“The Lovely Bones”: flawed, but gorgeous
“My name is Salmon, like the fish. First name Susie. I was fourteen years old when I was murdered on December 16th, 1973. I wasn’t gone. I was alive in my own perfect world. But in my heart, I...
Category: Themes
Dysfunctional Senate: is filibuster reform the way to go?
I am deeply concerned for the future of American democracy. The Senate’s failure to function threatens the nation’s long democratic history. The government’s system of checks and balances...
James Purefoy shines in “Solomon Kane”
Believe it or not, there is an upside to mourning “The Sopranos.” Like a heroin addict trying to kick the smack, you look for a methadone replacement amongst the countless DVD box sets. At the...
Rethinking Work: sports as labor
Last week, the New Orleans Saints, long NFL football's worst team, won the Super Bowl. A city cheered, and people from around the country whose teams were knocked out earlier in the season joined...
European art & the financial crisis: yes, it matters
Art is in crisis – again. No, it's not a fight between alter-modernism and post-modernism or any other art world tussle. This time it's all about the money. Governments across Europe are...
Gerald Johnson’s “Tony”: sympathetic, terrifying, British
Dalston weirdo Tony Benson is the host with the most. Come and relax in his bachelor pad after a hard day mooching, trying to score smack. Been to the local gay trance night at the “Joiner’s...
Kevin Smith & Southwest: the tip of the fat-shaming iceberg
On February 13th, Kevin Smith was asked to vacate his seat on a Southwest airlines flight, on account of being "too fat" to fly. Smith is a very successful director, and when he decided to use...
Mérida Initiative: helping the War on Drugs?
When it was announced in 2007 by George W. Bush and Felipe Calderón, the Mérida Initiative was to change the way the US and Mexico approached the war on drugs. With the transfer of almost $1.5...
John Mayer’s “David Duke” anatomy & Black women
John Mayer is no stranger to controversy. In various interviews and on Twitter, he has made comments that many consider to be racist, sexist, and homophobic. Mayer is a musician, and as such, we...
Winter Olympics: why Team USA is nearly white as snow
With the Vancouver Games starting today and it also being Black History month, I have pondered why we haven't had as many excellent African-American winter Olympians as we consistently produce for...