AltWeeklies Wire
High-Interest Lending Is a Poorly Regulated, Billion-Dollar Business in Texasnew
In low-income neighborhoods across Texas, payday lenders are popping up on street corners and major thoroughfares at a rapid pace. During the economic downturn, these companies are racking up record profits.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa Del Bosque |
05-13-2009 |
Economy
The Limits of Tolerating Jim Jarmuschnew
The Limits of Control is an enormously irritating movie. It is a puzzle box that contains no hints about life, only references back to other surrealist artworks and Jarmusch's own films.
Willamette Week |
Aaron Mesh |
05-13-2009 |
Reviews
Why the Two Biggest U.S. Tobacco Companies Are Fighting Each Othernew
There's a tobacco war raging in Salem, Ore. that has less to do with the reasons for past battles -- raising taxes or reducing consumption -- than it does with control of a rare industry bright spot: smokeless tobacco.
Willamette Week |
Nigel Jaquiss |
05-13-2009 |
Business & Labor
How an Oregon Guru Raked in Millions as a New Age Psychicnew
Eric Pepin is a balding, heavyset 42-year-old from Beaverton, Ore. who claims he can heal the sick, control the weather, travel between dimensions and communicate with God. He teaches his secrets on CDs and DVDs that sell for up to $299 each on his website. And people buy them.
Willamette Week |
James Pitkin |
05-13-2009 |
Culture
Tags: Eric Pepin, New Age
Texas Whooping Cranes Are a Symbol of Hope and Possibility and an Economic Boonnew
The Aransas whooping cranes, the only wild, migrating flock in the world, numbered 266 this spring. That's not a lot, but considering how close the birds came to extinction—there were only 21 left in 1941—the number amounts to a small miracle.
The Texas Observer |
Jesse Sublett |
05-13-2009 |
Animal Issues
Tags: Aransas whooping cranes, Texas
For John Gibler, the Conquest of Mexico Never Ended and Neither Did the Revoltsnew
Part journalistic travelogue, part political manifesto, Mexico Unconquered recounts some of the more bewildering revolts and upheavals that have roiled Southern Mexico from the turn of the 20th century through contemporary times.
The Texas Observer |
Liliana Valenzuela |
05-13-2009 |
Nonfiction
Looking for Work in South Texasnew
Economists now say the Rio Grande Valley may ride out the economic crisis more comfortably than the rest of the U.S. Despite such optimism, the region is still plagued by the same structural problems that have long depressed its economy.
The Texas Observer |
Kevin Sieff |
05-13-2009 |
Economy
A Jazz Keyboardist Finds New Inspiration in a Dour 19th-Century Composernew
Although he didn't really have the chops to be a classical pianist, Michael Coleman found a way to bring his new love interest to the public. Last summer, he formed a new jazz combo called Schumann's Humanns, whose first assignment was to reinterpret Schumann's Kinderszenen in a jazz template.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
05-13-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Rudo y Cursi': Confusion in the Southnew
Rudo y Cursi is not a typical comic buddy flick about the misadventures of two rancheros from the sticks. As conceived by writer-director Carlos Cuaron, the brothers' picaresque story is a sharp social satire of contemporary Mexico, held together by the slapstick glue of their country-boy antics.
East Bay Express |
Kelly Vance |
05-13-2009 |
Reviews
Skateboarding Down the San Francisco Baynew
John Eppard is going to skateboard the length of the San Francisco Bay — from Richmond all the way to San Jose — again. And if the persistent punk rocker happens to lose a leg or other appendage in the process, he can find comfort in the fact that the three-day trek is a fund-raiser in part for a nonprofit for athletes with prosthetic limbs.
East Bay Express |
Cassie Harwood |
05-13-2009 |
Sports
Dems Rule. Next: Excuses for Not Doing Jack.
Democrats are more powerful than ever. How will they justify doing nothing?
Maui Time |
Ted Rall |
05-12-2009 |
Commentary
Tags: Barack Obama, Democratic Party
Making Peace: First, Love Yourselfnew
The acts of forgiveness and being forgiven are so powerful that if we could bottle forgiveness and issue it to every human being, we could solve many of the world's problems.
Jackson Free Press |
Jackie Warren Tatum |
05-11-2009 |
Culture
Tags: forgiveness, advice
'Tinted Windows' Is Harder Than It Looksnew
The veteran lineup of Tinted Windows isn't a guarantee of power-pop success, which requires genuine emotional depth.
Jackson Free Press |
Rob Hamilton |
05-11-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Tinted Windows, rock music
A Very Well-Behaved Record of Fearless Womennew
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich provides a window through which to view the social injustices faced by three of history's famous women. Just don't be surprised if their struggles look a lot like our own.
Jackson Free Press |
Brandi Herrera Pfrehm |
05-11-2009 |
Nonfiction
Michelle Obama Style Guidenew
Michelle Obama may be taking over Jackie O's spot as America's most fashionable first lady. Here's the rundown on her favorite looks and designers.
Jackson Free Press |
Jaclyn Bethany |
05-11-2009 |
Fashion
Tags: fashion, Michelle Obama
