AltWeeklies Wire
Disappearing Ink: Hope for Editorial Cartoonistsnew
It's been the best of times, and the worst of times, for editorial cartooning. The demographics and styles of the cartoonists have never been more diverse. Yet the field has been disappearing, with newspapers eliminating positions at a rate of more than one a month across the country in the last year.
Ventura County Reporter |
Steve Greenberg |
01-23-2009 |
Media
Gaza = Warsaw?: Americans Should Unite to Stop Israel's Shoahnew
The shoah that the Israelis have brought to Gaza is being carried out with our phosphorus bombs, our DIME fusion bombs and our high-tech rocketry purchased with our $3 billion a year in foreign aid.
North Bay Bohemian |
Peter Byrne |
01-23-2009 |
Commentary
Rising Homeless Population Finds a Way to Express Itselfnew

A Boulder cafe hosts an exhibit of work by homeless artists to raise funds for a local social services organization.
Boulder Weekly |
Dylan Otto Krider |
01-23-2009 |
Art
Sci-Fi Icon Extends a Hand Across the Author-Audience Dividenew

The American Tolkien demonstrates how science fiction fandom presaged the social networking age.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Dylan Otto Krider |
01-23-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
'My Private War': The Things They Carrynew
Norman Bussel's beautifully constructed, emotionally devastating account of being a prisoner of war in Germany during WWII is a tale too rarely told, one whose import should have immediate and direct consequences on current U.S. policy.
Eugene Weekly |
Suzi Steffen |
01-22-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Defiance': Into the Woodsnew
Somewhere, lost under the posturing and pat plot points, something in Defiance probably reflects what actually happened. But not even the combined intensity of Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber can transform Defiance into a film that might do justice to the incredible story it hopes to tell.
Eugene Weekly |
Molly Templeton |
01-22-2009 |
Reviews
'Last Chance Harvey': Romance takes flight in Londonnew
The humor and the setbacks are small in Last Chance Harvey, accumulating — like life itself — slowly, then all at once.
Eugene Weekly |
Jason Blair |
01-22-2009 |
Reviews
'Skate 2': Survival of the Fittestnew
Activision's Tony Hawk Pro Skater series was an ailing wildebeest, and EA Black Box's Skate was the speedy jungle cat that ran it down and tore out its throat. But Skate 2 is a robotic velociraptor covered in spikes and electricity that chases Activision's lumbering wildebeest, disembowels it, and defiles the corpse in ways both unholy and physically impossible.
The Portland Mercury |
Earnest "Nex" Cavalli |
01-22-2009 |
Video Games
Reading Is Magical!: Too Bad 'Inkheart' Is a Movienew
Inkheart is intent on letting you know that books are magically wonderful, and thusly shoots itself in the foot—you'll wish it would hurry up and end so you can go home and read.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
01-22-2009 |
Reviews
Chomp and Circumstance: Crocodiles Escape Their Pastnew
If there is hope of getting the elusive second chance that so few performers ever do, Crocodiles might have a shot. The deconstructed punk duo parlays their newfound appreciation for melody into a kind of modern-day Suicide, complete with a minimalist rock sound saddled with doomed electronics.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
01-22-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Our Troubles Are Over: The Tender Punches of the Walkmennew
When you hear that your favorite band is using strings and horns on their new album, you can pretty much assume the salad days are over. But when the Walkmen employed strings and horns on last fall's remarkable You & Me, they did it in the most subtle way conceivable, and it seemed to open up a door to a warmer and fuller sound.
The Portland Mercury |
Nick Jaina |
01-22-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Portland Mayor's Sex Scandal Strikes Backnew
Two weeks to the day after taking his oath of office as Portland's first gay mayor, Sam Adams admitted that he'd lied about the nature of his sexual relationship with teenage legislative intern Beau Breedlove, and that he had coached Breedlove to lie about it on his behalf.
The Portland Mercury |
Matt Davis |
01-22-2009 |
Politics
Boozing Through the Ages: An Inebriated 'History' of Drinking in Portlandnew
Sure, we can drink. We can drink like champions. But that doesn't make us special. People have been drinking in Portland since it was little more than a hardscrabble tent town cut from the banks of the Willamette.
The Portland Mercury |
Patrick Alan Coleman |
01-22-2009 |
Food+Drink
Charlie Louvin, Aging Legendnew
Despite some help from some big names, Charlie Louvin's two new CDs are for trad-country completists only.
Tucson Weekly |
Jarret Keene |
01-22-2009 |
Reviews
Carmel Valley Supporters Say Pro-Development Interests Behind Legal Challengenew
An attorney with questionable past ties to a southern California campaign contribution scandal has filed a lawsuit intended to stop the incorporation of Carmel Valley.
Monterey County Weekly |
Jessica Lyons |
01-22-2009 |
Housing & Development