AltWeeklies Wire
They Save Horses, Don't They? Equines and the Economynew

The downturn in the economy is not only hitting families; it's hitting the animals those families own and love. Equines are among the most expensive of pets, and horse owners are starting to feel the brunt of high prices and lost jobs.
Eugene Weekly |
Camilla Mortensen |
12-18-2008 |
Animal Issues
Power Plant Opponents in New Mexico Say it's Time to Get Over Coalnew
Proponents of the Desert Rock power plant say it will create 1,000 construction jobs and then approximately 200 permanent jobs once it's up and running. But the region already has three coal-fired power plants which are considered among the dirtiest plants in the country.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Laura Paskus |
12-18-2008 |
Environment
Tags: New Mexico, energy, environment, pollution, power plants, Navajo, coal, Desert Rock, Indian reservations
In the Midst of a Fiscal Crisis, Will New York State Break its Addiction to Consultants?new
A new report from one of New York's largest unions says that the state's addiction to hiring consultants to do the work that state employees are more than capable of doing is unnecessarily costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars a year and adding to the already out-of-control deficit.
New York Press |
Allen McDuffee |
12-18-2008 |
Politics
How Michael Wolff Bagged Rupert Murdochnew

How did a controversial media reporter get total access to the most famous newspaper man in the world? He just asked.
Boston Phoenix |
Daniel McCarthy |
12-18-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Changing D.C.'s Climate: Meet Obama's Green Dream Teamnew
On Monday, President-elect Barack Obama announced the officials he's tapped to begin reversing the environmental damage wrought by the Bushies. According to several environmental groups, the picks are inspired.
Boston Phoenix |
Mike Miliard |
12-18-2008 |
Environment
20 Reasons the Earth Will Be Glad To See Bush Gonew

As our 43rd president scrambles to screw further with Mother Nature, we consider the ways our planet will be better off under Obama.
Boston Phoenix |
David S. Bernstein |
12-18-2008 |
Environment
The '08 Election Made ACORN a Household Name, but At What Cost?new
Although ACORN has spent the last 38 years helping low- and middle-income families with problems as big as home foreclosures and as small as neighborhood speed bumps, for many Americans the 2008 campaign marked the first time they’d ever heard of it.
San Antonio Current |
Gilbert Garcia |
12-18-2008 |
Politics
Bitter Pill: How D.C.'s Pharmacies Fail Womennew
When it comes to birth control, pharmacists may refuse to do their jobs for any reason -- or none at all.
Washington City Paper |
Amanda Hess |
12-18-2008 |
Science
On Broadway, Understudying for a Celeb Can be a Nightmarenew

Understudying can be rewarding, but it can also be a slap-in-the-face kind of gig -- few if any rehearsals, the anxiety of being called to perform at very short notice and the lingering possibility of never performing -- but throw in the fame factor, and "tough" isn't quite the word for it anymore.
New York Press |
Dana Rossi |
12-18-2008 |
Theater
The Essence of Alison Bechdel's 'Dykes'new

Alison Bechdel's former assistant reflects on a quarter century of "Dykes to Watch Out For."
Seven Days |
Cathy Resmer |
12-17-2008 |
Cartoons
Take Back Baracknew

We didn't vote for Obama. We voted for Change. Obama owes progressives his election. We need to take back Barack!
Portland Phoenix |
Jeff Inglis and Deirdre Fulton |
12-17-2008 |
Commentary
'Seven Pounds' is Agonizing, Incessant and Impervious to Ironynew

Will Smith continues in the vein of his last three movies by maintaining a clenched, anguished, clotted expression on his face. He has completed his transfiguration into the Fresh Prince of Airlessness.
Willamette Week |
Aaron Mesh |
12-17-2008 |
Reviews
'Slavery by Another Name' Examines Post-Civil War Convict Labornew
Douglas Blackmon argues -- passionately, forcefully and convincingly -- that by any measure, blacks in the states of the former Confederacy saw their freedom so warped and constrained in the decades after the Civil War that the overwhelming majority were not in any meaningful way free.
The Texas Observer |
Todd Moye |
12-17-2008 |
Nonfiction
To Shmeat or Not to Shmeat: Carcass Consumption vs. Dr. Frankenmeatnew
PETA argues that fake meat has the potential to eliminate the raising of animals for human consumption, while allowing those with a taste for tissue to continue enjoying their favorite meaty delicacies. Sounds like a win/win, but there are obstacles to replacing meat with shmeat, not least of which is widespread distaste at the very thought of a Frankenfurter or test-tube steak.
San Diego CityBeat |
D.A. Kolodenko |
12-17-2008 |
Food+Drink
How Obama's Ground Game Helped Him Win North Carolinanew
In the run-up to February's Super Tuesday primaries, no one guessed that North Carolina could, in the early morning hours of Nov. 5, become the 28th state to declare for Obama.
The Texas Observer |
Lawrence Goodwyn |
12-17-2008 |
Politics