AltWeeklies Wire
Obama and McCain: Torture Enablers
Both presidential candidates say they'll stop torture and close Gitmo. Scratch the surface, though, and their commitment to human rights is less than skin deep.
Maui Time |
Ted Rall |
08-06-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Frank Bidart's New Poems Sing Hymns to a Meaningless Universenew
His excellent new book, Watching the Spring Festival, reflects a man feeling his age, the slip of time, and the tug of oblivion. It attempts to confront the paradox of being while trying to inscribe something lasting, and also expressing unblinkingly man's cosmic dilemma -- that maybe, just maybe, there is no exit.
Charleston City Paper |
John Stoehr |
08-06-2008 |
Poetry
'Ancient Highway' Sculpts Three Generations of Family with Concise and Poetic Prosenew
Author Bret Lott, a professor at the College of Charleston, deftly maneuvers across three generations, running a ribbon through the arms of despondent family members, using rhythmic, undulating prose to deliver an assiduous, heart-worn tale.
Charleston City Paper |
Kevin Murphy |
08-06-2008 |
Fiction
The Queer and the Qur'an: One Man's Struggle with Being a Gay Muslimnew
Ali stays in the shadows, because if he were to come out as a gay Muslim, he would lose things dearer to him than his own life: family, community, identity.
Willamette Week |
Byron Beck |
08-06-2008 |
LGBT
Fiberglass Giants: Chicago's Last Bastions of Marketing Kitschnew
During the 1960s and 1970s, the sight of massive pop-art fiberglass figures greeted drivers on streets and smaller highways across the country. From California to Maine, drivers and their families were alerted by figures in the forms of hotdogs, hamburgers, cowboys, clowns, alligators and oranges, lobsters and loons.
Chicago Newcity |
David Witter |
08-06-2008 |
Art
Chicago's Street Art Community Mourns the Loss of One of Their Ownnew
On the morning of June 14, 23-year-old Brendan Scanlan, a street artist who went by the name Solve, was stabbed to death in a late-night altercation. Within a few days of the incident, you could find "Solve RIP" painted all across Chicago sidewalks, and at the memorial service, a fellow street artist brought a handful of tees depicting Solve's signature name design.
Chicago Newcity |
Molly Each |
08-06-2008 |
Art
In the Wake of E3, Gaming's Big Three Move Towards Indistinguishabilitynew
Even as little as two years ago, the Big Three had distinct identities, market niches, and competitive advantages that set them apart: Sony had the mass appeal and the vast library of exclusive titles, Nintendo had the family gamers, and Microsoft catered to the hardcore online crowd. Funny how a little cutthroat competition over a few billion dollars changes the equation.
Charleston City Paper |
Aaron R. Conklin |
08-06-2008 |
Video Games
Wealth and Privilege Have Rarely Looked So Luscious as in 'Brideshead'new
Lust for companionship. For God. For love. For real estate. For family. Everyone in Brideshead Revisited is hungry for something, and it gets them into terrific trouble.
Charleston City Paper |
Felicia Feaster |
08-06-2008 |
Reviews
The High Crimes and High Art of 'Man On Wire'new
Even after seeing Man on Wire three times, I'm ready to see it again: just about any place. It's far and away my favorite film commercially released in 2008 to date.
Chicago Newcity |
Ray Pride |
08-06-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
A Culinary Postcard from China on the Eve of the Olympicsnew
After 24 hours in the air, the concept of jet lag seems quaint. I can barely figure out what day it is, much less the time. But despite my disorientation and general mental fuzz upon landing in Beijing, when I see the "Fresh Furit Platter" [sic] on the hotel bar menu, I perk up enough to pronounce it to myself with a Chinese accent.
Missoula Independent |
Ari LeVaux |
08-05-2008 |
Food+Drink
Texas Air National Guard Boots Sick Soldiernew
Just what is any soldier or sailor entitled to if he goes to war for the United States and comes back maimed or sick? Did Jason Franco get any better or worse treatment than if he'd been shot by a sniper instead of enveloped in a haze of carcinogenic fumes? Well yes, no and maybe so.
Houston Press |
Margaret Downing |
08-05-2008 |
War
A Safe Space for Gay Meth Addicts in Santa Ana Struggles to Get Goingnew
If you visit Metheds.org, all you'll see is a white page, black text and a brief explanation: "Metheds. A place about recovery and community. Opening soon in Santa Ana. For more information, contact Ed McKie." But that's all Metheds is right now: an idea, some wishful thinking and a name.
Slut Sister Gets Epic and Violent on 'Raw Meat'new
Although the band describes its music as "metal/hardcore/Southern rock" on its MySpace page, I'd say that description's only about two-thirds accurate. It's definitely hardcore metal, but I'm not hearing the "Southern rock" aspects.
Phoenix New Times |
Niki D'Andrea |
08-05-2008 |
Reviews
Trendzilla: Taking the Maxi Dress to the Maxnew
With hemlines that have crept up the past five years and the 2 percent of women who can actually pull off minis, you’d think the advent of the floor-reaching maxi dress would be more welcomed.
Someone Stop Charlie Crist and His Plan to Sell Our Highwaynew
Stop the Florida governor from hawking Alligator Alley to foreign companies. Stop him from leasing the 78 miles of fenced and flat highway stretching across the Everglades to investors who will bleed motorists dry with higher tolls and no accountability to the people.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Bob Norman |
08-05-2008 |
Commentary
