July 2002

The ghost of Bruce Springsteen By Joey Sweeney
My parents got divorced. I was high on mushrooms. My country was attacked. Bruce was there. (07/31/2002)

The case for Raymond Chandler By Allen Barra
The creator of Philip Marlowe has been called an imitator and a hack, but he deserves his lonely, disillusioned corner in the American literary canon. (07/31/2002)

Bestsellers
This week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com. (07/31/2002)

Literary daybook, July 31
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/31/2002)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
Victory is ours! The little ones, that is ... (07/31/2002)

What makes Supergran run? By Steve Boman and Sean Callahan
Churchgoing grandmother Kathy Jager was shattering track records -- until she was barred because her hormone replacement drugs contained steroids. (07/31/2002)

Learning from Bill Buckner By Keith Olbermann
The Red Sox veteran accepted responsibility for his 1986 World Series gaffe, and he lives with a kind of grace now. Pete Rose and Ann Coulter, listen up. (07/31/2002)

30 more memorable moments By King Kaufman
Baseball's list tends toward the recent and positive, so here are some alternatives, unvarnished. (07/31/2002)

Two more teams vote against baseball strike deadline By Keith Olbermann
Now the number of teams whose players have reservations about a strike is up to three. Is there a palace coup in the making? (08/01/2002)

Kenny & Co. living the high life By Arianna Huffington
The little guy takes it on the chin -- and in the wallet. (07/31/2002)

Joe Conason's Journal
Why our frat-boy, Yale-legacy president opposes college for welfare moms. Plus: Hillary conspiracies get lamer by the day. (07/31/2002)

The morally bankrupt Congress By Robert Scheer
With its support of a new bankruptcy bill, Congress is once again doing the bidding of the financial industry. (07/31/2002)

On ice By King Kaufman
A Russian wiseguy tries to avoid the long arm of the law after allegedly fixing the figure skating events at the 2002 Olympics. (07/31/2002)

Meow! Jagged little problem By Amy Reiter
Silverstone on Morrisette: "Maybe she thought I was a stalker"; Britney's dad pulls gun on teens! Plus: Will Anna Nicole Smith be skinny-dipping in your living room? (07/31/2002)

Menopausal women: Use it or lose it By Trisha Posner
Forget the pill-pushers -- the best way for older women to stay sexually interested is to keep having sex. (07/31/2002)

"Same job. Different cubicle" By Sam Williams
With the promise of stock riches now a distant dream, VA Linux's former programmers keep the open-source faith. (07/31/2002)

Listen Hear
In Salon's latest CD roundup, the Counting Crows get Petty, the Flaming Lips reinvent and Marianne Faithfull shacks up with younger men -- again. (07/30/2002)

But enough about you By Nell Casey
From Britney Spears to Angelina Jolie to robber CEOs, narcissists are selfish and maddening -- and yet we just can't get enough of them. (07/30/2002)

Literary daybook, July 30
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/30/2002)

Story Minute By Carol lay
Two sisters (07/30/2002)

Sharon's strangulation strategy By Aluf Benn
Israel is using economic pressure to force the Palestinians to cry uncle. But will a humanitarian crisis in the occupied territories spoil the plan? (07/30/2002)

Joe Conason's Journal
Of course, compassionate conservatism saved the miners! Plus: "Bork in a dress" and the DLC is out to lunch. (07/30/2002)

The kid is back in the picture By Dimitra Kessenides
Robert Evans, the infamous movie producer who, by his own count, is on his fourth life, talks about breaking the rules and brushes with death. (07/30/2002)

Angelina fears Billy Bob's mojo By Amy Reiter
Jolie: Gimme my blood back! Chazz Palminteri on the lap-dancing problem; the celebrity pregnancy epidemic. Plus: Is Britney flipping out or just flipping off? (07/30/2002)

Coming clean By Cary Tennis
I've been faking orgasms for 10 years, but now I want to stop. Should I tell my husband? (07/30/2002)

Sour notes By Farhad Manjoo
The legal crackdown hasn't squelched MP3 trading -- it's just made it more of a pain. But the music industry would still rather fight than give its online customers what they want. (07/30/2002)

The James Bond title sequences By Charles Taylor
Maurice Binder's gorgeous, abstract, erotic openings to the classic 007 films captured the '60s pop revolution in its purest form. (07/29/2002)

Salon recommends
An irresistible collection of writings on Marilyn Monroe and more of our favorite new books. (07/29/2002)

Fundamentally unsound By Michelle Goldberg
Left Behind, the bestselling series of paranoid, pro-Israel end-time thrillers, may sound kooky, but America's right-wing leaders really believe this stuff. (07/29/2002)

Literary daybook, July 29
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/29/2002)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
The history of the dot-com economy and the history of the war on terror -- recounted in a single cartoon! (07/29/2002)

Grime pays By Damien Cave
Bush's cuts to the Superfund reward corporate polluters for stonewalling and leave neighbors of toxic sites frustrated and desperate. (07/29/2002)

Forty years after Port Huron By David Horowitz
Tom Hayden and Dick Flacks are still sugarcoating the totalitarian ideas that made the New Left just like the Old Left -- a dreary political dead end. (07/29/2002)

False promises, real anger By Stefan Lovgren
Across Central Africa, mining and oil facilities are becoming flash points for a fight between international corporations and local residents. (07/29/2002)

Joe Conason's Journal
Kerry outshines Lieberman at a Manhattan "New Democrat" beauty pageant. Plus: Can this White House only dish it out? (07/29/2002)

A strike against the baseball strike? By Keith Olbermann
The players of one small-market team have voted against authorizing a strike deadline. (07/29/2002)

What's David Gest got against zebras? By Amy Reiter
Insomniacs, help is on the way: Here comes the Liza and David show; Woody Harrelson explains ashtray attack; why Pitt's pissing off the Aussies. Plus: Myers says Powers may do it again, baby! (07/29/2002)

The not-so-sweet success of organic farming By Linda Baker
Pesticide-free, non-genetically modified food is a big, global business now. But, ironically, small farmers are getting the shaft. (07/29/2002)

