http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Mon, 18 Jul 2005 13:27:25 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/07/18/132725.php OnBackgroundIn a day when idealism, at least of the progressive variety, is sorely pressed, John Flynn plays some inspiring folk music with a political bent. The guitar-backed vocal melody is enough to get you into a rhythm, but lyrics that describe corruption and evil as a dragon that "walks with priceless treasure out democracy's front door, It buys and sells the very ones that you and I vote for" and "It prays upon defenseless ones, the poor, the sick and the old," calls listeners to action.Flynn's music tells stories, pokes fun, and reminds each of us that we have a responsibility to make the world a better place. Listen to a few of his songs - you'll want to hear more.REF:Aaman Music32733@blogcritics.org Mon, 18 Jul 2005 13:27:25 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/09/112203.php OnBackgroundYour donations alone do not and can not change the direction of the country. It is not the average supporter of $10, $25, or even $50 that enables movements for social change, environmental justice, civil liberties and civil rights to succeed. The startling thing you learn when you really get into the thick of liberal advocacy, is how dependent progress really is on those it claims to be against.If you take a hard look at the financial disclosure documents of the great nonprofit champions of the causes you support, those who battle racism, sexism, poverty, pollution, infringements on your rights, etc. and you'll find that they alternately suckle at the teat of the same corporate behemoths that they are all too often must battle. The most ardent consumer advocates apply for funds from the mercilessly mercantile, the purest enviros take money from current or former polluters of the highest order, and all but the rarest of groups are forced to follow the dollar trail. And those corporate barons, their descendents and inheritors, dictate how those resources are used. Of course, the organizations we support try to find funds that enable their missions, look for independent and string-free dollars, and have some discretion to do what they feel is best. But as is true in so many areas of human endeavor, those with the money make the rules. Since you and I do not really give that much or use our time to support the causes we believe in, nonprofit agenda-setting organizations must fund their efforts as they can. Here in America, at least, that means that all too often the advocates of the causes that we passionately believe in must follow the agendas of those who really do not share our beliefs. That means that change will be at the margins. That means that progress will forever be a distant goal.So if you really feel that we have fundamental rights that should not be infringed upon, that preserving a healthy environment for our children is the moral course, that everyone should have a chance to succeed and no one should starve in the richest country in history, that people should come before profit, or that real change is needed for our society to be just, then you have to do more. We have to join the movement for change, not just send a few dollars each year and then ignore the problems. We have to give a bit more, yes, but not just of our money. Vital organizations and movements are built through the efforts of volunteer activists who give money, but who also organize, who learn about and vote conscientiously, who spend their money and their time responsibility, who talk to their friends, neighbors, family members, contacts, and political leaders about how best to create the society that we want to live in and want our children to live in. Politics26482@blogcritics.org Wed, 9 Mar 2005 11:22:03 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/12/31/204143.php OnBackgroundAm I the only political junkie, eager for laughs at the expense of public officials, policies, and politics, who is disappointed by the Capitol Steps? Look, I know what they talk about, am willing to laugh at both sides, have a sense of humor, and even had a couple of drinks before listening to the performance broadcast on NPR tonight. But I only laughed twice, and the big guffaw wasn't even for a political joke. This isn't the first time, but I'm finding that political humor is hard to find.A House staffer once told me that the tv series "The West Wing" is like crack cocaine for liberals. It's how we escape the troubling reality of W's rightwing policies, cynical politics, and foolish statements to dwell in a world where the President works tirelessly for the good of all Americans, wins rather frequently, and is supported by attractive, capable staffers that many of us can imagine being. She's right. If you've worked in public policy under any of the recent regimes, including Clinton's, you know how far from the ideal executive policymaking is and how tough it can be to get anything done in the public interest in DC. So, this progressive policy advocate is more than happy to take a weekly hit (or a more intense dose via the dvd versions) of a White House that works for the American people.And though we choose between reality and madness It's either sadness or euphoria.from Billy Joel's "Summer, Highland Falls" Politics23804@blogcritics.org Fri, 31 Dec 2004 20:41:43 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/11/21/131435.php OnBackgroundKinsey is the story of Indiana University Professor Alfred Kinsey who, after exhausting research on the gall wasp, turned his attention to the scientific study of human sexuality, eventually putting together the book Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. The results of that research, which included extensive interviews with thousands of subjects and apparently even recording on film, led Kinsey, his associates, and eventually society as a whole to new understandings of sexuality. It help foment the urge to question and experiment to the extent that some have called him the father of the sexual revolution. Kinsey reminds us of the boundaries society draws for us, and how we internalize them deeply without even really questioning. It asks us to both remember a time not so long ago when we were even more ignorant than today about our nature, and pushes us to wonder at the inhibitions and societal controls that keep us from exploring who we are today. Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, and the rest of the cast generally turn in strong, convincing performances that are human and yet more willing to question and explore than many of us are. Timothy Hutton is hard to buy as a young researcher, but he and Chris O'Donnell play only minor roles, leaving plenty of time for Peter Sarsgaard's excellent work as Kinsey's assistant who helps him see where the research leads. The folks who cast this movie have a real eye for irony. Anyone who remembers Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture show will find it more than a bit amusing to see him playing the prude professor admonishing his students and anyone else who will listen to abstain from sex and to avoid sex for anything other than procreation in marriage. I know he's done a lot over the years, but I still have a certain image of him!Well done; entertaining; thought provoking; and worth seeing. Video22465@blogcritics.org Sun, 21 Nov 2004 13:14:35 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/02/19/094118.php OnBackgroundLook, I like a good parody as much as the next person. And heck, satire makes me smile. And finally, I really feel like you have to be open to new sounds.That said, the Flaming Lips' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is just bad. The lead screamer is kind of whining most of the time. The instruments are used so simplistically that a kindergartener playing with one of those plastic-stringed banjos from the toy store sounds better and demonstrates superior skill. Now my friend protests that the lyrics are deep and that the sound is an acquired taste, but with so much else out there to listen to, why bother? Of course, you could buy their albums and they have a site with psychedelic art, etc., but I'd advise against wasting any more time on the Flaming Lips. Music12922@blogcritics.org Thu, 19 Feb 2004 09:41:18 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/02/12/114633.php OnBackgroundEarth from Above, a photo book with fantastic shots of manmade and natural phenomena by Yann Arthus-Bertrand is a tour-de-force of images of how we live and how our lives impact the world around us. With informed commentary that explains the photos in environmental and social terms, this tome is more than just a pretty book. The challenges facing our world are "translated from arid fact to alarming image, giving immediate meaning to the statistics that underlie today's environmental headlines; his photographs of the ruins of rural Madagascar, where forests are being cleared at a rate of 1,500 square kilometers (580 square miles) annually, are a sad case in point." One cannot help but be awed by the beauty of the world and its inhabitants, and alarmed by some of our actions. Some will hopefully be moved to action by the striking images "of stalagmite-like fans of algae spreading into the Mediterranean Sea, farmers working their fields in northern India, or destroyed Iraqi tanks littering the deserts of Kuwait." Others will just enjoy, and perhaps learn from it.Having this fantastic book at home to pore over is the way to go, but if you need a taste before buying, check out the photographer's web pages. Books12673@blogcritics.org Thu, 12 Feb 2004 11:46:33 EST