AltWeeklies Wire
Harvey Silverglate Dissects Federal Prosecutors' Corrupt Justicenew
In Three Felonies A Day, the civil liberties watchdog's thesis is as provocative as it is simple: justice has become sufficiently perverted in this nation that federal prosecutors, if they put their minds to it, could find a way to indict almost any one of us for almost anything.
Boston Phoenix |
Peter Kadzis |
09-23-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Jane Campion Creates Period Poetry With 'Bright Star'new
Sure, this one could be considered a chick flick. It's set in the early 1800s in England, after all. But it's made by Campion, who's best known for The Piano, so it's real label should actually be "art-house." Regardless, you don't need to be a chick or an art-house geek to enjoy Abbie Cornish's performance.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
09-23-2009 |
Reviews
The Bay Area's Wonderful Women of BDSM Aren't Bound by Conventionnew
In San Francisco, the old Rousseauian adage "Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains," could easily be rephrased as: "Woman is born free, and everywhere she uses chains to get off."
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Juliette Tang |
09-23-2009 |
Culture
'The Burning Plain' is an Interminably Spiritless Ordealnew
Beneath the film's tragic poses and ludicrous melancholy, one can almost hear Arriaga muttering to himself: "Do I have anything here? Let's maybe move this scene here, that one there, yeah, that'll do it, that looks like something. Right? Right?" Wrong.
Willamette Week |
Chris Stamm |
09-23-2009 |
Reviews
Why Are Insurers Blocking H1N1 Treatment Prescriptions?
I got swine flu. Five days later, I was at death's door -- because my evil insurance company wouldn't honor my doctor's prescription. Memo to future revolutionaries: if you require a firing squad for the executives of the Health Insurance Plan (HIP) of New York, I'm handy with a rifle.
Can California's Community Colleges Weather the Economic Storm?new
While those in the system figure out how to weather this year's cuts, they anticipate fearsome funding cuts in next year's budget and beyond. But money for community colleges should be structured in much the same way that unemployment insurance is supposed to work, so that it is there when it is needed most -- like it is today.
East Bay Express |
Jay Youngdahl |
09-23-2009 |
Education
'Cheap' Tackles the Fraught Practice of Buying and Selling Cheap Goodsnew
For its catchy title and relatively few pages, Cheap is a weighty book. Shell reveals the dizzying connections between price and poverty, using statistics, historical accounts, and scientific and sociological explanations. She spent two years doing research, traveling to Sweden, the birthplace of IKEA, and China, "factory to the world."
The Texas Observer |
C.B. Evans |
09-23-2009 |
Nonfiction
Texas Pickers Strum Germans to Set Recordnew
On an August afternoon hotter than Jerry Jeff Walker's temper, two extraordinary things transpired: I played two songs with 1,867 other guitar pickers to set a Guinness world record. And I rekindled a subliminal inner joy buried for years.
The Texas Observer |
Robert McCorkle |
09-23-2009 |
Music
Get Your Pencils Out for the Best Erotic Comicsnew
Erotic comics are a special breed of porn. Unlike prose, they can show as well as describe. Unlike photos, they're narrative. Unlike film, they have a limitless special effects budget. And yet good erotic comics seem in short supply. Here are a few of the best.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Justin Hall |
09-23-2009 |
Books
How the Sustainable-Food Movement Drove One Family to the Frozen-Food Aislenew
While I was thinking about what kinds of foods are good for my kids' bodies and our Earth, my family was seeing less and less of me. That's when it came to me: I'm not going to cook anymore.
East Bay Express |
Sierra Filucci |
09-23-2009 |
Food+Drink
Mighty Mighty Bosstones Bassist Tackles New Gig: Teaching College Studentsnew
Joe Gittleman was hired earlier this year to teach in the college's Music Business and Industry degree program, which focuses on what goes on behind the scenes rather than on the stage, covering both technical fields such as lighting design and sound engineering, and more service-oriented disciplines such as band management and venue operations.
Seven Days |
Dan Bolles |
09-23-2009 |
Education
Does Team Obama Risk Losing Momentum Over Health-Care Reform?new
As some former Obama fans see the president's stance on health care shift from his pre-election promises, a new question has arisen. Will they be more loyal to their president or to their own vision for health care?
Philadelphia City Paper |
Julia Harte |
09-22-2009 |
Politics
A Dirty Job for Goodie Mobnew
With Cee-Lo back in the fold, Atlanta's Goodie Mob returns to salvage the real Dirty South.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Maurice Garland |
09-22-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Why Are We Still in Afghanistan?new
In 2008, a clear majority of American voters hung their chads for Barack Obama, who explicitly promised to escalate the U.S. war in Afghanistan. So the question is, what the heck are we still doing there?
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Andisheh Nouraee |
09-22-2009 |
Commentary
How Trikont is Saving the World, One Compilation at a Timenew
It's safe to say that Achim Bergmann of Trikont, Germany's oldest independent record label, has an affinity for the underdog. The label's eclectic catalog has been transcending language boundaries and international borders long before "world music" became a Billboard buzzword.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Nicole Gluckstern |
09-22-2009 |
Music
