AltWeeklies Wire
'The Burning Plain' is an Interminably Spiritless Ordealnew
Beneath the film's tragic poses and ludicrous melancholy, one can almost hear Arriaga muttering to himself: "Do I have anything here? Let's maybe move this scene here, that one there, yeah, that'll do it, that looks like something. Right? Right?" Wrong.
Willamette Week |
Chris Stamm |
09-23-2009 |
Reviews
Why Are Insurers Blocking H1N1 Treatment Prescriptions?
I got swine flu. Five days later, I was at death's door -- because my evil insurance company wouldn't honor my doctor's prescription. Memo to future revolutionaries: if you require a firing squad for the executives of the Health Insurance Plan (HIP) of New York, I'm handy with a rifle.
Can California's Community Colleges Weather the Economic Storm?new
While those in the system figure out how to weather this year's cuts, they anticipate fearsome funding cuts in next year's budget and beyond. But money for community colleges should be structured in much the same way that unemployment insurance is supposed to work, so that it is there when it is needed most -- like it is today.
East Bay Express |
Jay Youngdahl |
09-23-2009 |
Education
Played Live, Bon Iver's Sparse Songs Breathe With a New Intensitynew
Often muted and spare on record, Bon Iver burns with an entirely different intensity live, a gathering storm of percussion and surging guitars all held together by Justin Vernon's singing, the high and often spooky howl that stamps his music with such a tremendous feeling of isolation.
East Bay Express |
Eric Swedlund |
09-23-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Cartoon: Recovery is at Handnew
Each month, fewer jobs are lost than the month before. Which is because there are fewer jobs left to lose.
'Cheap' Tackles the Fraught Practice of Buying and Selling Cheap Goodsnew
For its catchy title and relatively few pages, Cheap is a weighty book. Shell reveals the dizzying connections between price and poverty, using statistics, historical accounts, and scientific and sociological explanations. She spent two years doing research, traveling to Sweden, the birthplace of IKEA, and China, "factory to the world."
The Texas Observer |
C.B. Evans |
09-23-2009 |
Nonfiction
Texas Pickers Strum Germans to Set Recordnew
On an August afternoon hotter than Jerry Jeff Walker's temper, two extraordinary things transpired: I played two songs with 1,867 other guitar pickers to set a Guinness world record. And I rekindled a subliminal inner joy buried for years.
The Texas Observer |
Robert McCorkle |
09-23-2009 |
Music
Get Your Pencils Out for the Best Erotic Comicsnew
Erotic comics are a special breed of porn. Unlike prose, they can show as well as describe. Unlike photos, they're narrative. Unlike film, they have a limitless special effects budget. And yet good erotic comics seem in short supply. Here are a few of the best.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Justin Hall |
09-23-2009 |
Books
Singer/Guitarist Eric Lindell Makes Space for Soulnew
Gulf Coast Highway finds Lindell reaching new musical ground. As passionate as ever, he sounds as strong on the mic and through the guitar amp as he did on previous albums. But there's a fine layer and extra polish on this new batch.
Charleston City Paper |
T. Ballard Lesemann |
09-23-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Eric Lindell, Gulf Coast Highway
How the Sustainable-Food Movement Drove One Family to the Frozen-Food Aislenew
While I was thinking about what kinds of foods are good for my kids' bodies and our Earth, my family was seeing less and less of me. That's when it came to me: I'm not going to cook anymore.
East Bay Express |
Sierra Filucci |
09-23-2009 |
Food+Drink
Mighty Mighty Bosstones Bassist Tackles New Gig: Teaching College Studentsnew
Joe Gittleman was hired earlier this year to teach in the college's Music Business and Industry degree program, which focuses on what goes on behind the scenes rather than on the stage, covering both technical fields such as lighting design and sound engineering, and more service-oriented disciplines such as band management and venue operations.
Seven Days |
Dan Bolles |
09-23-2009 |
Education
Smokey Robinson's First CD in Three Years is Well-Timed but Misses the Marknew
Though Robinson's name is practically synonymous with Motown, its signature soul and pop sounds are nowhere to be found on this work, which skews toward contemporary R&B and smooth jazz.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Ben Westhoff |
09-22-2009 |
Reviews
Does Team Obama Risk Losing Momentum Over Health-Care Reform?new
As some former Obama fans see the president's stance on health care shift from his pre-election promises, a new question has arisen. Will they be more loyal to their president or to their own vision for health care?
Philadelphia City Paper |
Julia Harte |
09-22-2009 |
Politics
Slaughterhouse's Four MCs Display Pure, Old-School One-Upmanshipnew
Composed of critically respected but commercially unheralded underground MCs Joell Ortiz, Royce da 5'9", Crooked I and Joe Budden, the group's self-titled debut serves mainly as a platform for each man to attempt to one-up the others through punchlines, dexterity and flat-out velocity.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Ben Westhoff |
09-22-2009 |
Reviews
Dan Sartain Wonders into Darker Terrain With His Latest Releasenew
On the A-side, "Bohemian Grove" glows with skeletal, moonlit arrangements. Adam Renshaw lays down drums over a minimal and motorik piano plod courtesy of Jack White. There's a devil-as-crooner quality to it all, and what really gives the song girth is White's glassy production.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
09-22-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Dan Sartain, Bohemian Grove
