Some of Rose's Favorite Filters of the Outside World
These pages are, I'm afraid, woefully out-of-date; links are not
guaranteed to work, or to reflect my current whims. For a more current
collection of projects 'n' stuff, please see RoseAuerbach.com.
Okay, so this is
how it works: Some of us pay attention to the outside world so other people don't have to, but can think that they do, but of course they only know what we're telling them. Sound condescending? Sure. (But, of course, I'm a little jaded.) Sound confus
ing? It's not that bad, really.
And that's just the news. There's also culture, art, and entertainment. All of it is created by people with views and opinions, whether they're up-front about it or not.
Here are some of the medi
a links that I think are innovative, thought-provoking, or just plain cool. What you think is up to you. Literally.
- Addicted to Noise: The best darn music magazine on the World Wide Web, and I'm not just saying that 'cause I used to be a staff copy editor.
- The Utne Reader: Gleanings from wonderful sources, plus they
take the concept of communication very seriously.
- Mother Jones: Easily my favorite magazine for investigative journalism. They take advantage of the electronic medium with features like chat fora and Newt
Watch. MoJo was looking into GOPAC way back when a frightening number of people thought the Newt was a cool guy, and they're still working on it.
- Women's Wire: Daily headlines, health news, resources, and comics. O
ne of the best women's-issues sites on the Web.
- In Motion: A journal for community news, social activism, and cultural exchange. In English and Spanish.
- IntelWeb: The intelligence on intelligence forces around the world. If it's their mission to keep an eye on us, then it's our duty to keep an eye on them.
- noseWEEK: South Africans ke
eping an eye on South Africa.
- Prison Life: In days like these, we might do well to remember that people in prison are, indeed, people.
- In Orbit Around the Web: Labor, religion, nukes, and Buckminster Fuller, all in one place.
- The Annals of Improbable Research: And you thought science was boring.
- CNN: The news. I have to give CNN credit; they're one of the most even-handed news sources on television, and I'm not just saying that 'cause I know people who work with them.
- The Kids in the Hall: I refer to two hours as eight gorillas. When my computer starts up, it calls, "I am ready to serve you, master... aaaaaaand Satan!" I have sympathy hatred for Cabbage Head, I heart
Buddy Cole, and I know a lot of Daves. Yeah, the Kids are my favorite sketch comedy troupe in the whole wide world, and I don't even know any of the guys in it.
The Two Coolest Shows that you've Never Seen
- World News Now: It's more than ABC's overnight news show... it's a way of life. (Ways of life are hard to come by at four in the morning.) Smarties, Mounties, polkas,
the Download Queen, and even some news. Also be sure to check out the World News Now Site of the Day Did I mention that I run the mailing list?
- Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?: Every day on PBS
(check your lo
cal listings). The computer game was never like this. Brightly-colored, hysterical, even educational; though targeted towards kids, approximately one-third of the audience is grown-ups. In a typical half-hour, the Plastic Diver Guy risks whatever that
ominous music hails; Greg Lee once again utterly fails to remember the Shadow's code ("Sorry, I didn't study the code-- was watching Melrose Place"), Rockapella give clues to the tune of the "P
artridge Family" theme, and the Chief turns into a can of cling peaches. Oh, yeah, and some kids answer some questions and maybe win a trip.
- WesWeb.net: The Fairly Official Web Site of John Wesley Harding. I run it, so any comments I were to write here would be a bit subjective, but don't let that stop you from visiting.
- The Intern
et Underground Music Archives: The best darn music site on the World Wide Web, and I'm not just saying that 'cause I know the people who started it.
- Chalkhills: the XTC mailing list. Lyrics, FAQ, a colorin
g book, and the archives of ten years of debating the deeper meanings of "Dear God" and "Pink Thing."
- Billy Bragg: Why, yes, as a matter of fact, there are still some protest singers out there, a
nd Billy's one of the best. Equal parts lovelorn balladeer, social commentator, and all-around cool guy, the Bard of Barking is simply, well, cool. And he does a mean retranslation of "The Internationale."
- Kirs
ty MacColl: You know the voice, even if you don't realize it. But do you know the music? You should.
- PJ Harvey: I was trying to think of something really clever about someone who took all of
three years to go from raw, counterparadigmatic (ooh! SAT word!), short and slashing pieces to downright sultry blusiness with an attitude, but you'll just have to check Polly Jean out for yourself.
- fegMANIAX: a page for all things Robyn Hitchcock. This is more of an index of links, some of which are more worthwhile than others, than a home page, but it does have its share of moons and fish.
- International Folk Dance Resource Guide: Has references to resources for musics from around the world, as well as where you can dance to them. If the only music you're familiar with is in 3/4 or 4/4 time, prepare for the shock of yo
ur musical life.
- Le Show: Harry Shearer's weekly take on the news, and some really cool music to boot.
- The Capitol Steps: The goings-on in Washington, as perceived by congressional staffers with twisted senses of humor, often set to music, and often in RealAudio files.
- This American Life: Each wee
k they choose a theme... oh, just have a listen. Any show that ties together stories on and about detectives with Robyn Hitchcock's "Raymond Chandler Evening" is doing something very right.
- KCRW: A great L.A.-area NP
R station on which you can catch all of the above.
- KROQ: Think of an "alternative-music" band, and KROQ probably gave them their first commercial exposure. If the station is, as some claim, an L.A. institution, then
it's one of the least stuffy. They're genuinely nice people, and I'm not just saying that 'cause the morning show folks let me come to their parties.
Rose Ellen Auerbach
auerbach@armory.com