Why Moussaoui matters By Bruce Shapiro
Yes, he's a self-proclaimed al-Qaida follower who hates America. But he also seems to be a delusional loose cannon who may not have been part of the Sept. 11 group -- and the country deserves a trial that gets at the truth. (07/27/2002)

A political bull market By Brendan Nyhan
Amid Wall Street chaos, journalists and politicians try to pin specious blame on their foes. (07/27/2002)

Will Democrats turn Harken into Whitewater? By Anthony York
Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., has called for an independent investigation of Bush's and Cheney's business dealings. Will other Democrats follow suit? (07/27/2002)

The spies who thrilled me By Stephanie Zacharek
The truth is that a lot of the great old spy movies aren't so great, but the sexiness and style of James Bond and the Avengers never gets old. (07/26/2002)

"Austin Powers in Goldmember" By Charles Taylor
It's a mess, and a ridiculous golden shower of toilet humor. But Mike Myers' superspy spoof still provides the summer's purest movie delight. (07/26/2002)

"The Kid Stays in the Picture" By Stephanie Zacharek
Is legendary Hollywood producer Robert Evans feeding us a load of crap in this documentary? When it's this much fun, who really cares? (07/26/2002)

Music preview: The Pixies By Ross White
"Pixies" is the first official release of the indie rock band's 1987 demo tape (known among bootleggers as the "purple tape") that got them their first record deal. Listen in. (07/26/2002)

Critic vs. critic
Readers respond to a story about Dale Peck's attack on Rick Moody and what makes for good criticism. Plus: "Snobbery" author's homophobic past. (07/26/2002)

One step from oblivion By Brother Void
(07/26/2002)

Literary daybook, July 26
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/26/2002)

Sex with minors and ending pregnancy
Readers respond to articles about sex between teenage boys and older men, late-term abortion and the reduction in doctors trained to perform abortions. (07/26/2002)

My most memorable baseball moments By Allen Barra
From Yogi's gift of total recall to Jennifer Lopez's uprising, my favorite memories of the game. (07/26/2002)

Joe Conason's Journal
Slate throws a Clinton tantrum, Sullivan spreads a bum rap and Dr. Susan Block wonders of the Rigas family: "Do you think they understand bondage now?" (07/26/2002)

Mary Robinson By Ian Williams
The outgoing U.N. high commissioner for human rights talks about running afoul of the Bush administration over Israel and the Palestinians, ending the "cycle of impunity" and standing up to bullies. (07/26/2002)

Moder mouth strikes again By Amy Reiter
Julia, puh-leeze give Mr. Mouth a rest; Mike Myers: Still absurd after all these years. Plus: Ben eats Jennifer's cake! (07/26/2002)

"Since You Asked ..."
Readers respond to Cary Tennis' advice to "Gored" (07/26/2002)

A fine fetish By Charles Taylor
Steve Diet Goedde's photographs are what Ansel Adams might have made if he were into S&M. (07/27/2002)

Ask the pilot By Patrick Smith
Do seat cushions actually save lives? And why don't U.S. airlines fly to Africa? (07/26/2002)

Meat market plunges to five-year low By Carina Chocano
Shaken confidence, lower interest rates, slow recovery: A new season of "Sex and the City" explores the darker side of serial monogamy and finds it's a bear. (07/25/2002)

From MTV to the Taliban By Anders Smith Lindall
Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith are writing songs about terrorists and the Taliban. So why is country maverick Steve Earle getting all the heat? (07/25/2002)

Dylan Thomas: The Caedmon Collection, Part 6
The great Welsh poet reads stories by Djuna Barnes and Sean O'Casey, and poems by Yeats and others. (07/26/2002)

Literary daybook, July 25
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/25/2002)

"Gods of War, Gods of Peace," by Russell Bourne By Katharine Whittemore
For a handful of decades -- and a brief period of hope -- settler and Native American religions met, mingled and shaped colonial America. (07/25/2002)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
Fun facts about the Apocalypse! (07/25/2002)

Ignorance is no excuse By Fran Smith
Few doctors learn how to perform abortions, and women pay for their lack of training. New York City is taking steps to reverse the trend. (07/25/2002)

How to remember Sept. 11 -- and how not to By Keith Olbermann
Salon's new columnist looks at what the upcoming baseball strike and "Sex and the City" tell us about the looming one-year anniversary. (07/25/2002)

Not your parents' neo-Nazis By Brian Montopoli
William Pierce may be dead, but his heirs carry on -- this time hoping to reach out to their "Arab brothers." (07/25/2002)

Sharon's master plan: Endless war, endless occupation By Noah Sudarsky
The assassination of a Hamas chief -- along with many civilians -- reveals the prime minister's pathological fear that giving anything to the Palestinians will mean the end of Israel. (07/25/2002)

Beam me up (to Youngstown)! By Pamela Burdman
Despite his conviction, his expulsion from the U.S. House and a really bad hairpiece, former Ohio Rep. Jim Traficant will find that some in Youngstown still love him. (07/26/2002)

Joe Conason's Journal By Joe Conason
Tom DeLay -- and fellow Republicans -- are worried about the midterm elections. And it's beginning to show. (07/25/2002)

The gaming of the system continues By Arianna Huffington
In the world of corporate accounting, just because it's legal doesn't make it right. (07/25/2002)

Ruthless in Gaza By Ferry Biedermann
After Israel's assassination of a top Hamas leader left 14 civilians dead, some Gazans are calling for revenge -- but others say it's time for the killing to stop. (07/25/2002)

Harrison and Calista to marry? By Amy Reiter
Will Ford and Flockhart tie the knot this Christmas? And what about Pamela and Kid Rock? Plus: Boy George pisses off Madonna! (07/25/2002)

Citizen freedom fighters Cartoon by Mark Fiore
Eddie the pool man, Jake the cable guy and Madge the janitor free America from the real terrorists. (07/25/2002)

Bush's goal: Defy gravity By Eric Boehlert
People doubt he can manage the economy and less than half think he should be reelected. And yet his approval ratings are sky-high. (07/25/2002)

Freudian flesh By David Thomson
Go to London and look at Lucian's paintings of nudes, which still contain the possibility of love. (07/25/2002)

Esther Dyson defends ICANN By Farhad Manjoo
The founding chairwoman of the Internet's governing institution explains why we have to work with what we've got, even if it isn't perfect. (07/25/2002)

