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Category Archives: RagBlog
Prepare to Howl : Dana Lyons’ ‘Three Legged Coyote’
A happy holiday howl:Dana Lyons’ Three Legged Coyote is an irreverent hoot By Harvey Wasserman / The Rag Blog / December 6, 2009 If you’re bummed by Obama, nagged by nukes and turned totally off by your TV, here’s a … Continue reading
Posted in RagBlog
Tagged Criticism, Harvey Wasserman, Humor, Music, Political Satire, Protest Songs, Social Protest, Vegetarianism
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Forced Prostitution in Mexico : Lost Women of the Narcoguerra
“Sex Slave” by Vangobot / Pop Art Machine.Organized crime in Mexico:Massive transnational sex trade The networks of traffickers in women use Mexico as a bridge to move teens to the U.S. and Canada where they are sold and sexually exploited. … Continue reading
Posted in RagBlog
Tagged Investigative Journalism, Mexico, Michael Reynolds, Narcoguerra, Prostitution, Sex Crimes, Sex Slavery, Sexual Abuse, Women
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PRESS / Dick J. Reavis : Texas Tribune Lacks Regional Vision
Texas Tribune. Image from UrbanGrounds.The Texas Tribune:Bells and whistles but little vision The Tribune mistakes numbers for people and information for insight. It is in no way culturally or regionally idiosyncratic. By Dick J. Reavis / The Rag Blog / … Continue reading
Posted in RagBlog
Tagged Criticism, Dick J. Reavis, Digital Media, Hispanic, Internet, Media, Mexico, Texas, Texas Politics, The Press
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Tom Hayden : Time to Strip Off the Obama Sticker
Image from Zazzle.com.Obama’s Afghanistan escalation:Latest in a string of disappointments I’ll support Obama down the road against Sarah Palin, Lou Dobbs or any of the pitchfork carriers for the pre-Obama era. But no bumper sticker until the withdrawal strategy is … Continue reading
Afghanistan : Escalation or Social Justice?
Image from AfterDowningStreet.Obama’s escalation in AfghanistanFaces immediate opposition By Harvey Wasserman / The Rag Blog / December 1, 2009 Tonight at 8 p.m. EST President Barack Obama is set to announce his commitment to the worst blunder in U.S. policy … Continue reading
Posted in RagBlog
Tagged Afghanistan, Harvey Wasserman, Obama Foreign Policy, Peace Movement, Political Protest, Social Action
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Tiger Woods : It’s How You Play the Game
Photo from Reuters.Slave labor and toxic dumping:Tiger Woods and his corporate partners This is business as usual for Woods who would sooner swallow a five-iron than take anything resembling a political stand. By Dave Zirin / December 1, 2009 During … Continue reading
Rebecca Solnit : Reflections on Fanaticism
John Brown depicted in detail from a mural by John Steuart Curray titled “Tragic Prelude,” in the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka.Today’s fanatic, tomorrow’s saint It’s popular to think that the world gets changed by nice people, but the lives … Continue reading
Posted in RagBlog
Tagged American History, Climate Change, Extremism, Globalization, Philosophy, Religious Fanaticism, Slavery, Social Activism
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Cannabis Commerce : Wasted Potential
Graphic from sloshspot. CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE Put that in your pipe and smoke it Love it or hate it, people smoke marijuana — lots of it. In some states marijuana consumption and possession have been decriminalized, and even … Continue reading
Posted in RagBlog
Tagged Cannabis, Chamber of Commerce, Drugs, Economy, Marijuana, Medical Marijuana
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R.I.P. Bill Narum : Legendary Artist of the Texas Counterculture
Below, cover of Space City!, June 1, 1971. Illustration and design by Bill Narum. Bill Narum was a dear friend of The Rag Blog and my personal friend and colleague for more than four decades. He was art director at … Continue reading
Posted in RagBlog
Tagged Art, Artists, Austin, Counterculture, Deaths, Graphic Design, Houston, People, Psychedelic Rock, Sixties, Space City, Texas, Underground Culture, Underground Press, Underground Radio
8 Comments
Crazy for God : Frank Schaeffer on the Rachel Maddow Show
[There was a remarkable segment on last night’s Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC (Nov. 17, 2009). Former evangelical leader Frank Schaeffer described for Maddow and her audience some genuinely frightening activity that is occurring on the fringes of the religious … Continue reading
A Morally Bankrupt Military : Spc. Alexis Hutchinson and Pvt. Paul Rich
Army Spc. Alexis Hutchinson. Below, Alexis with son Kamani Hutchinson. Photos from Oakland Tribune.U.S. Army:Infant to protective services, mom to Afghanistan By Dahr Jamail / November 16, 2009 See ‘Morally bankrupt military: When soldiers and their families become expendable,’ by … Continue reading
Career Tips : Pollyanna’s Postmodern Pointers
Photo from madebytess / Flickr. Employment trends for a post-widget world By Pollyanna O’Possum / The Rag Blog / December 1, 2009 AUSTIN, Texas — Let’s face it, friends: the U.S. of A. is not going back to making widgets … Continue reading →