maetl

America

Game Changing

How video games trained a generation of athletes.

The Decline of American Civility

Mutually escalating aggression is more than just plain old ‘internet trolling’.

Wink of a Cold War

Although experts and activists alike have been saying this for many years, it has taken until 2009 for the U.S. Department of Energy to admit that the era of cheap oil is over.

Helen meets George

He's a personable fellow, George, greeting our Prime Minister with a cheery "Hey, here's Helen!" upon her arrival. But he's not the sharpest tack in the pack, it must be said. I noticed he had some…

You are the 4th most loathsome person in America

Charges: Silently enabling and contributing to the irreversible destruction of your planet. Absolving yourself of your responsibility to do anything about it that your immediate neighbors don't.…

Supremely Corporate

As America flails ever closer to becoming an all-out corporate controlled polity, it's perhaps inevitable that a corporation will try to run for congress.

The Tragedy of the Von Erich Family

Lest we see the fate of the Kennedy family as a singular anomaly, it’s worth contrasting the equally tragic—and most thoroughly American—story of the Von Erich wrestling dynasty.

Hip Hop: Imagining a Future

Hip hop is not just a mirror of what is, it should also be a reflection of what can be. I like that Obama recognizes the problem of materialism in contemporary rap music. However, I'm not…

The Greatest Story Ever Sold

How could this have happened? How could some of the best, most fact-checked, most reputable news organizations in the English-speaking world have been so gullible? The answer is that they…

“He’s like Batman”

It’s not often I would link to GQ, and can’t say I’m overly fond of this style of writing, but the story of Marvin Harrison is amazing.

High Value Detainee #1

FOA requests by the National Security Archive have led to the release of documents detailing interviews and conversations with Saddam Hussein in 2004 before he was executed.

Silverstripe behind the scenes at the DNC

Silverstripe is powering the Democratic National Convention website. The site has survived a maelstrom of traffic, peaking at well over 700 unique visitors per second, not to mention an additional…

Culture of Segregation

The many "copycat" and "self-starter" groups that have been "inspired" by al-Qaeda and that have sprung up in England, Spain, Indonesia, and elsewhere will continue to pose the threat of attacks.…