"It's Time for ICANN to Go"
By Damien Cave (07/25/2002)

"Tadpole" By Stephanie Zacharek
A wannabe comedy of manners about a brainy prep-school kid with a Mrs. Robinson complex founders on its own preciousness -- and squanders its beautiful women. (07/24/2002)

"How Ozzy Lost his Cool"
by Jim DeRogatis (07/24/2002)

"All About Lily Chou-Chou" By Andrew O'Hehir
This electrified tale of teen alienation could launch the Japanese new wave out of the film-geek ghetto. (07/24/2002)

Ted Nugent: 53 years clean and sober
Listen to an excerpt from Amy Benfer's interview with the Nuge, in which he explains the three stages of being after rock stardom. You're either 1) a dead asshole, 2) near death (Ozzy) or 3) thriving like Uncle Ted. (07/24/2002)

Literary daybook, July 24
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/24/2002)

Pecked By Heather Caldwell
Dale Peck's scathing review of Rick Moody and a dozen other writers of "postmodern drivel" has the literary world buzzing about what makes for good -- and bad -- criticism. (07/24/2002)

Bestsellers
This week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com (07/24/2002)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
Dear world: Sorry about all this. Most of us didn't vote for him. (07/24/2002)

A doctor's right to choose By Margaret A. Woodbury
Two surgical options for late-term abortion may be reduced to one if antiabortion activists, with help from the Bush administration, get their way. (07/24/2002)

Joe Conason's Journal
When will a CEO take a perp walk? Plus: The Post predictably worships a Bush judicial nominee. (07/24/2002)

Falling out of love By Robert Scheer
It looks like America's love affair with George W. Bush is coming to an end. (07/24/2002)

If they make an Angelina & Billy Bob movie ... By Amy Reiter
Maybe Julia and Danny can star. Beyoncé destined for a breakdown? Donny Osmond on coolness (Donny Osmond?). (07/24/2002)

Owen's fate is in Feinstein's hands By Anthony York
Demos charge Bush's choice for the 5th Circuit is an extremist; the GOP calls her opponents sexist. The tiebreaker will go to the senior senator from California. (07/24/2002)

Senate haggles over Rx proposals By Janelle Carter
(07/24/2002)

Speaking of tongues (and other body parts) By Michael Alvear
Steve Almond's daring collection of short stories about sex, "My Life in Heavy Metal," brings a fresh and vivid eye to a cliché-ridden subject. (07/24/2002)

How to fix a broken economy By Salon Technology & Business staff
Judging by his performance to date, President Bush can use all the help he can get. Here are some expert suggestions. (07/24/2002)

"You Really Got Me" By Charlotte Robinson
Desperate for a hit in 1964, an obscure band named the Kinks slashed up a cheap guitar amp with a razor blade. The rest was history. (07/23/2002)

Real Life Rock Top 10 By Greil Marcus
(07/23/2002)

Literary daybook, July 23
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/23/2002)

"Henry Darger: In the Realms of the Unreal" by John M. MacGregor By Gavin McNett
The late Henry Darger is a darling of the outsider art world, a dishwasher who created a vast epic tale of naked little girls. But was he also something more sinister? (07/23/2002)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
Two journals (07/23/2002)

Wigginess By Kelly Wilkinson
The rapidly growing demand for wigs, hairpieces and crotch topiary keeps tons of sheared locks moving around the world in an $800 million industry. (07/23/2002)

What the world thinks of America By Gary Kamiya
Yes, they hate our power and envy our wealth and respect our ideals. But it's deeper -- and more personal -- than that. (07/23/2002)

Taking baseball owners at their word By King Kaufman
If competitive balance is the main issue in the contract talks, why does their main proposal address payroll imbalance? (07/23/2002)

A $34 million "political payoff" By Michelle Goldberg
President Bush's decision to gut U.N. family-planning funds will appease right-wing hard-liners -- at a cost of thousands of lives. (07/24/2002)

Joe Conason's Journal
A hearing goes poorly, and prospects dim for a Bush nominee. Plus: Ann Coulter, foiled again! (07/23/2002)

Mini-Me shagging showgirls? By Amy Reiter
Dr. Evil's pal discusses cinematic aspirations; Beyoncé is hot for Fat Bastard; J.Lo and Affleck courting gossip? Plus: Did Britney rip off Enrique? (07/23/2002)

Looking for a silver lining By Ben Fritz
Republicans: Democrats want the economy to fail! Democrats: Republicans made it fail! They're both wrong. (07/23/2002)

Rites revenge By Cary Tennis
My mother hijacked my wedding, and my husband and I now want a "do-over" in Vegas with an Elvis impersonator. Is that so wrong? (07/23/2002)

A fool's paradise for CEOs By Michael Thomas
It's not just the numbers that don't add up for today's corporations. The products they sell are usually broken, too. (07/23/2002)

Meet the metrosexual By Mark Simpson
He's well dressed, narcissistic and obsessed with butts. But don't call him gay. (07/22/2002)

Wild in the streets By David Bienenstock
Joe Gallant's Black Mirror Productions tries to bring the nastiness of old-school smut back into the New York porn biz. And save the world from John Ashcroft besides. (07/22/2002)

Literary daybook, July 22
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/22/2002)

Salon recommends
Women writers on fairy tales and more of our favorite new books. (07/22/2002)

Sometimes a snake orgy is just a snake orgy By Susan McCarthy
A new book examines what we can and can't learn about sex from watching bonobos, birds and earwigs. (07/22/2002)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
The frozen Republican awakes! (07/22/2002)

Minor report By David Tuller
Sex between teenage boys and older men is not always coercive -- and it can be more ecstatic than traumatic. (07/22/2002)

Joe Conason's Journal
In times of trouble, the Greens gather to gloat. Plus: Is Bush granting federal favors to Florida to help his brother? (07/22/2002)

Ashcroft in bondage By David Bowman
An interview with S/M photographer Barbara Nitke about her lawsuit against the attorney general, her art, and the thousand-yard stare. (07/22/2002)

Office of Homeland Securities By Jim Jazwiecki
If we really want justice in corporate America, we'll have to do it the hard way. It's time for accountants to bear arms. (07/22/2002)

