Culture

Gil Reavill, a former employee of Screw magazine and current writer for Penthouse and Maxim, has written an excellent cover story for The American Conservative about the prevalence of smut. It's not available on-line yet, but when it is, we suggest everyone read it and send the

> It was 88 degrees and humid. Folks were eating fried catfish and hushpuppies and listening to bluesman Terry "Big T" Williams sing about the delta, while the Governor of Mississippi greeted old friends. Just another day in park - New York City's Central Park. > Like

AdRants calls one right: > If advertising portrayed even a hint of reality, this is what the Paris Hilton "Spicy Paris" commercial for Carl's Jr. would look like. Link [http://www.adrants.com/2005/06/paris-hilton-carls-jr-commercial-gets.php].

The Will & Grace stars engaged in a little playful eroticism Friday night at the Lucy Awards. Link [http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-06-12-lucy-awards_x.htm?POE=LIFISVA]. Excerpt: > After Camryn Manheim introduced the pair as the new Lucy and Ethel, [Megan] Mullally playfully

It's rare that we get tempted to check out a TV show. In the past twelve years, Eric Scheske has watched two shows: Seinfeld and The Sopranos. Eric shares Marshall McLuhan's distrust of TV and Neil Postman's disgust with it. Eric especially dislikes documentaries.

We like eBay. We like the cottage industries it has spawned; we like the way it brings together ordinary consumers without a significant middle man. But it wouldn't be so successful in a society that wasn't infected with acquisition infatuation. Anyway, if you want to buy

A Calgary Sun columnist has written a great piece about Michael Jackson. Link [http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/Columnists/Calgary/Ian_Robinson/2005/06/12/1083192.html] . Excerpts: > I mean, here we have a man who speaks in an affected little baby voice, owns a face that looks like

The New York Times has a grisly article (with one particularly-nasty picture) about "meth mouth": gnarled and ruined teeth resulting from the use of methamphetamine. Link [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/11/national/11meth.html?hp&ex=1118462400&en=51ca0e06dc145407&ei=5094&

Joe Sobran wrote a nice column about the historical value of movies. Link [http://www.sobran.com/columns/2005/050519.shtml]. Opening paragraphs: > One of the ways I like to study American history is by watching old Hollywood movies, especially those made (usually in black and white) around and

Ads purposefully crafted to get banned. Link [http://www.adrants.com/2005/06/girl-grabs-crotch-ad-gets-banned.php]. Excerpt: > [I]t seems marketers are simply creating them now in order to have them banned. Take the Plugg Jeans ad. It shows two hotties on the beach. The