Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
One of the highlights of my USA ’08 Special Report for Spotlight Online was a review of all the different music videos that expressed the election campaign in song. Will.i.am’s “Yes, We Can” video, along with Barelypolitical’s Obama Girl series, started an avalanche of user-made songs and parodies about all the candidates that kept us entertained for a year. There … >>
Pay attention: There will be a quiz! This Sunday, July 1, is an important day for America’s northern neighbor. It’s Canada Day. Happy Canada Day, everybody! I wish I could tell you how Canadians actually celebrate this, but it’s one of many things about Canada that Americans know nothing aboot — I mean, about. Aside from a few clichés about … >>
Back when I was a newsreader for my college radio station, I was shown one of the thickest books I’d ever seen: a binder containing, I guess, about 500 pages. Those were all the rules an American radio station had to follow, as laid down by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). While I found the book daunting, my contemporaries found … >>
If you tried to read the English-language Wikipedia last Wednesday, you couldn’t. Every page was replaced with a black screen explaining that, as part of a protest, the content of the free online encyclopedia was being hidden for 24 hours. (A banner appeared at the top of Wikipedia’s Spanish- and German-language pages, but this was hardly more distracting than the … >>
Every revolution needs a poet. The civil-rights movement was won not by people marching in the streets or setting fire to their neighborhoods, but by the eloquence of their leaders, who opened the ears and minds of the establishment. Martin Luther King talked about the problems in his neighborhood, but his dream was a dream for everyone. He made civil … >>
I have to say the news hasn’t been good lately. In fact, it’s been so bad that only one thing can help. That thing is Auto-Tune. Auto-Tune is software that can correct anyone’s singing voice to give it perfect pitch. Music producers use it on a large percentage of pop and especially R&B singers, many of whom would seem rather … >>
Haufenwolke, a reader of this column, says I don’t deserve to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. So I’ve decided to step up my efforts. Like most people, I wish for peace on Earth on December 24. But wishing alone won’t stop the inconsiderate behavior of others. Actions must follow. So here are 20 simple suggestions that could be … >>
Do you remember what you were doing back in July? I do. I was glued to the TV, watching all the documentaries about the first moon landing 40 years ago in 1969. It was the greatest technical achievement in human history. Watching recent interviews with the former Apollo astronauts — Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin in particular — helped to reawaken some … >>
Michael Silveira was fed up. Twice a day last May, he answered his cell phone, only to hear a recording from a company trying to sell him an extended warranty on his car. Silveira didn’t own a car. Worse, in America, cell phone owners share the cost of incoming calls. So by answering the phone, Silveira was helping to pay … >>
Years ago, in the days before MP3 players, an American friend of mine moved to Germany. His stay was to be temporary, so he’d left all his records, cassettes and CDs behind. The move had also cost more than he’d expected, so he decided not to buy a radio. A month in his new apartment was more than he could … >>