Janet Reno gets her groove on By Ken Thomas
(07/20/2002)

"Stuart Little 2" By Stephanie Zacharek
The beautifully shaped and delicately calibrated kids' movie will wow adults with vivid colors and a sweet story. (07/19/2002)

"K-19: The Widowmaker" By Andrew O'Hehir
Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson face off in a gripping and complex yarn about the 1961 nuclear accident aboard a Soviet sub that could have ignited World War III. (07/19/2002)

Being Faye Dunaway's comedy coach By Hugh Elliott
L.A.-based Un-Cabaret's star-studded comedy shows are about those moments when the evil TV network cancels your show, or you are on the receiving end of a diva fit. (07/19/2002)

Literary daybook, July 19
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/19/2002)

"Letting Uncle Joe Off Easy"
By Charles Taylor (07/19/2002)

The power of hopelessness By Brother Void
(07/19/2002)

Lawsuits, hormones and celebrity pushers
Readers respond to articles about parents suing teachers, hormone replacement therapy and stars shilling for pharmaceuticals and medical procedures. (07/19/2002)

Lynda Barry
July! (07/19/2002)

In Gaza, blame turns toward Arafat By Ferry Biedermann
Economic chaos -- and a looming humanitarian crisis -- undermine both the Palestinian Authority and the intifada. (07/19/2002)

Israel arrests attackers' relatives By Mark Lavie
(07/19/2002)

Joe Conason's Journal
The stench of Enron spreads to a Bush judicial nominee. (07/19/2002)

The battle over Bush's judges By Michelle Goldberg
Liberals are mobilizing to fight antiabortion zealot Priscilla Owen's nomination to the Court of Appeals, but there's a long list of pro-life nominees queued up behind her. (07/19/2002)

Army secretary under fire By Anthony York
Appearing before a Senate committee, Tom White comes under withering attack from Democrats -- while Republicans leave him to his fate. (07/19/2002)

Educational television By Stephanie Lehmann
If I watch "Sex and the City" with my teenage daughter we end up discussing important subjects like vibrators, blow jobs -- and the female point of view. (07/19/2002)

CNN's breakout comedy hit By Carina Chocano
Connie Chung's new talk show, a parade of pedophilia and murder fueled by inane kindergarten-teacher musings, is so flat-out weird it just might acquire a cult following. (07/18/2002)

I want my world back! Ranted by Cary Tennis
Why is it that when you call information, they've got no information? And why are there American flags in my grilled ham and cheese? (07/18/2002)

Literary daybook, July 18
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/18/2002)

"Snobbery," by Joseph Epstein By JoAnn Gutin
From Ivy League colleges to the rarefied readers of the New York Review of Books, a social critic examines the American style of snootiness. (07/18/2002)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
The 2002 Corporate All-Star Game. (07/18/2002)

"Hang in there, sweetie. I'll be home in 18 years" By Stephen Reid
As a father behind bars, my role is to listen to my daughter's life. (07/18/2002)

Washington's oilpolitik By Michael T. Klare
It's not just Saddam's doomsday arsenal that haunts the Bush White House -- it's the thought of his oil falling into the hands of Russia, China and Europe. (07/18/2002)

Ireland's incendiary "flag wars" By Aaron Tapper
In Northern Ireland, anti-Semitic groups back Israel and Sinn Fein flies the PLO colors. (07/18/2002)

Phil Donahue's liberal oasis By Eric Boehlert
The talk show pioneer's new MSNBC show brings a little decency and tolerance into the rabidly right-wing jungle of cable TV. (07/18/2002)

Bud Selig's buddies By Allen Barra
Even good writers are doing bad stories on the issues behind the looming baseball strike. Why is the media peddling the owners' line? (07/18/2002)

Joe Conason's Journal
Tom White says he feels our pain over Enron. (07/18/2002)

Reno By Janelle Brown
The Latino lesbian comedian detonates a series of explosive observations about patriotism, the Bush administration and John Walker Lindh. (07/18/2002)

Marriage, interrupted By Amy Reiter
Angelina and Billy Bob split (who gets custody of the tattoos?); Eminem's wet, naked girls problem. Plus: Gwyneth's new bed mate always hard! (07/18/2002)

"The Watchdog Didn't Bark"
By Harold Evans (07/18/2002)

Jennifer, wasted By David Thomson
What's Jennifer Jason Leigh doing in "The Road to Perdition" -- and why's she missing that despondent, carnal air of hers? (07/18/2002)

Ask the pilot By Patrick Smith
Do airlines cut down the flow of oxygen in the cabin to save fuel? Can wind shear rip off a plane's wing? (07/18/2002)

"Eight Legged Freaks" By Charles Taylor
Giant spiders attack, get squashed into viscous goo. Repeat. Would-be camp classic is a big snooze. And what's with the missing hyphen? (07/17/2002)

"Never Again" By Stephanie Zacharek
News flash: Couples in their 50s have sex! Now if we could just get them to shut up about it ... (07/17/2002)

Death of the last tycoon By Kathleen Sharp
At a star-studded memorial, Hollywood bids farewell to legendary Universal head Lew Wasserman, a Mob-reared patriarch who makes today's show-biz honchos look like midgets. (07/17/2002)

Music preview: Peace Orchestra By Ewald Christians
"Reset" is the peer-reviewed, accelerated remix version of Peter Kruder's (one half of Austrian drum 'n' bass duo Kruder & Dorfmeister) 1999 solo release "Peace Orchestra." Listen in. (07/17/2002)

Literary daybook, July 17
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/17/2002)

"My Jihad" By Laura Miller
American mujahedin Aukai Collins was a passionate convert to Islam. But his new memoir makes it clear that nothing got him more excited than the sound of a rocket-propelled grenade and the look in an enemy's eyes as he slit his throat. (07/17/2002)

Bestsellers
This week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com (07/17/2002)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
The worst thing I've had to face. (07/17/2002)

Rotten kid By Eric Weinberger
Why do the John Ashcrofts burn with hatred for John Walker Lindh? He's their renegade son whose every thought and action stands as an unforgivable personal rebuke. (07/17/2002)

