Salon.com > Salon Staff http://www.salon.com Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Come celebrate San Francisco values! http://www.salon.com/2012/05/04/come_celebrate_san_francisco_values/ http://www.salon.com/2012/05/04/come_celebrate_san_francisco_values/#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 21:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12914980 The release party for “Season of the Witch” will be a celebration of the San Francisco values of social tolerance and experimentation, as explored in David Talbot’s new book. This event will feature music and art of the 1967-‘82 era as well as speakers recounting some of the wild stories that defined this explosive time. Guests include director Oliver Stone, who will discuss how films like “The Doors” channeled the demonic energy of the period, and how his love for the San Francisco 49ers was reflected in “Any Given Sunday.” Other special guests include Scrumbly Koldewyn and Fayette Hauser of the infamous drag queen troupe the Cockettes; Peter Lewis of the legendary band Moby Grape; activist Cleve Jones; and other political, sports and literary luminaries.

Date: Friday May 18, 2012, 7:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Location: 1687 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103



If you plan on attending you must confirm by emailing your name to RSVP@salon.com.



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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/05/04/come_celebrate_san_francisco_values/feed/ 0 Notice anything different? http://www.salon.com/2012/04/23/redesign_letter/ http://www.salon.com/2012/04/23/redesign_letter/#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12906021 Salon has always believed in not just truth, but beauty. Our original design back in 1995 – a clean, art deco look created by Salon’s first art director, Mignon Khargie – immediately set Salon apart. Now Salon is once again separating itself from the cookie-cutter digital clutter that defines too much of the Web with a bold and striking new design.

We asked designer Kelly Frankeny to create a news tabloid as imagined by Coco Chanel. Frankeny -- a globetrotting designer who is often dropping into beleaguered democracies in Africa and Latin America to work her wonders for embattled newspapers – responded to our challenge with a sophisticated and dynamic design. A brilliant and sassy blond Texan, she has created a new Salon as big as her personality. And yes, while invoking the brassy urgency of a news tabloid, the new design also conveys the elegance of the House of Chanel. Both Frankeny and the new Salon know how to use red lipstick and a simple black dress for maximum effect.

To fuel Salon’s explosive growth – Salon’s audience has soared to 7.7 million monthly unique visitors, up 30 percent over 2011 – our redesign provides more intuitive navigation and deeper social integration to optimize the site for Salon’s vibrant community.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/04/23/redesign_letter/feed/ 312 Occupy heats up http://www.salon.com/2012/04/11/occupy_heats_up/ http://www.salon.com/2012/04/11/occupy_heats_up/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12837171 As winter thaws, the hot spots of the Occupy movement are seeing the first ripples of resurgence. From New York to Oakland, Calif., crowds are returning to the streets, but will the plan for a May 1 General Strike spark an American Spring or will the movement splinter and fade into Tea Party-like irrelevance? Watch the Salon webcast with Occupy correspondent Natasha Lennard to hear her thoughts on these issues:

To participate in upcoming Salon webcasts with staff and friends, join the Salon Core community.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/04/11/occupy_heats_up/feed/ 22 Stop killing black kids http://www.salon.com/2012/04/09/stop_killing_black_kids/ http://www.salon.com/2012/04/09/stop_killing_black_kids/#comments Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12836401 Salon has covered the Trayvon Martin killing relentlessly, but none of our coverage has struck a nerve like the article "Is My Son the Next Trayvon?" by the chief operating officer of Salon Studio, Quincy McCoy. As a black man who escaped the rough neighborhoods of his youth to provide a better life for his child, Quincy's article conveyed the constant anxiety suffered by all black parents — regardless of class.

Quincy recently hosted an online conversation on the epidemic of violence against young black men. Here is the full video of that discussion:

To participate in Salon's webcasts with staff and friends, join the Salon Core community.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/04/09/stop_killing_black_kids/feed/ 10 Your Obamacare stories http://www.salon.com/2012/03/28/your_obamacare_stories/ http://www.salon.com/2012/03/28/your_obamacare_stories/#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12746551 Two years after the president signed it into law, Obamacare is beginning to have a big impact: Millions more young adults are insured; prescription costs for the elderly are on the decline; and children with preexisting conditions can no longer be denied coverage. Yet, as Andrew Leonard detailed on Tuesday, it's at this very moment when the legislation is starting to extend coverage and reduce costs that the Supreme Court seems determined to destroy it.

