AltWeeklies Wire
One Year Later, Progressives Are Fighting an Uphill Battlenew
Obama's inauguration a year ago was a historic triumph, but the year since has seeped with anxiety, upheaval and political ugliness. The frustration and despair have trickled down, with Republicans attacking at every chance and Democrats failing to respond effectively.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Independent News Staff |
01-14-2010 |
Politics
Oregon's Jails Are its Biggest Providers of Mental Health Servicesnew
The jail spends half of its annual $600,000 drug budget on psychiatric medications for the inmates who will consent to taking them. But jails can't force the inmates. Far from solving our state's mental health problems, the current situation is probably making them worse.
The Portland Mercury |
Matt Davis |
01-14-2010 |
Crime & Justice
The Buck Stops Here: Chapel Hill Mulling the Culling of Deernew
Heeding calls from concerned residents, the Town Council on Monday directed the parks and recreation department to investigate curbing Chapel Hill's deer problem. Councilmembers said the department's proposal to cure the problem by distributing a pamphlet on deer-resistant plants and fences wouldn't solve anything.
INDY Week |
Joe Schwartz |
01-14-2010 |
Environment
Peter Jackson's 'The Lovely Bones' is Dark and Staticnew
Surprisingly, apart from Stanley Tucci's acclaimed turn as serial killer George Harvey, The Lovely Bones has been shut out of the awards-season accolades. Frankly, some of the catcalls are nitpicky and unjustified.
Joshua Ferris’ Second Novel Has Legs and Knows How to Use Themnew
Whereas Illinois native Joshua Ferris, author of the award-winning debut novel Then We Came to the End, voluntarily relocated to New York, the protagonist of his thoughtful and unsettling second novel, The Unnamed, finds that a force beyond his control governs his physical movement.
New York Press |
Rayyan Al-Shawaf |
01-14-2010 |
Fiction
Flesh Mob: New York’s Vegetarians Have Come Down With Some Serious Bloodlustnew
These days, as high-profile chefs like David Chang resolutely refuse to cater to an animal product-free world, many New York vegetarians are giving up the greens and developing a taste for flesh.
New York Press |
Linnea Covington |
01-14-2010 |
Food+Drink
Cartoon: Next, In-Flight Lobotomiesnew
True story: The TSA has banned pilots from telling you about the sights off your left wing.
Ólöf Arnalds: 'Við og Við' ('One Little Indian')new
Icelandic multi-instrumentalist Ólöf Arnalds' solo debut was originally released in Iceland back in 2007, and is only finding a U.S. home this week. Arnalds' songs invite you to listen closely, sway, hum along and get sucked into her world.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
01-13-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Við og Við, Ólöf Arnalds
Fluffy Fun: Vampire Weekend's 'Contra'new
The frenetic buzz surrounding the band — the blogosphere debates over the band's merits — has made them into the Jonathan Safran Foer of indie rock. On Contra, debates about Vampire Weekend will not be settled, only recycled. If anyone still cares.
Tucson Weekly |
Sean Bottai |
01-13-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Contra, Vampire Weekend
Mark Growden Kicks Off a Monthly Concert Series at the Screening Roomnew
Mark Growden admits that he might never have started singing and writing songs had he not been ripped off. Growden was a jazz saxophonist and music teacher in his adopted hometown of San Francisco—until in 1997, when his instruments were stolen. So he started writing songs on accordion and singing. Soon, he was playing banjo, piano and guitar.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
01-13-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Mark Growden, Saint Judas
More Magic Needed: 'Parnassus' Doesn't Worknew
Heath Ledger is solid in his final film, but the movie itself doesn't work. Ledger had already filmed a bunch of scenes when he passed away in January 2008. Rather than scrap the film, Terry Gilliam and friends came up with an idea to keep the project moving forward.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
01-13-2010 |
Reviews
Pretentiously Played: Peter Jackson's Sickly Sweet Schlocknew
'The Lovely Bones' is a steaming, treacly pile of excrescence, frosted with visuals that look like they were adapted from the pink, lace-covered dream journal of a unicorn-collecting scrapbooker. Essentially, if Walt Disney made a movie about the rape and murder of a teenager, this is the movie he'd make.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
01-13-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: The Lovely Bones, Peter Jackson
Philip Caputo Uses the Border as His Inspiration in 'Crossers'new
When writer Philip Caputo first came to Patagonia in 1996, he wasn't looking for the Arizona-Mexico borderlands to become a canvas for his fiction. The borderlands have a way of taking whatever part of you is given over to creativity and setting it on fire. The result, 2 1/2 years in the making, is his latest novel, Crossers.
Tucson Weekly |
Leo W. Banks |
01-13-2010 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