Dick Cheney's slimy business trail By Robert Scheer
He may take to his bunker to hide from the SEC and Congress, not Osama bin Laden, as the probe into Halliburton's accounting tricks heats up. (07/17/2002)

Dismal dog days By King Kaufman
This is always a slow time of year, but now, with baseball's labor unrest dominating the news, it's downright depressing. (07/17/2002)

A conversation with Aukai Collins By Edward W. Lempinen
The author of "My Jihad" talks about John Walker Lindh, his days with Daniel Pearl's killer and a 9/11 hijacker, and why the FBI had its head in the sand. (07/17/2002)

Joe Conason's Journal
Bush expresses confidence the SEC will clear Cheney, but could that be seen as applying pressure on the agency? (07/17/2002)

Ahnuld talks future By Amy Reiter
Schwarzenegger says he wants to serve; what Will Smith learned from Bill Clinton. Plus: Playboy's photog on the calls he gets! (07/17/2002)

FAIR cries foul
Spinsanity is wrong about reporting on the Venezuelan coup. (07/17/2002)

Thanks, but no thanks By Michael Alvear
Why I wouldn't take part in the AIDS vaccine studies announced at the Barcelona conference. (07/17/2002)

The case of the missing code By Farhad Manjoo
Are al-Qaida terrorists hiding their secrets in eBay photographs? (07/17/2002)

When good options turn bad By Scott Rosenberg
Sure, let's punish stock-option-scamming CEOs and tighten up options accounting. But when options benefit everyday employees, they're worth defending. (07/17/2002)

How Ozzy lost his cool By Jim DeRogatis
At one time the clown prince of darkness was actually dark. Post-"Osbournes" he's just a clown. (07/16/2002)

"Koba the Dread," by Martin Amis By Charles Taylor
Martin Amis calls out Christopher Hitchens and other friends on the left for not giving full weight to the 20 million victims of Stalin's terror. (07/16/2002)

Literary daybook, July 16
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/16/2002)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
Devil in disguise. (07/16/2002)

The Madman and me By Erich Pfeifer
Ozzy and I crossed paths on the worst day of my life. Boy, am I grateful. (07/16/2002)

Lawmakers addicted to the quick fix By Greg Harrison
Drug legislation like the proposed RAVE Act does more to promote illicit drug use than discourage it. (07/16/2002)

A legal war without victory By Dave Lindorff
After months of bold posturing and fierce infighting, both sides in the case of American Taliban John Walker Lindh decided to cut their risks. (07/17/2002)

Joe Conason's Journal By Joe Conason
Why won't Bush let the SEC release the Harken file? (07/16/2002)

Send the bastards to jail! By Arianna Huffington
Unlike the majority of nonviolent drug cases, corporate wrongdoers rarely do any time behind bars. (07/16/2002)

Britney wears a bullet bra, baby! By Amy Reiter
Spears sports heavy artillery in "Goldmember"; Carmen Electra: Clean feet get her hot. Plus: Jacko gets weepy over MIB in Paree! (07/16/2002)

White out? By Jason Leopold
As Army secretary Tom White prepares to testify before Congress, Democrats predict the former Enron executive will be the first Bush administration casualty in the growing uproar over corporate sleaze. (07/16/2002)

The watchdog didn't bark By Harold Evans
Why didn't the media question Bush's shady stock dealings before he became president? (07/16/2002)

Blinded by love By Cary Tennis
What thwarts love more -- not being able to see or not being able to tell the truth? Plus: How long does it take to mend a broken heart? (07/16/2002)

Deregulation's big lie By Katharine Mieszkowski
FCC chairman Michael Powell says the WorldCom debacle may result in more telecom mergers. So who ends up losing? We all do, explains one industry expert. (07/16/2002)

Jacques Cousteau's "The Silent World" By Greg Rubinson
In this artistic and technological breakthrough -- today almost impossible to find -- the sinewy French explorer took us all into unknown depths. (07/15/2002)

Music preview: Miss Kittin & the Hacker By Max Garrone
This "First Album" is a provocative cabaret act, filled with X-rated lyrics and sinister, new-millennium dance beats. Listen in. (07/15/2002)

Salon recommends
Lewis Carroll by way of Will Self and Zadie Smith and more of our favorite new books. (07/15/2002)

Literary daybook, July 15
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/15/2002)

The price of pain By Suzy Hansen
The co-author of a book on Holocaust reparations talks about blood money, the importance of apologizing and the slavery reparations movement. (07/15/2002)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
The desperate search for a plausible narrative. (07/15/2002)

What you don't know can kill you By Maria Laurino
A brush with death in the delivery room brings a windfall of frightening family secrets. (07/15/2002)

Death in the desert By James Reel
Mexican migrants are dying at record rates as they try to cross treacherous desert into Arizona. Critics blame the U.S. government -- and they're preparing to sue. (07/15/2002)

One fishy argument By David Horowitz
Redoubtable sophist Stanley Fish rushes to the aid of professors who attacked America after 9/11, as though they're in any danger in left-wing academia. (07/15/2002)

Joe Conason
Bush talks -- the market tumbles. And despite offering "hope" to young Americans, the job market is faring badly, too. (07/15/2002)

He gives and he gives By Amy Reiter
Michael Jackson donates his stinky gloves to charity; Sharon Osbourne embarrasses Ozzy; and Bono denies hair transplant rumor. (07/15/2002)

Bush rides the Whitewater By Eric Boehlert
Through the length of Bill Clinton's presidency, the press scrounged for details on the arcane Whitewater controversy. Will it do the same for Harken Energy? (07/14/2002)

Throwing the book at her By Bryan Keefer
The bias Ann Coulter documents best may be her own. (07/13/2002)

Capitalists without a clue By Katharine Mieszkowski
Once all-seeing captains of industry, America's CEOs are now playing the Sgt. Schultz dumbo card, braying "I know no-thing, no-thing!" (07/13/2002)

Ode to WorldCom's failure By Steven Boyd Saum
Sometimes, schadenfreude is OK, especially when the target is a rude telecom company that dreamed of world domination. (07/13/2002)

"Read My Lips" By Charles Taylor
This mixture of devious thriller and deadpan black comedy lets you smirk along with its nasty little revenge plot. (07/12/2002)