As the justices debate constitutionality of the legislation, we want to know how the law is affecting regular Americans. Has the Affordable Care Act changed you or your family's healthcare experience?

Blog about it on Open Salon -- and we may feature your story on Salon.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/03/28/your_obamacare_stories/feed/ 26 Quick Hits: Rock icon Levon Helm plays live http://www.salon.com/2012/03/17/quick_hits_rock_icon_levon_helm_plays_live/ http://www.salon.com/2012/03/17/quick_hits_rock_icon_levon_helm_plays_live/#comments Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12679451 Rock legend Levon Helm -- the drummer and a lead singer for the Band -- is batting 1.000 at the Grammys. Last month, when his "Ramble at the Ryman" won best Americana album, he made it three in a row -- three nominations, three wins -- following Grammy Awards for his two previous albums, "Dirt Farmer" (2007) and "Electric Dirt" (2009). Not bad for a 71-year-old survivor of throat cancer, who had once lost his voice completely.

These days, a happy-to-be-alive Levon Helm presides over what he calls "midnight rambles" -- concerts in his Woodstock, N.Y., barn, where he's surrounded by musical friends and family, including his daughter, singer Amy Helm. His voice may be raspy, but his energetic drumming and high-beam smile can warm the coldest winter night. Following rousing versions of "The Weight" and "Ophelia," Helm invites Marco Werman into his house for after-midnight conversation.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/03/17/quick_hits_rock_icon_levon_helm_plays_live/feed/ 8 No Plan B for Native American women http://www.salon.com/2012/03/14/no_plan_b_for_native_american_women/ http://www.salon.com/2012/03/14/no_plan_b_for_native_american_women/#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:12:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12675971 Many women in America's most vulnerable communities are already forced to live out Rick Santorum's contraception-less nightmare. Heather Michon explains:

After weeks of debate over personhood, Planned Parenthood funding, transvaginal ultrasounds, fetal pain, Fluke-fest, aspirin-between-the-knees, and the little matter of 130,000 economically disadvantaged Texas women losing access to basic health care starting today, discussions about the accessibility of Plan B seem so... December 2011. Ancient history.

But for one group of women, access to emergency contraception is an urgent and tragically unmet need: the hundreds of thousands of Native American women who live on reservation lands. Their struggle for a better standard of care is the subject of a recent roundtable discussion by the Native American Women's Health Education Resource Center (NAWHERC).

The statistics are stark. More than 1 in 3 Native American women will be sexually assaulted their lifetimes, a rate much higher than the general population. In one study, a stunning 92 percent of young women reported they had been forced to have sex against their will on a date.

Read more on her Open Salon blog.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/03/14/no_plan_b_for_native_american_women/feed/ 26 Santorum wins Alabama, Mississippi primaries http://www.salon.com/2012/03/13/liveblog_mississippi_and_alabama_go_to_the_polls/ http://www.salon.com/2012/03/13/liveblog_mississippi_and_alabama_go_to_the_polls/#comments Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:28:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12672281 The rollicking Republican presidential contest —Steve Kornacki calls it "crazy"—continues in two southern states today as voters go to the polls in Alabama and Mississippi.

Join us here or on Twitter for a conversation about the results with Salon staff writers  Steve Kornacki, Alex Pareene, religion correspondent Sarah Posner, and editor Jefferson Morley. Play along at #salonsouth.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/03/13/liveblog_mississippi_and_alabama_go_to_the_polls/feed/ 15 LIVEBLOG: Super Tuesday http://www.salon.com/2012/03/06/liveblog_super_tuesday_test_romneys_momentum/ http://www.salon.com/2012/03/06/liveblog_super_tuesday_test_romneys_momentum/#comments Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:27:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12537661

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/03/06/liveblog_super_tuesday_test_romneys_momentum/feed/ 6 White conservative manhood crisis http://www.salon.com/2012/03/06/white_conservative_manhood_crisis/ http://www.salon.com/2012/03/06/white_conservative_manhood_crisis/#comments Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:40:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12521711 Rush Limbaugh and Rick Santorum's attacks on women's reproductive rights didn't happen in a vacuum. They're part of a larger conservative backlash against women, minorities and the poor. Chauncey DeVega explains:

Since the election of Barack Obama, the Tea Party GOP has embraced a kamikaze-like politics in which they are willing to destroy the proverbial village in order to liberate it. This appetite for destruction has reached a fever pitch during the last few weeks. Rick Santorum and the Republican Party have called for limiting women’s reproductive rights under the guise of defending “religion” from the “tyranny” of the Obama administration. A federal judge was caught forwarding an email to his friends suggesting that Barack Obama’s conception was the product of drunken sex between his mother Ann Dunham and a dog. And Rush Limbaugh launched a viciously misogynistic attack on Sandra Fluke, a private citizen, who dared to testify before Congress in defense of a woman’s right to have equal access to birth control.

