AltWeeklies Wire
One Exoneree Finds Purpose in Advocacy, Closure in ID of Perpnew
Ken Wyniemko spent nearly a decade behind bars for a rape. His most pressing concern was surviving. His second was proving his innocence. He succeeded at both.
Metro Times |
Sandra Svoboda |
07-08-2008 |
Crime & Justice
How a Throwaway Idea at the Barkley Ad Agency Became the 'Sonic Guys'new

The campaign was supposed to last just four months, from September 2003 to the beginning of a new campaign in January 2004. Five years later, the campaign is still going and has become a pop-culture phenomenon. The commercials have given the quirky drive-in an identity and made Sonic as recognizable as McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's.
Turning Bikes into Wheelchairs for Some of the World's Neediest Peoplenew
Some students and recent graduates of Caltech and the Art Center College of Design have found a way to turn simple mountain bikes into inexpensive, effective and potentially lifesaving wheelchairs for disabled people in the world's poorest countries.
Pasadena Weekly |
Joe Piasecki |
07-08-2008 |
Education
Students Connect with Those Touched by the Horrors of Warnew
UCSB Students who sign up for RS-155 find that it’s neither a history class nor a religion class, but an emotional journey through the psyche and experiences of real live veterans.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Ben Preston |
07-08-2008 |
War
Alt Farmers Share in the Farm Bill's Bounty, but at What Cost?new
Even if the same law shovels tons of subsidies to rich farmers and agribusiness giants, the little guys growing organic food are at least catching some of the crumbs.
Isthmus |
Marc Eisen |
07-08-2008 |
Food+Drink
A Right-Leaning Supreme Court Would be Pushed Further Right by McCainnew
Of the moderate four justices, three are thought likely to leave the court in the next few years. John McCain has said that if he wins, he'll appoint judges in the mold of Roberts and Alito. That means we could have a hard right, 7-2 majority on the Supreme Court by 2011 or earlier. How would that make you feel?
Metro Times |
Jack Lessenberry |
07-08-2008 |
Commentary
Three 6 Mafia Show Missteps on 'Last 2 Walk'new
Even though the group is currently down to a duo, survivors DJ Paul and Juicy J are still basking in the glow of victory of their Academy Award.
The Contantines Strike a Balance Between Creativity and Commercenew
Despite a deliberate approach, Kensington Heights, the latest recording by the Canadian combo, doesn't sound fussy or effete.
Westword |
Michael Roberts |
07-07-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Allan Parmelee, the Inmate Who Won't Shut Upnew
Parmelee spends his days in a cell, carefully hand-printing lawsuits, motions, records requests, and legal appeals on a pad of lined paper. Known to fellow inmates as the "jailhouse attorney," he's filed dozens of lawsuits in state and federal courts.
Seattle Weekly |
Laura Onstot |
07-07-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Mark Knopfler a Bigger Gay Icon Than George Michael?new

However belatedly, Michael has gradually eased into a late-career incarnation as a gay icon. But proof exists that Knopfler might be the bigger icon of the pair, and would therefore be more worthy of gay rock fans' hard-earned dollars.
Seattle Weekly |
Mike Seely |
07-07-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
John Waters: The Trash Auteur Speaks Out -- Way Outnew

On gay marriage, the presidential race, the corrupting influence of irony and the release of his new 'Til Death Do Us Part DVD.
L.A. Weekly |
Steven Mikulan |
07-07-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Pollsters, Schmolsters: South Florida's Psychics Choose Obamanew

Who's to say South Florida's psychics and astrologers can't choose 'em? We sought presidential picks from intuits ranging from Richardson, a former psychic friend of Dionne Warwick's, to Fran Baskerville, whose predictions flow forth in song.
Miami New Times |
Janine Zeitlin |
07-07-2008 |
Politics
'Hancock', America's Low-rent Superhero, Just in Time for the Recessionnew
Even bearing in mind the conventional wisdom that superman movies keep coming back to cheer us through hard times, I'm not clear whether Hancock is meant to be a representative of the homeless, a midcareer-burnout case or a troubled brother from another planet.
L.A. Weekly |
Ella Taylor |
07-07-2008 |
Reviews
Zen and the Art of Cougar Huntingnew

They practice picking up young men at the grocery store, these older women who have never been married, or whose husbands have left them for younger stock, or whose soul mates have died of heart attacks or in car accidents. On a balmy Thursday at a hotel in Pasadena, life coach Zen Kern, simply Zen to his clients, instructs the ladies in his Cougar Class to pretend they've just spotted a cute guy contemplating the cereal at Ralphs.
L.A. Weekly |
Gendy Alimurung |
07-07-2008 |
Culture
Tags: Los Angeles, dating, Sex, cougars, relationships, older women, cougar class, life coaches, Zen Kern
It's Not Easy Trying to be Cougar Baitnew
If I'm to achieve a life of leisurely Parisian mornings and afternoon massages, without working for it, of course, I'll have to become someone's pretty piece of meat. Someone rich, middle-aged and a little desperate. In other words, I need a cougar. But where to find such a woman?
L.A. Weekly |
Matthew Fleischer |
07-07-2008 |
Culture