"Reign of Fire" By Andrew O'Hehir
Dragons torch the earth as manly men with weird hair battle them in this colossally misconceived dud. (07/12/2002)

"Road to Perdition" By Stephanie Zacharek
Neither a good Paul Newman nor a bad Tom Hanks can save this dreary art-house flick from the airless grip of "American Beauty" director Sam Mendes. (07/12/2002)

"My Wife Is an Actress" By Charles Taylor
Charlotte Gainsbourg stars in a slight French charmer that asks the question: When she kisses that hot guy on-screen, is it for real? (07/12/2002)

The week in dirt By Amy Reiter
Anna Nicole Smith's life is funny! Plus: David Hasselhoff dries himself out, Matt Damon's sperm is No. 1, Eminem isn't down with Mariah Carey, and more. (07/12/2002)

He-men and hip-hop
Readers respond to an essay about the disappearance of the classic American man and an interview about the hip-hop generation. (07/12/2002)

Literary daybook, July 12
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/12/2002)

The tragedy of commitment
(07/12/2002)

L is for lawsuit By Janelle Brown
Angry that little Johnny flunked, increasing numbers of parents are suing teachers. (07/12/2002)

Why Bush's Middle East propaganda campaign won't work By Samer Shehata
The U.S. is spending millions crafting messages to win the hearts and minds of the Arab world. There's just one problem: We have no credibility (07/12/2002)

The calm before the storm By Aluf Benn
With terror attacks thwarted and President Bush on his side, Ariel Sharon is riding high -- but what will happen when Israel pulls its troops out of the West Bank cities? (07/12/2002)

Joe Conason
A daily political weblog, updated as circumstances demand. (07/12/2002)

Spoiled Bratt? By Amy Reiter
Julia Roberts' neighbors embrace Moder, dis Bratt; Candice Bergen embraces Dan Quayle, scorns Murphy Brown; Justin Timberlake scorns Britney, embraces Janet. Plus: Kate Moss poses preggers ... and naked! (07/12/2002)

Memos: Bush knew of Harken's problems By Anthony York
Contrary to the president's statements, company memos show he knew the firm was headed for trouble. (07/13/2002)

The McCain solution
Twelve ways to restore trust in corporate America, from limiting executive stock sales to firing the SEC's Harvey Pitt. (07/12/2002)

Enough pretty women By David Bowman
Photographer Richard Kern talks about doing drugs with Courtney Love, shooting girls brushing their teeth -- and being a good father (07/12/2002)

Up, locked, and loaded By Patrick Smith
Should guns be allowed in the cockpit? Possibly, says Salon's aviation expert, but not at the expense of other solutions to air terror. (07/12/2002)

Watching the defective By Carina Chocano
Tony Shalhoub plays a brilliant San Francisco detective (with a morbid fear of dairy products) in USA's agreeable old-school puzzler "Monk." (07/11/2002)

"Zig Zag Zen," by Allan Hunt Badiner, ed. By Douglas Cruickshank
A book about Buddhism and psychedelics asks whether it's best, when seeking higher consciousness, to take the stairs or the elevator. (07/11/2002)

Literary daybook, July 11
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/11/2002)

Bestsellers
Nick Hornby, Chuck Palahniuk, Richard Russo and more in this week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com. (07/11/2002)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
Corporate crime: A crime drama in eight panels, being a metaphor for current infamous illegalities (07/11/2002)

Celebrity pill pushers By Lawrence Goodman
Under the guise of "public service," pharmaceutical companies are quietly paying stars to solicit new customers on TV talk shows with tales of personal suffering and blessed relief. (07/11/2002)

Bush stonewalls release of family-planning study By Michelle Goldberg
A State Department team investigated oft-refuted charges raised by a far-right group that a U.N. family-planning agency abetted forced abortions in China. But Bush won't release the study -- or $34 million in aid. (07/11/2002)

Another brick in the wall By Ferry Biedermann
Everybody wants to be on the "right" side of the wall that Israel is putting up between itself and the Palestinians. But what the "right side" is depends on whom you ask. (07/11/2002)

Ted Williams, Bud Selig and baseball's very bad week By Allen Barra
Ted Williams transcended the game; Bud Selig took the fun out of it. The clueless commish should have used position players to pitch in the All-Star Game. (07/11/2002)

Joe Conason
A daily political weblog, updated as circumstances demand. (07/11/2002)

What big teeth you have! By Arianna Huffington
The Business Roundtable and other corporate lobbyists are dressing themselves up these days as lovable reformers. But watch out for their fangs. (07/11/2002)

Enough about All-Star interruptus! By King Kaufman
The pundits who think this year's tie was worse than the game in which Ted Williams broke his elbow need to take a drug test. (07/11/2002)

Reality TV bites By Amy Reiter
Anna Nicole admits to "little talent"; Schwimmer gets shy; Sharon Osbourne comes home; and Van Halen and Bertinelli take it one day at a time in Splitsville. (07/11/2002)

Department of CorporateLand Security Cartoon by Mark Fiore
Restoring confidence in corporate America! (07/11/2002)

California payback may fall billions short By Jason Leopold
Gov. Gray Davis wants $8.9 billion refunded from energy companies. But Bush regulators tell Salon they'll recommend just a fraction of that -- and Democrats are ready to cry foul. (07/11/2002)

Future sex By David Thomson
Steven Spielberg has never done sexy well in his films, but "Minority Report" feels wet, alive and throbbing. (07/11/2002)

Can we trust Microsoft's Palladium? By Farhad Manjoo
Critics say Redmond's new security initiative will imprison users. But why would Bill Gates want to do that? (07/11/2002)

Living in oblivion By Cintra Wilson
Idiosyncratic indie director Tom DiCillo on how he made the best film of his career, and why Hollywood won't let you see it. (07/10/2002)

Will the future really look like "Minority Report"? By Ian Rothkerch
Jet packs? Mag-lev cars? Two of Spielberg's experts explain how they invented 2054. (07/10/2002)

Hip-hop nation By Suzy Hansen
A spokesman for the new generation of African-Americans says hip-hop can ignite a fresh wave of black activism -- but first the civil rights veterans have to get out of the way. (07/10/2002)