On the surface, these incidents appear to be unrelated. They are simply the desperate graspings and mouth utterances of an increasingly fringe and desperate Republican Party which is determined to defeat Barack Obama by any means necessary. However, these events are all symptoms of a bigger problem. In the Age of Obama, white manhood — and a particular type of conservative white masculinity — is frightened, unsettled and terrified of its obsolescence. White (conservative) masculinity finds itself in an existential crisis.

Read more on Chauncey DeVega's Open Salon blog.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/03/06/white_conservative_manhood_crisis/feed/ 63 Rush’s big enabler: The army http://www.salon.com/2012/03/05/rushs_big_enabler_the_army/ http://www.salon.com/2012/03/05/rushs_big_enabler_the_army/#comments Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:20:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12484031 As Rush Limbaugh faces more heat over his attempts to "slut"-shame Sandra Fluke for testifying before Congress in support of student healthcare-covered birth control, there's one big supporter of the conservative talk show host that's largely avoided scrutiny: the U.S. military. On Open Salon, Heather Michon explains:

One of Rush's biggest enablers has so far escaped attention: the American Forces Network. For years, Limbaugh's show has been beamed around the globe to service members, military support staff and families. Other attempts have been made to remove him from that network and have failed.

This is the time.

In his more customized attacks on Fluke, it's easy to overlook the fact that Limbaugh has a two-decade-long track record of classifying women as inferior goods. This is the man who coined the term "Feminazi," who once stated that "feminism was established to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream." In Rush World, most women are either babes, sluts or whores. They're cunning and manipulative or whiny and weak. There's not much middle ground.

Read the whole post on Open Salon.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/03/05/rushs_big_enabler_the_army/feed/ 88 LIVEBLOG: Romney wins Michigan primary http://www.salon.com/2012/02/29/michigan_to_choose_a_gop_front_runner/ http://www.salon.com/2012/02/29/michigan_to_choose_a_gop_front_runner/#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:38:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12451131

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/02/29/michigan_to_choose_a_gop_front_runner/feed/ 3 LIVEBLOG: Oscars’ silent night http://www.salon.com/2012/02/26/liveblog_the_oscars/ http://www.salon.com/2012/02/26/liveblog_the_oscars/#comments Sun, 26 Feb 2012 22:15:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12427611 Join Salon's Mary Elizabeth Williams (@embeedub), Tracy Clark Flory (@tracyclarkflory) and Laura Miller (@magiciansbook) as we live-tweet Hollywood's big night, along with Salon contributors Roger Catlin (@rcatlin) and Michael Barthel (@michaelbarthel). We'll also be RT-ing outside tweets; to participate, mark your tweets with #salonoscars.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/02/26/liveblog_the_oscars/feed/ 7 Quick Hits: Yuja Wang plays live http://www.salon.com/2012/02/18/quick_hits_yuja_wang_plays_live/ http://www.salon.com/2012/02/18/quick_hits_yuja_wang_plays_live/#comments Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12371191 At the age of 24, Chinese-born Yuja Wang is one of the most exciting concert pianists in the world. Onstage, she cuts an elegant, sometimes provocative figure. Backstage, she's more like a teenager, noshing snacks and listening to Rihanna on her earphones. But there's no doubt that Ms. Wang, now a resident of New York, has captivated audiences and critics, from Beijing to Berlin. Her "virtuosity is stunning," says the New York Times. "An artist of dazzling genius," raves the San Francisco Chronicle. She's earned praise for her almost "superhuman keyboard technique," as well as her sensitivity and fearlessness.

We caught up with the international sensation in Los Angeles, where she performed Prokofiev at the Disney Concert Hall. Afterward, in a Steinway showroom, Wang played for us and spoke with SOUND TRACKS reporter Alexis Bloom about her life as a musical nomad.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/02/18/quick_hits_yuja_wang_plays_live/feed/ 5 Love’s fumbles http://www.salon.com/2012/02/14/celebrity_valentines_day_fiction/ http://www.salon.com/2012/02/14/celebrity_valentines_day_fiction/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:15:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12352061 It's Valentine's Day, perhaps the sappiest day of the year for couples. But it's also a good day to remember that being part of a couple is hard -- and that no one other than those two people truly understands what goes on or why it works.

