AltWeeklies Wire
What Obama Could Learn from George H. W. Bushnew

When Obama gives his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention next week, he had better send the right message to working-class voters.
Boston Phoenix |
Steven Stark |
08-20-2008 |
Commentary
Norman Mailer's 1968 War Storiesnew
Mailer wrote his accounts of the 1968 national conventions on assignment for Harper's, and predicted a 40-year war with the emerging neo-cons. Alas, he was right about that.
Boston Phoenix |
Charles Taylor |
08-20-2008 |
Nonfiction
How One Former TV Reporter Brought His Sky Gospel to the Peoplenew

Former TV-news reporter Jack Borden found transcendental peace in the cloudy sky, and he's determined to spread his stratospheric gospel to everyone -- even Jessica Simpson.
Boston Phoenix |
James Parker |
08-20-2008 |
Religion
You'll Pay More To Borrow for College in Massachusettsnew
One day before tuition bills came due, the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA) announced it had no money to loan. What does this mean for students? The price of college credit just went up.
Boston Phoenix |
Kara Baskin |
08-14-2008 |
Education
Tags: Education
Triple Helpings of Course Requirements Can Ruin Your College Experiencenew

With a job market as unpredictable as Lindsay Lohan's sobriety, some students have decided the secret to succeeding after college may be to place their academic eggs in as many baskets as possible. Why are so many students taking on so much?
Boston Phoenix |
Meredith Hassett |
08-14-2008 |
Education
Kansas Rep. Raised $100,000 for His Campaign with a Web Comicnew
Sean Tevis, a 39-year-old information architect from Olathe, Kansas, raised $100,000 for his state-rep campaign with an internet comic.
Boston Phoenix |
Jonathan Seitz |
08-14-2008 |
Politics
What's So Funny About Baseball Cartoons?new
Cartoon of catchers talking to pitchers are a New Yorker tradition -- but why?
Boston Phoenix |
Mike Miliard |
08-14-2008 |
Media
Canada's Most Picturesque Province is Also the Center of an Underground Pot Explosionnew

Prince Edward Island is still largely a bastion of clean-cut, yesteryear values. A number of island communities remain defiantly dry. But it is also home to a thriving cottage industry that includes both indoor hydroponic pot production, and a more daring coterie of growers who take advantage of the island's perfect summer climate and endless fields of spuds, soybeans, and corn to pursue small-scale cultivation en plein air.
Boston Phoenix |
Alan R. Earls |
08-14-2008 |
Drugs
Does the Recent Surge of Stoner Movies Mean America is Going to Pot?new

Marijuana movies are a hot genre right now -- Knocked Up, Harold & Kumar (both Go to White Castle and Escape from Guantanamo Bay), and Superbad have made piles of green at the box office. Just this past week, Pineapple Express topped the box office at $12.5 million, a record for a Wednesday opening in August. And those are just the obvious offenders.
Boston Phoenix |
Peter Keough |
08-14-2008 |
Movies
Can the Boston Globe Really be to Blame for Rakan Hassan's Death?new
Two years ago, the Boston Globe profiled an orphaned Iraqi boy spirited to Boston for medical care. Earlier this summer, he was killed -- apparently targeted by insurgents. Could local coverage really be to blame?
Boston Phoenix |
Adam Reilly |
08-07-2008 |
Media
Giving Away the Gamesnew
A top-secret government memorandum issued by General Administration of Press and Publication, Communist Party of the People's Republic of China and obtained by the Phoenix gives the press its marching orders.
Boston Phoenix |
James Parker |
08-07-2008 |
Comedy
Is Beijing Ready for Prime Time? No Waynew

I've been living in Beijing since the beginning of July, covering the mad month-long preamble to the Games. My experience has been the polar opposite of what I had read and seen in news stories about how the Chinese are ready and willing to accommodate the Olympic athletes, coaches, spectators, media, and volunteers.
Boston Phoenix |
Sara Faith Alterman |
08-07-2008 |
Sports
A Field Guide to Chinese Oppressionnew
Though Beijing's enemies are way too numerous to list, consider the following four non-Tibetan religious, ethnic, and intellectual minorities a sort of Olympic qualifying heat. In order to advance Beijing's "Harmonious Society" in preparation for the 2008 Games, members of these groups have been locked up, exiled, or have disappeared altogether. Enjoy the synchronized swimming!
Boston Phoenix |
Adam Matthews |
08-07-2008 |
International
Tags: China, Olympics, Tibet, journalism, civil liberties, international, Falun Gong, Uighurs, Mongolians
China, Tibet, and the Olympicsnew
Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman explains the Dalai Lama's political wisdom, the myopia of the Chinese, and the essence of the Olympics.
Boston Phoenix |
Peter Kadzis |
08-07-2008 |
International
Eight Olympians To Watchnew
Sometimes we'd rather root for the unknowns, the underdogs, and the uniques than the professional jerks who are only competing to sweeten their endorsement deals.
Boston Phoenix |
Mike Miliard |
08-07-2008 |
Sports