Literary daybook, July 10
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/10/2002)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
When negative is positive (07/10/2002)

Busting Bush
Joe Conason goes daily, Jake Tapper returns: Two more reasons to subscribe to Salon Premium. A letter from David Talbot. (07/10/2002)

Found and lost By A.R. Torres
I thought I was one of the lucky 9/11 relatives: I had the remains of my husband. But then the medical examiner informed me I was grieving over only 40 percent of Eddie's body. (07/10/2002)

Death by hormones By Trisha Posner
It's been more than 50 years since studies first sounded the alarm about hormone replacement therapy. Women, silenced by shame, have been guinea pigs of the pharmaceutical industry for too long. (07/11/2002)

All-Star outrage By King Kaufman
The game ended in a tie. That's not a problem, but baseball still screwed up. And that pregame show! (07/10/2002)

The lonely protester By Michelle Goldberg
Applause drowned out the boos when the president visited Wall Street Tuesday, but unemployed Janice Schiavo, 55, came to protest Bush's policies -- and look for work. (07/10/2002)

Starving the SEC By Eric Boehlert
Bush is suddenly calling for a stronger SEC -- but his previous actions make a mockery of his words. (07/10/2002)

Joe Conason
A daily political Web log, updated as circumstances demand. (07/10/2002)

Baseball ruins everything it touches By Keith Olbermann
Only this messed-up ex-national pastime could manage to take its premier fan event, the first genuinely exciting All-Star Game in years, and abandon it without an outcome. (07/10/2002)

Who will save David Hasselhoff? By Amy Reiter
Former "Baywatch" hunk dries himself out; Ozzy admires the queen. Plus: Is Pamela Anderson preggers again? (07/10/2002)

Bears, bulls -- and bull By Jake Tapper
The president goes to Wall Street to lecture on bidness ethics, as questions persist about his own corporate past. (07/11/2002)

Fabulous fantasies By Augusten Burroughs
In third grade I wore polyester stretch bell-bottoms and wanted to be Christine Jorgensen, the world's first famous transsexual. (07/10/2002)

Black-and-blue in ones and zeros By Karin Halperin
Digital photography is revolutionizing the prosecution of domestic violence cases. (07/10/2002)

The undeniable truth about Burma By Greg Milner
Mission of Burma recorded 21 songs, helped invent post-punk, and left a legacy that resonated from R.E.M. to Moby. More than 20 years later, no one will let the band die. (07/09/2002)

I can criticize you in public Ranted by Cary Tennis
Who am I? Why am I doing this? Is it giving me delusions of grandeur? The advice columnist does some soul-searching. (07/09/2002)

Literary daybook, July 9
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/09/2002)

"Mussolini," by R.J.B. Bosworth By Paul Festa
He fought duels, seduced women, crashed planes, allied with Hitler, lost a war and ran Italy into the ground, but at heart Il Duce considered himself an artist. (07/09/2002)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
A magical visit to the enchanted land of the free market (07/09/2002)

Flag-draped voyeurism By Michelle Goldberg
At ground zero, Americans suck the last morsel of flavor from the most exciting day they will ever know. (07/09/2002)

Lou Dobbs downgrades President Bush By Joe Conason
And so do I. (07/10/2002)

Spitting out Pitt? By Anthony York
A growing bipartisan movement is demanding the head of SEC chief Harvey Pitt. (07/10/2002)

Who'll stop the corporate crime wave? By Arianna Huffington
The Bush administration can't be trusted to crack down on behavior its leaders once indulged in. (07/10/2002)

Will Julia perform her wifely duties? By Amy Reiter
Roberts' new hubby's ex-wife gets nasty; Lara Flynn Boyle comes clean about her ratty past; and Winslet and Mendes hit a titanic snag. (07/09/2002)

Big issues, big answers By Cary Tennis
Not enough sex, too much sex -- and what to do with a man who insists on baby talk with his teen girls? (07/09/2002)

Showdown in cyberspace: Star Wars vs. The Sims By Wagner James Au
If online role-playing games are ever going to break out of the hardcore gamer ghetto, they'll have to do more than please the geeks. (07/09/2002)

Real Life Rock Top 10 By Greil Marcus
(07/08/2002)

"Songs for Swingin' Lovers" By Charles Taylor
Beyond the magnificent late-night gloom (and the bombast of "My Way") you'll find Frank Sinatra's finger-poppin' classic, a joyous exploration of rhythmic invention. (07/08/2002)

Literary daybook, July 8
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/08/2002)

You go, girl By Michelle Goldberg
Backpacker fiction like "The Beach" explores the authenticity-grubbing subculture of the dreadlocked, ganja-scented travelers, but women have been left out -- until now. (07/08/2002)

Fear and fatherhood By Justin Davidson
My son is sometimes afraid of me; I am more afraid of him. We both wrestle demons -- monsters for him, parental anxieties for me -- that cannot be vanquished. (07/08/2002)

Women want the Damon identity By Amy Reiter
Matt's sperm is No.1 choice of New England gals; David Arquette says Courteney "smells like a truck driver"; Eminem on Mariah: "I just don't like her." (07/08/2002)

Imitation nation By Lisa Movius
Is piracy-crazed China a nightmare vision of the future, or just a developing country going through some severe growing pains? (07/08/2002)

Teddy Ballgame, MVP By King Kaufman
Never mind whether Ted Williams would have broken Babe Ruth's home run record if he hadn't gone to war twice. Consider how often he was the best when he did play. (07/06/2002)

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling
News of the Times: President Bush wise and good (07/04/2002)

A kinder, gentler militia? By Dan Laidman
In the aftermath of Sept. 11, fringe militia organizations are recasting themselves as neighborhood watch groups. But old ways die hard. (07/04/2002)

Waving it my way By King Kaufman
My ambivalence about the flag remains. But it still flaps on my front porch, even as post-9/11 Old Glory mania fades. (07/04/2002)

The Adventures of Atheist Attorney Cartoon by Mark Fiore
Need a little more God put back into government? He's your man. (07/04/2002)

WorldCom blame game By Brendan Nyhan
Did a Republican "climate" or Democratic "tone" cause corporate malfeasance? (07/04/2002)

