SID VICIOUS Sid Vicious never had the chance to spend any time in prison, but only because he died first. Sid’s real name was John Ritchie, and he was one of those rock stars who lucked into a career, having been asked to play bass for the Sex Pistols, the infamous British punk rock band […]
Oh, the times they are A-changin’. Music legend Bob Dylan starred in a TV commercial for Chrysler which aired during the second half of Super Bowl 2014, and now the 72-year-old singer is predictably being called a sell-out. The commercial spot generated a firestorm of controversy in the media, provoking outrage among many of Dylan’s […]
“Culture jamming” is the process through which a familiar media image or concept is co-opted, deconstructed, demystified and turned against itself. I recently read four articles dealing with various aspects of supposedly “fake news” shows such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (TDS) and The Colbert Report. Both are hugely popular satirical TV news […]
My wife and I recently celebrated our 31st anniversary, and with each passing year we’re more convinced we made the right decision by not having kids. We decided long ago that we didn’t want to bring children into this world because we could see a looming disaster on the horizon. The future looked pretty bleak […]
Climate change is real. The science is indisputable. Only a fool or a liar would deny it. Global weather patterns have changed dramatically in just the last few years. The Southwest is drying up. The drought continues unabated. It’s encouraging that more people are starting to recognize the scale of the challenge which humanity is […]
The guiding principles behind ‘Net Neutrality’ are currently under attack. Last Wednesday, hundreds of major tech firms and internet advocacy groups staged an online protest of the Federal Communication Commission’s recent proposals which will allow internet service providers (ISPs) to charge customers more money for faster online service. These rules run contrary to the concept […]
The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel is a landmark publication which elucidates the core principles and practices of Journalism. The authors describe some of the ways in which the profession has changed in our society over the years. They decry the failure […]
Let’s be honest. America is not exactly the happiest place in the world to live. Not by a long shot. A complete list of all the causes would take up another entire column. Needless to say, a lot of people are pretty miserable right now. A study published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions […]
The late comedian Bill Hicks and I had lot in common. Among other things, we both shared a morbid fascination with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. One of Bill’s funniest stand-up routines dealt with the reactions he used to get whenever he brought up the subject: “I love talking about the Kennedy assassination, […]
Part 1 Pulitzer-Prize winning Journalist Alex S. Jones – not to be confused with that other Alex Jones – warns readers in his seminal book, ‘Losing the News,’ of the dangers which news organizations face in regards to accountability and public trust. He worries that the core values of journalism are under serious threat and […]
