November-December 2006
Contents
Earth Attacks!!
Ancient Astronauts and Forgotten Dreams
A requiem for the Space Age
by Mark Dery, from Cabinet
Infinity or Bust
Swashbuckling entrepreneurs are selling space as the ultimate free market
by Hannah Lobel
Hazy Cosmic Jive
Tunes to get you dancing in your moon boots
Cosmic Questions
An ethicist considers law and order on the final frontier
by Patrick Lin
Houston, We Have a Problem
Why we ought to leave the moon to the stars and mind our own planet
by Keith Goetzman
Life in the Stars
Whether the existence of extraterrestrials is fact or theory, the media would do well to start telling the story
by Martin Keller
And the Nominees Are . . .
Utne Independent Press Awards
More than a hundred publications get the nod for 2006
Cautionary Tale
End Time in the Sunshine
How a small island in the South Pacific sold its soul
by Jack Hitt, from The Sun
I.F. Stone: Blogger
Celebrating a Media Maverick
I.F. Stone’s essays from Washington combined the fearless abandon of a blogger and the ruthless reporting the web too often lacks
from The Best of I.F. Stone, edited by Karl Weber
From the Ashes
Library of Dust
The urns in an abandoned hospital ward hold anonymous remains, but the ashes shout out in bursts of dazzling color
by Julie Hanus
Emerging Ideas
Advertising for a Better World
The nation’s only nonprofit ad agency crafts messages with a mission
by James Diers
Props to the People
Urban turbines bring wind power to the city
by David Brauer
Plus: MCs do the SATs, ludology, wild about organic, the softer side of CO2, getting out of park, frankenfelines, and more
Mixed Media
Books
Not Your Father’s Captain America
Superheroes battle over civil liberties
by Jeremy Adam Smith
Reviews: Books on the Holocaust in North Africa, feminism’s next generation, and more
Film
Shot in Iraq
A film college in Baghdad graduates its inaugural class
by Ali Jaafar, from Sight & Sound
Reviews: Films on life and death at Jonestown, American anarchism, and more
Performance
One of the Guys
Transgender performance artist Scott Turner Schofield explores gender issues for the average Joe
by Andrea Cooper
Music
Reviews: Crooked Still, Von Freeman, and more
Street Librarian
Mountain Time
A farewell
by Chris Dodge
Mindful Living
First Resorts
When you’re choosing where to ski or snowboard, follow your ecoconscience
by Keith Goetzman
Giving Till It Helps
How your small donations can make a big difference
from WorldChanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century, edited by Alex Steffen
Ready, Set, Write
National Novel Writing Month puts wannabe novelists on a tight deadline
by Megan Kaplan
Nice Day for a Green Wedding
How to walk down the aisle with style–and leave a small footprint
by Megan Kaplan
Plus: Welcome to the EcoHood; shaking it off; Buddha in your pocket; the heart of a woman; reading, writing, and massage; and one cup of sugar, a dash of irreverence
Gleanings
Nice Work, Winky!
Roll call gets crazy when Chinese students choose English nicknames
by Samantha Culp, from The BlowUp
Friends on the Inside
A college student learns a thing or two from the cons
by Elizabeth Nguyen, from The Lens
Free Falling
A covert romance opens new worlds–and new dangers
by Bryn Marlow, from White Crane
Heartland
Eagles and Condors
Living a different dream in the Amazonian rainforest
