AltWeeklies Wire
Greenius at Work! These Inventors Get Creative and Protect the Planetnew

Do-it-yourself-ism is thriving, and at no time has it been easier to perform technical work flying solo. Many of these inventions and improvements are about finding ways to be more friendly to the Earth, by reducing reliance on fossil fuel and reusing what would otherwise be thrown away. Here are a few from the Madison area.
Isthmus |
Linda Falkenstein |
04-20-2011 |
Environment
Heroin.com: Selling Junk Onlinenew

In 2008, New York City's Special Narcotics Prosecutor began leading a team of undercover investigators targeting the drug dealers who used Craigslist to advertise their wares. Three years later, drug dealing on the classified-ads website is still blatant and ubiquitous.
The Village Voice |
David Shapiro and Joe Coscarelli |
04-20-2011 |
Drugs
Charleston Turns a Corner in Bike-Friendly Pushnew

The Chapel and John street bike lanes were a recognizable stumble out of the gate. But city leaders and grassroots supporters aren't ready to give up the asphalt just yet. They remain undeterred in the race to safely improve bike access and reshape the way we see Charleston's roads.
Charleston City Paper |
Greg Hambrick |
04-20-2011 |
Policy Issues
The Statue of Liberty Stamp Error and the End of America

The kind of country that puts stock photos on its stamps is the kind of country that puts a single air traffic controller in charge of one of its biggest airports. The kind of country that doesn't fix its mistakes is the kind that tells people under the age of 55 that they can go to hell and die when they get old and sick because it's more important to cut taxes for rich scum than to fund Medicare.
Maui Time |
Ted Rall |
04-20-2011 |
Commentary
'Rubber' Doesn't Live Up to its Creepy Expectationsnew

On the surface, Rubber seems like an homage to Roger Corman B-movies, but as it progresses, it becomes apparent that it is something else.
Charleston City Paper |
Kevin Young |
04-20-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: Rubber, Quentin Dupieux
U.S. Opinion Leaders Emphasize Importance of Tar Sands Reviewnew

Premier Ed Stelmach is incensed that Barack Obama won't swallow his pro-oil industry and anti-environment rhetoric when it comes to Aberta's tar sands.
VUE Weekly |
Ricardo Acuna |
04-20-2011 |
Environment
Cuyahoga County's Fight Over Document Fees Yields a Dubious Alliancenew

Five years before Cuyahoga County Recorder Pat O'Malley resigned in May 2008, he quietly closed a deal that garnered little interest at the time. It was a pact with Data Trace, a California company that specializes in snapping up title and tax documents, then customizing and re-selling the information.
Cleveland Scene |
Anastasia Pantsios |
04-20-2011 |
Policy Issues
Is Good Radio Winning?new

I got into commercial radio in late 2002. I was the last generation of radio people that could walk in the door, get a job from the ground up, and learn every department. Then the world changed, and we as an industry were not ready for it. More so, we didn't accept it.
Charleston City Paper |
Joel Frank |
04-20-2011 |
Media
Tags: commercial radio, radio industry
Texas Still Executes Mentally Retarded Criminals ... For Nownew

Despite a U.S. Supreme Court ban, Texas has continued to send mentally retarded criminals to death row. Will Daniel Plata's case correct this injustice?
The Texas Observer |
Renée Feltz |
04-19-2011 |
Crime & Justice
Cloud Nothings' Dylan Baldi is Defiantly Self-Sufficientnew

The 20-year-old Clevelander behind the precocious power-pop outfit writes alone, plays all the instruments and, up until this year's self-titled full-length, out on Carpark, does his own producing.
NOW Magazine |
Jason Keller |
04-19-2011 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Cloud Nothings, Dylan Baldi
South Carolina Redistricting Will Marginalize African-Americansnew

One of the running themes of the 2010 Census is that African Americans are moving back to the South, and while conventional wisdom would suggest that things are improving for minorities in the old Confederacy, the realities in South Carolina and the City of Charleston tell a different story.
Charleston City Paper |
Greg Hambrick |
04-19-2011 |
Policy Issues
Texas Right-to-Life Groups are Pushing Policies That May Lead to More Abortionsnew

In their lust to defund Planned Parenthood, Texas right-to-life groups and conservative lawmakers are pushing policies that -- in an ironic twist -- could lead to more abortions.
The Texas Observer |
Alexa Garcia-Ditta |
04-19-2011 |
The War on Women
Loco for Locavore: 9 Ways to Taste the Food of the Futurenew

In a world where big brand mayo companies are pushing their locavore roots, we've got to cut through the noise. To help you freshen up your locavore diet we're feeding you nine freshly-picked ideas that source no further than 100 miles from your front door and grow as close 10 feet from your back steps.
NOW Magazine |
Adria Vasil |
04-19-2011 |
Food+Drink
Long Island Serial Killer: Beach Bodiesnew

There will be a few things different about beach season on Long Island this year. The Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular, canceled due to budget concerns, will return this summer, and cadaver dogs will be walking along the bay, as digital police signs ask visitors for information on the potential 10 bodies found decomposing on what is now a 15-mile-long crime scene.
Long Island Press |
Jaclyn Gallucci |
04-19-2011 |
Crime & Justice
Connie Scott: The Sheepish Revolutionarynew

A Tea Party freshman grapples with the bitter realities of governing in Austin.
The Texas Observer |
Daniel Setiawan |
04-19-2011 |
Politics