The people shout and the church bells ring. A party is in the air. Laughing, dancing, whistling and singing dominate the mood so that no one can sleep. Something like magic fills the streets of this festive community. [Read article]

When it starts to crumble, knock it down and rebuild it anew ÷ that's the American way. Or you can be a rebel and choose to believe there's something beautiful about old, beat up things. Newer is not always better, and junk is often the best. [Read article]

Once upon a time, a boarding school in Switzerland set the stage for the chance encounter between two American students that would change their lives forever. [Read article]

The television has begun to suck my soul. And the radio, well, that can't get much worse, and I am beginning to wonder about the Internet, too. Where are things headed? What are the new trends? Is art even art anymore? These questions provide my mind with an impending sense of doom.

So what is happening in the world of music, art and culture? I can tell you one thing: It is not a pretty sight, and I don't think people will be picking up Staind's second album in 30 years and saying, "Man these guys really made an impact, a real difference in music." [Read article]

Grade: B+ & A
Utz: "Bowling for Columbine" is a documentary by Michael Moore, the man who brought us the popular "Roger and Me." Instead of exposing corporate moguls, this time he's pulling the blanket off of American society, revealing the insincere government we live under and the almost perverse media-saturated, gun-loving society that, sadly enough, defines us. Michael Moore's film primarily explores the big American gun question: Why do we as Americans kill each other with guns in such large numbers? And why are our children killing each other? Moore takes us on a sometimes hilarious and sometimes despairing journey that provides no one answer to the question, and leaves us with a whole lot to think about. [Read article]

Grade: B+
The two guys who wrote this book get a lot of ass.

When asked to review "Make Every Girl Want You: How To Have Sex With Hot Girls (Without Even Dating Them)" by John Fate and Steve Reil, my feminist convictions shot up like antennae the size of antlers. However, after reading the specific steps for men outlined in the book, I almost gave them up. [Read article]