AltWeeklies Wire
Lush Lit: Five Great Wine Books for the Holidaysnew
A wise person once said that talking about music is like dancing about architecture. The same could perhaps be said in regards to talking about wine, an exercise so absurd it's regularly mocked on novelty napkins. Writing about wine, however, is another thing entirely. Wine is an especially literary liquid; no other nutrient gets its own section in the bookstore.
C-Ville Weekly |
J. Tobias Beard |
12-10-2008 |
Books
'Big Necessity' Looks at Some of the Problems with Poopnew
If we can remember the political dimensions of this most personal act, George suggests, we may one day find our way out of the muck.
New Haven Advocate |
Jason B. Jones |
12-09-2008 |
Nonfiction
While the Economy Tanks, Connecticut's Governor Cuts Ribbonsnew
On paper, Jodi Rell has what looks like the greatest job in the state. The governor, who earns $150,000 a year, packs her days full of friendly radio interviews and ceremonial events that take her all over the state to cut a ribbon here or stick a shovel in dirt there.
New Haven Advocate |
Andy Bromage |
12-09-2008 |
Politics
Poet Grace Cavalieri Projects Herself Into Her Latest Famous Womannew
In her latest book of poems, Anna Nicole, the poems are delivered from the imagined perspective of Anna Nicole Smith, the tabloid celebrity known for her Playboy spreads, her marriage to a millionaire 63 years her senior, and for her own TV reality show. So it's appropriate that the book's cover is a deliberately garish painting that gives the pin-up model magenta hair and green eyes.
Baltimore City Paper |
Geoffrey Himes |
12-09-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Lee Jeans is a Proud Maker of 'Mom Jeans'new
In the United States, Lee markets jeans worthy of mockery on Saturday Night Live. But in Europe, its products are considered stylish and high-end.
The Nation's Oldest Death Row Inmate Will Never Be Executednew
Officially, the state of Arizona still wants to put Leroy Nash to death, but the odds of Nash actually ever being executed seem to be less than slim.
Phoenix New Times |
Paul Rubin |
12-09-2008 |
Crime & Justice
A Bailout is Needed, but a New New Deal Would be Betternew
Why not create something like the old New Deal, which put millions to work doing everything from building post offices to writing nature guides. Ours would be more limited, however; we could call it the Michigan Infrastructure Corps. We are going to be paying out billions in unemployment insurance anyway. Why shouldn't we get something out if it?
Metro Times |
Jack Lessenberry |
12-09-2008 |
Economy
Annie Leibovitz Has Learned to See the Forest for the Treesnew
Annie Leibovitz at Work takes a different route than its shiny coffee-table counterparts, digging deep and dropping knowledge.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Natalie Hope McDonald |
12-09-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
High-Class Heists: Art Crime is on the Risenew
South Florida is a global center in the international art crime circuit -- an enterprise that accounts for more than $6 billion a year, more than the cross-border trade of diamonds, sex, or hot cars.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Tim Elfrink |
12-09-2008 |
Art
In Texas, Restitution for Victims is Nothing but a State-Sanctioned Scamnew
More than 90 percent of Texas parolees walk away without paying off what the state ordered them to.
Houston Press |
Chris Vogel |
12-09-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Mobile Gamers Make iPhone a New Messiahnew
It's clear that many people expect the iPhone to do everything from managing their hectic schedule to making them the coolest kid on the block. Although the device can't meet all of these expectations, it's proving to be a major contender in an unanticipated field: mobile gaming.
The Georgia Straight |
Christopher Poon |
12-09-2008 |
Tech
Mystery Shopper Marc Kravitz Keeps Philly's Servers on Pointnew
Blindly feared by servers the same way your gram fears The Reckoning, Kravitz absorbs everything he sees, hears, tastes and sometimes even smells.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Drew Lazor |
12-09-2008 |
Food+Drink
Escaping Baghdad and Finding Refuge in Metro Detroitnew
Hundreds of Iraqis have resettled in metro Detroit during the last two years as the United States finally opened to these refugees of the war in Iraq. This year, more than 2,000 Iraqis are expected to flock here. These are some of their stories.
Metro Times |
Sandra Svoboda |
12-09-2008 |
Immigration
Casual Video-Game Company Big Fish Catches Record Revenues During Recessionnew
It's no surprise the gift-sales-dependent retail industry is hurting, and the big video-game giants are no exception. But over at Big Fish Games, a Seattle studio that creates casual games involving jewel hunts or word puzzles, things are rosy.
Seattle Weekly |
Laura Onstot |
12-08-2008 |
Video Games
Whither the Album?new
Chuck Klosterman says Chinese Democracy is the format's last hurrah. Kanye proves him wrong.
Chicago Reader |
Miles Raymer |
12-08-2008 |
Music
