“To be truly free, and truly to appreciate its freedom, a society must be literate.”
Andre Agassi: What a rich man's discontent can teach us all about living an authentic life
They say money can’t buy happiness. The same also goes for celebrity, and even the status that accompanies being among the best in the world at your profession. We’ve had ample demonstration […]
In praise of young girls, in defense of Roman Polanski
Child rapist Roman Polanski has been apprehended in Switzerland. Read all about it. Outrage is palpable – on both sides. Yes, there are two sides. In addition to the “hang the pedophile” […]
Inauguration logistics: epic fail. General response: epic conniption.

You may have heard that Inauguration Day was something of a mess in our nation’s capital. People with tickets who couldn’t get in to see the actual inauguration (which included everything from […]
TunesDay: The best CDs of 2008, pt. 1 – the Gold LPs
Most years are pretty good for music if you know where to look, and 2008 was no exception. It’s a shame that you have to search so hard, of course – once […]
Meet Satan's towel boy, Ralph Nader, and other famous rabblerousers in a call for open debates
He’s the man who caused Sep. 11, war in the Gulf, a million Iraqi deaths and probably mad cow disease too, as you’ve no doubt heard from disgruntled Democrats. Of course I’m […]
The best moment of the night
Once is a film that deserves more, so much more. A truly independent effort built around music and characters whose authenticity simply bursts off the screen and fills your heart, this movie […]
The writers' strike is over, and the writers have (largely) won
By Martin Bosworth It’s official–the three-month writer’s strike has come to an end, with 92.5% of the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) voting to get back to work after an agreement was […]
Why, oh why, did you sell out, Matt Taibbi?

By Martin Bosworth We’re big fans of maverick political writer and gonzo journalist extraordinare Matt Taibbi here at S&R. I’ve quoted from him extensively in articulating my political philosophy, and my fellow […]
The future (of science fiction writing) ain’t what it used to be
By Martin Bosworth Over the weekend there was an interesting flap in literary circles–the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) went insane with copyright infringement notices against Scribd.com, an online document-hosting service, […]