AltWeeklies Wire
Patti Smith Gets the Documentary She Deservesnew
With Dream of Life, director (and Smith superfan) Steven Sebring has assembled a strange and beautiful tribute to Smith, equal parts biography, music video, and love letter.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
10-31-2008 |
Reviews
Ed McClanahan's Memoir is Generous and Irreverentnew
Formally meticulous and thematically irreverent, O the Clear Moment is a loose collection of autobiographical pieces in which McClanahan reflects on an idyllic childhood in small-town Kentucky, chronicles the successes and humiliations of high school, and opens a few small but well-placed windows onto his adult eccentricities.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
10-31-2008 |
Nonfiction
An Interview with California Lt. Gov Garamendinew
John Garamendi was invited to speak to the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce on September 30 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel which is important to Harbor area residents and businesses because he sits as the Chair of the State’s Tidelands commission which oversees all of the ports of the state including LA and Long Beach.
Random Lengths News |
Staff |
10-31-2008 |
Politics
Tags: California, John Garamendi
Not Swayed By Fearnew
This election promises to be one of those "bell weather" events that happen once in a generation, shifting the entire political psychology. It will be what Thomas Jefferson prophesied that every twenty years a democracy needs to have a revolution -- preferably without blood shed–ballots not bullets.
Random Lengths News |
James Preston Allen |
10-31-2008 |
Commentary
Mudslinging Socialismnew
Obama has also been slandered with the "socialist" moniker for wanting to reform national health care, fund education and reinvest in our nation's infrastructure -- all very socialist ideas according to McPalin.
Random Lengths News |
James Preston Allen |
10-31-2008 |
Commentary
The New Socialism and the End of a Free Market Mythnew
This is perhaps the final crisis, in a line of crises, of the Bush/Cheney administration, which at best, has been a sour lesson to us all in "failed crisis management." The root of all of this stupidity is their fundamentalist belief that less government is better government.
Random Lengths News |
James Preston Allen |
10-31-2008 |
Commentary
Politics, Economics & The Presidential Electionsnew
McCain says he's for education. But to oppose spending money to replace the Adler projector that was too old to get parts for -- what with holography and laser technology being way out of date -- his complaint proves McCain's real contempt of knowledge and education.
Random Lengths News |
Lionel Rolfe |
10-31-2008 |
Commentary
Pull Up Your Obamas: Beyond Shepard Fairey's 'Hope' Teesnew
The Obama political-merchandise machine has grown to epic proportions. And why not? Obama is the smartest, best-dressed, best-spoken, most energetic and beloved entity to come along in politics in a long time. People would not only die for him, they would wear flip-flops with tiny plastic Obama bobble heads for him.
L.A. Weekly |
Gendy Alimurung |
10-31-2008 |
Fashion
Carpooling's Popularity is on the Rise in Arkansasnew
If you want a real-world example of how $4 a gallon gas began reweaving the fabric of what it is to be American -- or at least what we're willing to put up with -- surf over to one of the numerous online carpool-partner-matching websites.
Arkansas Times |
David Koon |
10-31-2008 |
Transportation
Election '08: Considering Campaign Songsnew

The idea of using pop songs as campaign themes makes sense. With such clear choices this year, it seems fitting that the current presidential contenders might also appropriate music to help define their political personas.
Riverfront Times |
Lee Zimmerman |
10-31-2008 |
Music
What We Talk About When We Talk About Socialismnew
There's something worth examining in the McCain campaign's desire to boil the archetypal Joe the Plumber and the prosecutorial Joe McCarthy up into a strange brew they hope will get an anxious electorate drunk enough to put the Arizona senator in the White House.
L.A. Weekly |
Joe Donnelly |
10-31-2008 |
Commentary
Obama Wins: So What's Next for Canada?new

Hopefully, as he tells us, Obama will bring "the change we need" and usher in a new day for the economy, social issues, and international relations. Before that day comes, however, we should probably follow Bette Davis's famous advice in All About Eve: "Fasten your seat belts; it's going to be a bumpy night."
The Georgia Straight |
Doug Sarti |
10-31-2008 |
Politics
'Godless Atheist' in Elizabeth Dole Ad is Actually a Bible Teachernew
This week, Republican U.S. Sen, Elizabeth Dole began running a statewide 30-second TV ad linking her opponent, Kay Hagan, to godless atheists. But one of the alleged atheists pictured in the ad is Rick Stone, a former Bible teacher, and a current theology student at Harvard Divinity School.
Blisternew
We could have done so much better than this. All that promise of youth -- the flecked shiny bits in polyurethane roller-skate wheels beaming reflections into personal Xanadus.
Orlando Weekly |
Billy Manes |
10-30-2008 |
Comedy
Tags: humor, Gibson Guitar VIP Showroom
This Little Undergroundnew
As happens with any stimulus, the heavy Swedish metal I've been around lately has apparently modulated my tolerance quite a bit. That would explain why my impression of Opeth is locked in a state of nonplus.
Orlando Weekly |
Bao Le-Huu |
10-30-2008 |
Music