Alt Wire   is a digest of spoon-fed inspiration curated by our favorite editors, journalists, artists, and visionaries. Today's guest is Eyeteeth and Minnesota Independent editor Paul Schmelzer.

Seed bombs: We've all heard of seed bombs—clumps of seed-embedded earth tossed into abandoned lots by guerrilla gardeners—but here are two new takes. Korean artist Jin-wook Hwang imagines actual cluster bombs that disperse seeds in the air to combat desertification (via Another Limited Rebellion), likening the action to that of Gale "Candy Bomber" Halvorson, an American World War II pilot who dropped candy from his plane for the children of Berlin. Japanese-born Hiroshi Sunairi, an NYU art professor, is sharing hibaku seeds—literally, "A-bombed seeds," ancestors of those affected by the bombing of Hiroshima—for people around the world to plant and tend. The persimmons, Japanese holly, jujubes and other varieties have been sprouting in places as far flung as London, Geneva, New York, Holland (Mich.), Joetsu City (Japan) and Minneapolis—where I'm tending my persimmon. The project's documentation will be exhibited at the New York Horticultural Society this December.

The Visual News: Two of my favorite sites for considering the visual aspects of the news are Michael Shaw's BAGnewsNotes and No Caption Needed, by Robert Hariman and John Louis Lucaites. The former recently republished an MSNBC photo entitled, "Last-second Escape"—which shows a U.S. Marine diving to avoid an explosion in Afghanistan—noting that the headline misleads: while one escaped, two other Americans were killed by the IED. Shaw calls it "an example of the disconnect between these wars we keep getting ourselves into and the all-too-familiar tendency to deny or romanticize." The latter has recently looked into news imagery of fallen soldiers returning to their home countries, finding that too often this somber ritual reflects a "radical isolation."

Street screeds (and other free-culture gems): UBUWEB is a wonderful trove of cultural resources, from the just-posted 1983 video, "Martha Rosler Reads Vogue" (in which she deconstructs messages in the ads and content of the fashion magazine), Craig Baldwin's film-collage Sonic Outlaws (a must-see for culturejammers, DJs and copyleft activists), and an incredible gallery of NYC street flyers—hand-made posters that range in theme from the political to the philosophical (here's one by a woman who thanks supporters for helping her win the U.S presidency three times—in 1973-1/2, 1976-1/2 and 1999-1/2.)

Pity the Nation: While it feels like a Bush-era remnant, Staceyann Chin's reading of Lawrence Ferlinghetti's poem Pity the Nation—with its reference to a "nation whose leaders are liars, whose sages are silenced, and whose bigots haunt the airwaves"—never fails to give me chills, and should serve as a reminder to stay vigilant.

Mashups for peace: If Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" can peacefully (and rhythmically) coexist with Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (thanks to DJ Morgoth), can't we all? Here are two more new lion-and-lamb mash-ups: Yes-meets-Sir Mix-a-Lot in "Owner of a Lonely Butt" by Minneapolis artist Richard Barlow. And Jay-Z meets Thom Yorke in New York DJ Max Tannone's Jaydiohead: The Encore.

Bio: Minneapolis-based writer and editor Paul Schmelzer blogs about art and activism at Eyeteeth: A Journal of Incisive Ideas; by day he is editor of the Minnesota Independent. He recently moderated Designing Obama, a panel hosted by the Walker Art Center.

“Let’s take off the gloves,” moderator Paul Schmelzer of the Minnesota Monitor said to his panelists, an assembly of media critics charged with talking about their changing role in an evolving media landscape. The question: What could they be doing better?

Janine Jackson of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) called for more rounded subjects. Critics get mired in deconstructing the coverage of domestic and party politics, she said. Among the areas in which Jackson would like to read more are the disability community, labor news, and feminist and antiracist criticism. She also noted a tendency to focus heavily on print media, neglecting mediums such as radio. “Wherever the influence is, criticism should be,” she stressed.

Eric Deggans of Florida’s St. Petersburg Times noted that media critics don’t criticize themselves very well, that they’re more cautious when approaching their own institutions. Deggens also pointed out the lack of media criticism on TV; he’d like to see the nightly news dissecting media coverage. “[Producers] don’t think viewers are interested,” he said, “but they could get them to be interested.”

Media Matters for America 's Eric Boehlert suggested refraining from personal attacks. It’s a model that’s worked for Media Matters, which keeps its criticism focused on “comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media,” as opposed to demonizing conservative pundits.

Finally, Diane Farsetta, from the Center for Media and Democracy, chimed in with the need to form partnerships with community, university, and other local organizations. If the media is missing a story, or misreporting the information, instead of “becoming an expert in 30 minutes,” make a community connection, she counseled. Then when you deliver your criticism, you can direct the criticized party to an expert source.

For more on the National Conference for Media Reform, click here.