This week’s smash-hit viral video is a cheery little mash-up in which a Monty Python classic gets its peanut butter in the chocolate of the modern-day healthcare crisis. … and here’s the handy action link. If William Jennings Bryan were alive today, he might say something about not crucifying mankind upon a Cross of […]
Entries Tagged as 'Culture'
The Bright Side of Death
September 15th, 2007 · Comments Off on The Bright Side of Death · Activism, Comedy, Culture, Health, Healthcare Crisis, History, Human Rights, Politics, The Economy, Stupid, Video
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The Song Lyric That Made Me Cry Today
September 15th, 2007 · 2 Comments · Culture, Journal, Music, Poetry
This one: I guess all I’m really saying is how I think you’re wrong here and some things are worth the chaos that they come along with — Trembling Blue Stars, “Letter Never Sent” (which has a bridge worthy of Neil Finn) (First installment in a possible recurring series … feel free to share […]
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Colbert on the Klingon-Republican Alliance
September 12th, 2007 · Comments Off on Colbert on the Klingon-Republican Alliance · Comedy, Culture, Foreign Policy, Media, Peace, Politics, TV, Video
Stephen notices the Republicans’ rhetorical reliance on the word honor, and points out who else tends to use that word a lot.
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Roundup: Pink Elephant Edition
September 10th, 2007 · 3 Comments · Activism, Books, Climate Change, Comics, Culture, Energy, Film, Foreign Policy, Health, History, HIV/AIDS, Human Rights, Internet, Journalism, Language, LGBT, Media, Music, Nature, News, Peace, Performance, Politics, Racism, Roundup, Science, Tech, Theater
General Petraeus says that “victory” in Iraq will require 9-10 more years. I’m trying to imagine how ten more years of bloody occupation can possibly work out to a victory. More on that subject here. A bill has been introduced in Venezuela to restrict baby names to a list of 100 approved choices. “The bill’s […]
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Trailer for Rendition, with Meryl Streep, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Reese Witherspoon
September 10th, 2007 · 2 Comments · Blogs, Comics, Culture, Film, Human Rights, Media, News, Politics, Torture, Video
Via Towleroad, the trailer for the new movie Rendition, scheduled for release October 19 in the US. I’m not usually one for movies that get the “thriller” label, but the political dimension to this one — and the quality of the cast — make it look like an early standout among fall releases. There’s […]
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Russell Hoban News: New Releases and More
September 7th, 2007 · 2 Comments · Books, Culture, Fiction, Film, Lit, News, Russell Hoban, Science Fiction, Theater
I just updated the News page over at The Head of Orpheus, the Russell Hoban Web site I maintain, so I figured I might as well cross-post the info here as well (with a few slight formatting tweaks). Autumn 2007 is shaping up to be a great season for Hoban fans, with Russ’s next novel […]
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Music: Deborah Harry, “Two Times Blue”
September 7th, 2007 · Comments Off on Music: Deborah Harry, “Two Times Blue” · Culture, Music, New Wave, News, Video
From Debbie Harry’s forthcoming solo album Necessary Evil, which is due out October 9 in the US. I’m not entirely sure about the video, but I really like the song. You can hear another track from the album, “If I Had You,” on Ms. Harry’s official MySpace page.
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Good Morning, Day 51
September 6th, 2007 · Comments Off on Good Morning, Day 51 · Activism, Culture, Film, HCC-DDT, Health, Healthcare Crisis, Human Rights, Media, News, Politics, The Economy, Stupid
1,850 U.S. citizens were recently killed in an entirely preventable disaster. It’s been a while since I’ve updated this record — 37 days, to be exact. On July 18 I started keeping count of the 50 U.S. citizens who die every day because they can’t afford health care, according to this statistic. So in a […]
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Doctor Who News: Hugo Number Two, and a TARDIS Hiatus After Season Four
September 6th, 2007 · Comments Off on Doctor Who News: Hugo Number Two, and a TARDIS Hiatus After Season Four · Culture, Doctor Who, Fantasy, News, Science Fiction, Theater, TV
Steven Moffat has won his second Hugo award for writing a Doctor Who episode — this time for the Season Two episode “The Girl in the Fireplace.” And well deserved, in my book. “The Girl in the Fireplace” was a beautiful script and a real standout in Season Two. (Moffat previously won for the “Empty […]
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“Lord Have Mercy, I Think It’s the Cops”: Larry Craig and Madame George
September 4th, 2007 · 3 Comments · Activism, Culture, Essays, History, Human Rights, Journalism, LGBT, Music, News, Politics, Theater
Forgive me for posting twice in a row about Larry Craig. After the past week, surely it’s time for him to begin shrinking in the collective rear-view mirror of our culture. But I can’t help it. On Sunday, someone who goes by the nom de net Blueness posted an absolutely beautiful diary on Daily Kos, […]
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Senator Larry Craig vs. Avenue Q, and Butch Otter Goes Shopping
August 31st, 2007 · 4 Comments · Comedy, Culture, Journalism, Media, Performance, Politics, Theater, Video
Proving that the Republican Party truly is just one big puppet show: … I can’t find it now, but I swear that at some point in the 24 hours after the Craig story broke, there was a headline referring to him as “Toilet Sex Senator.” And of course my first thought was that The […]
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Roundup: Dinosaur Corsage Edition
August 31st, 2007 · Comments Off on Roundup: Dinosaur Corsage Edition · Activism, Advertising, Comics, Culture, Doctor Who, Energy, Film, Foreign Policy, Health, Healthcare Crisis, History, Human Rights, Law, LGBT, Media, Nature, News, Peace, Pets, Politics, Roundup, Science, TV
Scary stuff: There’s a lot of buzz and speculation that starting just after Labor Day, the Bush administration is going to be rolling out a major PR campaign to pave the way for war with Iran. See here and here for starters. Grand Moff Texan at DKos says the Bushies will be using the same […]
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Review: Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin
August 28th, 2007 · 5 Comments · Books, Culture, Fiction, Film, HIV/AIDS, LGBT, Lit, Reviews, TV
I just finished reading Armistead Maupin’s newest book, Michael Tolliver Lives — well, inhaling it really, because reading Michael Tolliver Lives is less like reading a novel than it is like opening a richly detailed letter from an old friend you inexplicably lost touch with about 15 years ago, and suddenly here he is giving […]
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