AltWeeklies Wire
The Collapse of ObamaCare is Rooted in Unclear Communication
A poll says that 67 percent of Americans don't understand Obama's healthcare plan. I'm one of them.
Cartoon: Barry Bonds, PFCnew

Troops in Afghanistan and Iraq are abusing psychotropic drugs in order to bulk up.
Cartoon: Exit Interview - Van Jonesnew

Finally, it turns out that the Obama White House had a liberal working there. Fortunately, he's been rooted out and summarily fired.
Tags: Barack Obama, Van Jones
So What Would Jesus Do About Health Care Reform?new

Think Barack Obama's a socialist? He's practically Calvin Coolidge if you compare his ideas on health care to those of Jesus.
Birmingham Weekly |
Courtney Haden |
09-08-2009 |
Commentary
Get Ready for a Post-Daily Newspaper Worldnew
What's next for journalism? First, put the decline of daily newspapers in context.
Sacramento News & Review |
Jeff vonKaenel |
09-08-2009 |
Media
At the International G.I. Joe Convention, Grown Men Play With Little Dollsnew

Most of the attendees are male, large, and loyal to either the 12-inch original toys or the 3-3/4-inch figurines based on the cartoon characters. A slight edge goes to the cartoon fans, who tend to be younger and single, with more disposable income.
After DJ Nights and Day-Glo, the Band-Band Makes a Comeback in Baltimorenew
This "new" breed is influenced by groups as disparate as uncompromising postpunk band Shellac, psych-pop favorite Animal Collective, and Baltimore's own art-aggro trio Double Dagger, but they don't sound like them, or, for that matter, each other. And they're churning out a sound as exciting and unbound as early Dan Deacon-in-a-warehouse -- as un-retro as the Wham City scene, but working with the DNA of far more deeply rooted music.
Baltimore City Paper |
Michael Byrne |
09-08-2009 |
Music
'Cold Souls' is a Delightfully Coy, if Featherweight, Comedynew
Writer/director Sophie Barthes' debut feature is a philosophical meditation hiding behind a science-fiction premise and all wrapped up in a intelligently nutty comedy of manners.
Baltimore City Paper |
Bret McCabe |
09-08-2009 |
Reviews
The Hunt for Haleigh Cummings Could Bring Down a Badass Bounty Hunternew

Cobra's work on the case of missing 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings has landed the bounty hunter in a world of trouble. He found himself on the wrong side of a pair of handcuffs and is now facing a felony charge himself.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Lisa Rab |
09-08-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Reading The Bills: Health Care Reformnew

The government of the United States is not trying to kill your grandmother. Or at least, if it is, no one saw fit to include that detail in the broad proposals for the reform of the American health-care system. Putting aside the name-calling for a moment, here's a look at some of the major proposals in the House and Senate versions of the bill.
Baltimore City Paper |
Chris Landers |
09-08-2009 |
Politics
The 1969 Texas International Pop Festival is History's Forgotten Festivalnew
This entire summer, pop culture has been inundated with Woodstock nostalgia. But another landmark festival happened just weeks later. While Texas International Pop Festival's attendance was quite a bit smaller than Woodstock's, it was still a lot of folks, perhaps the largest public gathering in the state to date.
Houston Press |
Chris Gray |
09-08-2009 |
Music
Dying to Be Thin: A Survivor Shares the Nuts & Bolts of Recovering from Anorexianew
Paige Doughty says that she had never thought about it before, but one day, she started counting calories and counting fat and looking at the nutritional content of everything she ate. At first, it was just interesting to her. But then, it escalated.
Boulder Weekly |
Dana Logan |
09-08-2009 |
Science
The Burmese Come to Houstonnew

Get in, get out. Refugees have a shrinking window of support until it's time to fend for themselves.
Houston Press |
Mike Giglio |
09-08-2009 |
Immigration
Being a Blue Reporter in a Red Statenew
Most of the people I knew at the college paper where I cut my teeth went to places like Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Not me. As an English major, my services weren't in as much demand. Since there would be no editorial position at the New York Times, I embarked on what I called "John Bear's Backwater Nightmare Tour."
Weekly Alibi |
John Bear |
09-08-2009 |
Media
Despite its Flaws, '2M2MM' Has a Certain Televisual Appealnew
What if you took four online poker players, sent them to Las Vegas to live like high-rolling kings and tasked them with the goal of winning $2 million in two months? I'll admit, it's a "what if" scenario I've never actually contemplated. But thanks to the new G4 reality series Two Months. Two Million., it's one with which we're all now confronted.
Weekly Alibi |
Devin D. O'Leary |
09-08-2009 |
TV