Why China Has Our Economy By the Balls
[Scott Thill, AlterNet] On May 1, China popped the cork on Expo 2010 in Shanghai, a months-long international celebration signifying the ascension of the city, and thereby its parent nation, […]
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Best Concert Films Ever? Screen These Legends
On Apr. 30, Phish 3D hit theaters in a limited engagement, taking concert films into the multiple dimensions of the post-Avatar era. But Phish’s 2D predecessors still have a serious […]
Meet the New Soul Stirrers!
What’s the difference between nu-soul and old soul? Terminology of course! Sharon Jones, at right, is proof of that thesis: She’s been around for awhile. It’s just us that have […]
Invasion of the Cover Bands!
The Flaming Lips’ cover version of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, out on vinyl in April and disc in May, and the band is even performing it in […]
Showdown On Wall Street
[Scott Thill, AlterNet] Good thing Goldman Sachs reported its first-quarter profits on the popular pot holiday April 20. Because you had to be totally stoned to appreciate the sheer, corrupt […]
In Praise of Ralph Bakshi, Animation Pioneer
One of animation’s most influential artists, Ralph Bakshi made his mark on pop culture by refusing to sacrifice his singular vision to popular tastes and trends.
With Finance, Expected the Unexpectedly
When it comes to the finance casino, expect the unexpected. And when it comes to the financial press that is committed to covering it, expect to hear the word “unexpectedly.” […]
Goodbye, Paper Money
[Scott Thill, AlterNet] Currency has come a long way in the past few thousand years of human existence. Ancient Turkey started using hybrid silver and gold coins around 640 B.C. […]
Firefly Reboots! And Other April Fool Headlines
Sigh. Do you ever wish for the return of Joss Whedon’s Firefly, a reunion of the original Pink Floyd lineup, great films made from Alan Moore’s brain-melting comics, Neuromancer the […]
Ten Ways Mother Earth Will Strike Back
Welcome to our existential nightmare, from rising seas and runaway droughts and storms to the outer limits of dystopian catastrophes like the fart apocalypse.
Gold Fever and Artificial Value
[Scott Thill, AlterNet] Quick, check out this hot investment tip! For decades now, the Federal Reserve has been suppressing the true value of gold to keep its prodigious impact out […]
Goldman Sucks Greece, Swallows The Eurozone
I’ve been writing about Goldman Sucks — that is, rapacious economics star chamber Goldman Sachs — for years now. And I’m glad the rest of the world is finally paying […]
Dark Side Eclipses Concept Album Classics
On March 10, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon turned 37. So given that it is my favorite concept album ever, I decided to call it the overall greatest […]
UN: Climate Crisis Attention Lacks Ambition
They would rather wait until the climate crisis has already ripped the roof off the world as they knew it, before doing anything significant about it.
In a Parallel Universe, These Songs Win Oscars
From “Purple Rain” to “Kickapoo” to “Always Look On the Bright Side of Life” to “Uncle Fucker”
Yellow Light Panopticon Crashes, Burns
With profit as the red-light camera’s primary motive, it’s hard for an already disenfranchised citizenry to find friends in those money-hungry local governments.
Colbert Would Pwn Obama, Says White House
How much do I dig Stephen Colbert’s viral hyperreality? Enough to write about him every chance I get. So when White House press secretary Robert Gibbs actually comes out and […]
What’s the Secret of Boba Fett’s Staying Power?
The bounty hunter has lately infused The Clone Wars with some much-needed threat, now that its main evils, such as General Grievous, have been unmasked as mostly comic relief.
Free Culture Now. Mass Culture Tomorrow.
I wrote about the Students for Free Culture’s conference Free Culture X, taking place on Saturday and Sunday in D.C., recently for Wired.com. But for those still unclear on why […]
Lesson Up! Black History Month Revealed
African-Americans have contributed so much to popular music, it’s no wonder that many of them have never really received their proper due. February is Black History Month, so here’s a […]
Technocracy Blowback: Five Case Studies
“Why blame technology? It generally does what it is coded to do. It’s the human sentient understanding of how to take cruel advantage of human weakness that’s the problem.”
Global Warming’s Catastrophic Polarities
Climate change deniers argue that the frozen storms battering America have nothing to do with the arrival of hell on Earth. But destabilizing intensity on either end of the weather spectrum is our new normal, and we better get used to it.
Adam Curtis: Meet the New Yemen, Same As the Old Yemen
Our current obsession with Yemen is anything but current, brainiac documentarian Adam Curtis argued in his BBC blog “The Medium and the Message.” In fact, it’s older than Osama. “What […]
Pat Robertson. Poet. Humorist. Terrorist.
[Scott Thill, Morphizm] “Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. You know, […]