So Salon asked four top novelists to look at celebrity couples in the news recently either for a split or a disagreement and imagine the back story. What went wrong? What was really said?

Just click on the links below to read the stories:

Whip-It by Belle Boggs and Richard D. Allen

The author of "Mattaponi Queen" imagines the final phone call of Demi and Ashton's marriage -- and wonders if anyone was actually listening in.

Pitch and Catch by Ben Greenman

When Gisele Bundchen defended Tom Brady by criticizing his receivers after the Super Bowl, it created some awkwardness. An author and New Yorker editor re-creates the conversation.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/02/14/celebrity_valentines_day_fiction/feed/ 0 Whitney Houston dies at 48 http://www.salon.com/2012/02/12/whitney_houston_dies_at_48/ http://www.salon.com/2012/02/12/whitney_houston_dies_at_48/#comments Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:15:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12340301 Before the tragic tabloid headlines, the "crack is wack" denials and the tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown, pop/soul diva Whitney Houston towered over the music world in the mid-1980s and early '90s.

Houston died Saturday in Beverly Hills, on the eve of the Grammy Awards. She was 48.

She sold 200 million records worldwide, won six Grammys, two Emmys and nearly two dozen American Music Awards. Hits like "How Will I Know," "Saving All My Love For You" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" ruled the pop charts -- and made her one of the few singers who could be identified by one name.

With royal music roots -- the daughter of gospel sensation Cissy Houston, the cousin of Dionne Warwick and the god-daughter of Aretha Franklin -- she seemed destined to become a pop queen. But drugs and erratic behavior helped tear her career down.

"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told Diane Sawyer in a 2002 interview, with Brown by her side.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/02/12/whitney_houston_dies_at_48/feed/ 26 Salon readers: Tell us your love woes http://www.salon.com/2012/02/07/guest_advice_column_love_by_the_book/ http://www.salon.com/2012/02/07/guest_advice_column_love_by_the_book/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12305921 Love woes are timeless -- so why not look to literature's most lasting works for advice on how to deal with them?

In their new book, "Much Ado About Loving," authors Maura Kelly and Jack Murnighan do just that. Next week, in honor of Valentine's Day, we're bringing their expertise -- and the innumerable literary examples at their fingertips -- to you.

Tell us about your romantic problems, and we'll send Jack and Maura to the stacks. Heartbroken after a nasty breakup? Languishing in a long-term relationship that's lost its spark? They'll tackle anything -- from good old-fashioned forbidden love to ultra-modern online dating disasters -- and let you know which Great Works offer words of wisdom suitable to your situation.

Email your entries to bythebook@salon.com, and check back on Valentine's Day to see which classics they prescribe. Submissions will be accepted until 5 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 10.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/02/07/guest_advice_column_love_by_the_book/feed/ 3 Steve Kornacki on “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” http://www.salon.com/2012/02/07/steve_kornacki_on_%e2%80%9ccountdown_with_keith_olbermann%e2%80%9d/ http://www.salon.com/2012/02/07/steve_kornacki_on_%e2%80%9ccountdown_with_keith_olbermann%e2%80%9d/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:12:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12312371 Keith Olbermann was back in his usual seat on "Countdown" Monday night. First up: a segment on on Barack Obama's improving poll numbers and reelection outlook with Salon's Steve Kornacki:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/02/07/steve_kornacki_on_%e2%80%9ccountdown_with_keith_olbermann%e2%80%9d/feed/ 3 LIVEBLOG: Super Bowl XLVI http://www.salon.com/2012/02/05/liveblog_super_bowl_xlvi/ http://www.salon.com/2012/02/05/liveblog_super_bowl_xlvi/#comments Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:55:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12295531

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/02/05/liveblog_super_bowl_xlvi/feed/ 6 Walsh and Kornacki chat Florida http://www.salon.com/2012/02/01/walsh_and_kornacki_chat_florida/ http://www.salon.com/2012/02/01/walsh_and_kornacki_chat_florida/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:19:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12274281 While the dust was still settling in the Sunshine State’s primary, Joan Walsh and Steve Kornacki answered the questions of Salon Core members who tuned in for a live webcast. Check out the video below to view a few highlights and if you like what you see, join Salon Core so you can engage in upcoming conversations.

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