AltWeeklies Wire
'Tattoo Machine' Explores the Secret World of Inknew
More gossip rag than technical primer, Tattoo Machine owes as much of its existence to the author's skill with a needle as it does to his storytelling chops. While Johnson's penchant for philosophical diatribe grates, the man has both great stories and the writerly candor to tell them.
Willamette Week |
Caitlin McCarthy |
07-22-2009 |
Nonfiction
New Federal Food Safety Regulations Won't Impact Small Farmsnew
Locavores may have raised their hackles last week when reading that the Obama administration released a series of new proposals to regulate a number of foods, including eggs, poultry and beef. But farms with fewer than 3,000 laying hens would be exempt from the new rules on salmonella testing and refrigeration. The exception reflects small farms' reduced operation scale and the uneven costs these would levy on them.
C-Ville Weekly |
Melissa Batchelor Warnke |
07-22-2009 |
Food+Drink
Virginia Republicans Look to 2009 ... and Beyondnew
If there's one thing that we love about Virginia's odd-year election cycle, it's that it stretches the already interminable political season into near-perpetuity, insuring that not a year goes by without a healthy dose of campaign shenanigans for us to laugh at, lacerate and lampoon to our snarky heart's content.
C-Ville Weekly |
Dan Catalano |
07-22-2009 |
Politics
Industrial Stalwarts VNV Nation Haven't Changednew
Based on a cursory glance at the imagery on VNV Nation's new album, you could easily dismiss Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson as yet another cold, industrial-rock band lacking any sense of connection to its fans. Harris would beg to differ.
San Antonio Current |
Norm Narvaja |
07-22-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Two New TV Nurses Snort Percocet, Shutup Coworkers and Rail Against Lunacynew
While the truth of the occupation lies somewhere between these polar extremes, HawthoRNe and Nurse Jackie represent breakthrough television on multiple levels.
San Antonio Current |
Jim McFarlin |
07-22-2009 |
Movies
Jarvis Cocker Takes Delight in 'Knowing All This is Crap'new
I could talk to Cocker on a plane, I could talk to him on a train, and I could talk to him about blues music being "used to sell a hell of a lot of cars" in the passenger seat of an Audi tearing back to SF from Point Reyes, via iPhone and earplugs, while tapping on the trusty laptop. He's that good, that much of a closet mensch keeping it as real as a man of style and taste can.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Kimberly Chun |
07-22-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Why Beach Books Suck ... and How to Avoid Themnew
Forget playing in the surf or baking in the sun. The best thing to do at the beach is to kick back and spend the afternoon lost in a book. But don't make the mistake of buying a novel that has a picture of an actual beach on the cover. Those books are not for you.
Charleston City Paper |
Stephanie Barna |
07-22-2009 |
Books
Tags: beach books, summer reading
Author Mary Alice Monroe Loves the Great Outdoorsnew
After The Beach House, researching environmental topics became a central part of Monroe's creative process, an approach she used for novels such as Skyward and Sweetgrass. In her most recent novel, some readers might come away from the book feeling as if they too have felt the sting of salt spray while standing at the bow of a shrimping troller.
Charleston City Paper |
Cara Kelly |
07-22-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Health Care Reformers Fear the Cure May be Worse Than the Diseasenew
With President Barack Obama and congressional leaders in a strong position to finally overhaul the health care system, this should be a momentous time for the reform movement. So why are so many advocacy groups unhappy?
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Rebecca Bowe and Steven T. Jones |
07-22-2009 |
Science
Run-DMC's Darryl McDaniels Rolls With Life's Impromptu Flownew
It's not McDaniels' voice that makes conversations with him strange, it's his habit of trailing off on confusing, lengthy digressions. For example, rather than speaking directly about his recent visit to the White House, he launches into a seven minute diatribe about foster children.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Ben Westhoff |
07-21-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
What the Heck's Going On in Honduras?new
Though the latest political crisis in Honduras has nothing to do with soccer, it is similar to the Soccer War in the sense that it's the direct result of the Honduran ruling class' inability to put the country's well-being ahead of its own petty interests.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Andisheh Nouraee |
07-21-2009 |
Commentary
Hollywood Product: 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'new
The script's use of potions and oaths speak to themes about choices, loyalty and trust, but the inconclusive ending defers resolution until the two films of the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. So don't make plans for Thanksgiving 2010 or the summer of 2011.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
07-21-2009 |
Reviews
'Il Divo' Takes a 'Goodfellas'-Style Approach to Italian Corruptionnew
If you're a longtime follower of European politics, you might have an easier time with Il Divo's dizzying summation of Italy's power structure and the knotty criminal conspiracies linking Giulio Andreotti to murders, suicides and a scandal nicknamed Bribesville.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
07-21-2009 |
Reviews
'(500) Days of Summer' Takes a Wise Look at Love Found, and Lost, and Found
No matter how goofy the film gets at individual moments, it becomes fairly irresistible for one simple reason. When it comes to understanding heartbreak and the role of different loves in our lives, it's almost painfully wise.
Salt Lake City Weekly |
Scott Renshaw |
07-21-2009 |
Reviews
Creating Jobs, Unfortunately, Doesn't Seem to be an Obama Priority
Obama's plan is Reaganomics redux. Give trillions of dollars to big corporations, he argues, and they'll use it to capitalize new ventures, hire workers, and unclog the credit markets. Eventually.