No breast too large By David Bowman
Russ Meyer is as American as Grandma Moses, but he probably wouldn't have been interested in her, since she wasn't a D-cup. (07/04/2002)

"The Powerpuff Girls Movie" By Stephanie Zacharek
Girls rule! That is, if you consider these delightful, primary-colored, hyperactive shapes and squiggles to represent human females. (07/03/2002)

"Me Without You" By Stephanie Zacharek
Finally, a smart and tough chick flick takes on friendships between women in a most unladylike fashion. (07/03/2002)

"Men in Black II" By Jeff Stark
Here's an idea: Let's just take that same gizmo-packed alien-attack buddy-flick blockbuster from the summer of '97 ... and make it dumber! (07/03/2002)

Interview with Joseph Stiglitz
The winner of the 2001 Nobel prize in economics talks with Damien Cave about his book "Globalization and Its Discontents," the WorldCom scandal, the mistakes of the IMF and more. (07/03/2002)

Literary daybook, July 3
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/03/2002)

Bestsellers
This week's bestselling books courtesy of Powells.com (07/03/2002)

Endangered species By Laura Miller
Why are there no more rugged, self-reliant he-men like the subject of Elizabeth Gilbert's "The Last American Man"? Because no women will put up with them. (07/03/2002)

The K Chronicles By Keith Knight
How to beat jetlag (07/03/2002)

In search of her father's girlhood By Amy Benfer
Noelle Howey, author of "Dress Codes: Of Three Girlhoods -- My Mother's, My Father's, and Mine," discusses sexuality, angora and life with a transgender parent. (07/03/2002)

Where have all the All-Stars gone? By Allen Barra
Just a few years ago, seven or eight players looked like the second coming of Mays and Musial. What happened? (07/03/2002)

Hopeless in Hebron By Ferry Biedermann
As Israeli troops destroy the symbol of Palestinian authority in this biblical city, moderates on both sides say Bush's speech has only made matters worse. (07/03/2002)

A little Bratt in the oven By Amy Reiter
Papa Benjamin dishes about life with Julia; Sarah Michelle Gellar puts the kibosh on Britney doing "Buffy"; and Marc Anthony salsas into Splitsville! (07/03/2002)

Make beauty, not war By Charles Taylor
Horst's photo of a woman in a corset, taken in 1939, is a vision of human sensuality that rebukes the inhumanity about to darken the world. (07/03/2002)

The new gilded age and its discontents By Damien Cave
Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz talks about the corporate looting spree and Bush's woeful mismanagement of the economy. (07/03/2002)

The original pick-up artist By Catherine Getches
At 57, James Toback is clean, sober and married. But the legendary Hollywood womanizer and gambler still bets his life on every new movie (and talks to strangers in Central Park). (07/02/2002)

"The Pirate Hunter" by Richard Zacks By Stephanie Zacharek
A thrilling and tragic new book about Captain Kidd reveals that the infamous buccaneer was actually a man of honor wrongly accused. (07/02/2002)

Literary daybook, July 2
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/02/2002)

Story Minute By Carol Lay
Mr. Malibu (07/02/2002)

Powerpuff Girls meet world By Heather Havrilesky
Three kindergarten girls are here to save the day. Are they making the world safe for female heroes, or making female heroes safe for the world? Who cares. (07/02/2002)

You call those guys All-Stars? By King Kaufman
Both managers picked six of their own players. That's too many Diamondbacks, but it's not too many Yankees. (07/02/2002)

Ten things I learned about life and soccer from the 2002 World Cup By Andrew O'Hehir
There is a football God, and despite the wild twists and turns of this year's tournament, He's still Brazilian. (07/02/2002)

She's baaack! By Amy Reiter
Pamela Anderson, that is, and she's talking about sex-madness and breasts. Plus: Shakira washes her own undies! (07/02/2002)

Where Democrats fear to tread By Anthony York
Al Gore and John Kerry are criticizing the Bush war effort. Will colleagues dare to follow? (07/02/2002)

The hypocrite in chief By Anthony York
President Bush is talking tough about pinstriped rip-off artists -- ignoring the skeletons in his and Cheney's own corporate closets (07/02/2002)

The old excuses By Cary Tennis
If a guy ever really does say, "It's not you, it's me," it might be worth a stay in jail for a shot at his balls. (07/02/2002)

It's time for ICANN to go By Damien Cave
John Gilmore, original "cypherpunk" and all-around Internet supergeek, explains why the organization that runs the Internet is broken. (07/02/2002)

"Joy of Cooking" By Douglas Wolk
Irma Rombauer might have been a terrible cook, but her elegant instruction manual belongs in every kitchen. (07/01/2002)

Music preview: Neil Finn By Ewald Christians
Ex-Crowded House frontman Finn releases his second solo album, "One All," enlisting the help of former Prince muses Wendy & Lisa. Listen in. (07/01/2002)

"Lives" of our time By Allen Barra
Paul Johnson's "Napoleon" embodies the best of Penguin's discontinued short biography series, while Jane Smiley's "Dickens," alas, represents the worst. (07/01/2002)

Literary daybook, July 1
Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. (07/01/2002)

Salon recommends
A sensible, one-stop source for women's health information and more of our favorite new books. (07/01/2002)

This Modern World By Tom Tomorrow
Are you a real American? Take this quiz and find out! (07/01/2002)

At home with Agent 99 By Laura Miller
Actress Barbara Feldon, in her new role as author of "Living Alone and Loving It," invites a few of us over to listen and learn. (07/01/2002)

Debunking Deep Throat's debunkers By Ken Hughes
Could the famous anonymous source have scribbled on Bob Woodward's newspaper or received signals from his balcony? A historian walks a mile in Deep Throat's shoes to settle the debate. (07/01/2002)

Foul cry By Ben Fritz
When media watchdogs like FAIR and MRC complain about bias, they often only reveal their own. (07/01/2002)

Dr. Bachelor By Cole Kazdin
The editor of Psychology Today has a theory that you can learn to fall in love, and he's using himself as a guinea pig of passion. (07/01/2002)

Dot-com noir By Brian McWilliams
When Internet marketing goes sour: A sordid tale of spyware, "junk traffic," bodybuilding and a half-baked plan for Hollywood glory. (07/01/2002)