual perspective. Andrew is a white, politically conservative, blues musician who has been teaching and touring the U.S. and Europe since 1993. He can be seen with blues legend Bobby Parker on B.E.T. Jazz [...]

18 Sep

The Topsoil: White Hating White Hate

Contributor Andrew Padula has been in situations throughout his life where he has felt compelled to address racial issues from his unusual perspective. Andrew is a white, politically conservative, blues musician who has been teaching and touring the U.S. and Europe since 1993. He can be seen with blues legend Bobby Parker on B.E.T. Jazz [...]

10 Sep

The Topsoil: Finding Jena

Contributor Andrew Padula has been in situations throughout his life where he has felt compelled to address racial issues from his unusual perspective. Andrew is a white, politically conservative, blues musician who has been teaching and touring the U.S. and Europe since 1993. He can be seen with blues legend Bobby Parker on B.E.T. Jazz [...]

27 Aug

The Topsoil: Michael Vick is a Dog Fighter

Contributor Andrew Padula has been in situations throughout his life where he has felt compelled to address racial issues from his unusual perspective. Andrew is a white, politically conservative, blues musician who has been teaching and touring the U.S. and Europe since 1993. He can be seen with blues legend Bobby Parker on B.E.T. Jazz [...]

21 Aug

The Topsoil: Return of the Zombie

Contributor Andrew Padula has been in situations throughout his life where he has felt compelled to address racial issues from his unusual perspective. Andrew is a white, politically conservative, blues musician who has been teaching and touring the U.S. and Europe since 1993. He can be seen with blues legend Bobby Parker on B.E.T. Jazz [...]

14 Aug

The Topsoil: Unnecessary Ink

Contributor Andrew Padula has been in situations throughout his life where he has felt compelled to address racial issues from his unusual perspective. Andrew is a white, politically conservative, blues musician who has been teaching and touring the U.S. and Europe since 1993. He can be seen with blues legend Bobby Parker on B.E.T. Jazz [...]

19 Jul

The Topsoil: Dueling Stereotypes

As far as first impressions go, I try to never judge people by initial appearance. I’ve had enough experiences with bizarre scenarios like rough looking black guys that start into “Ahllo’ chap, top o’ the day” or Asians with thick Southern drawls to know better. I find these encounters most refreshing. On the other hand, [...]

05 Jul

The Topsoil: 2 Strings 2 Few 4 Love

Contributor Andrew Padula has been in situations throughout his life where he has felt compelled to address racial issues from his unusual perspective. Andrew is a blues musician who has been teaching and touring the U.S. and Europe since 1993. He can be seen with blues legend Bobby Parker on B.E.T. Jazz Central as well [...]