Comic legend George Carlin died in 2008 but his 2005 stand-up bit/rant "The American Dream" has been made even more poignant than ever in "America Wake Up." Portland-based Pattern Integrity Films are behind the powerful new short that uses modern footage to illustrate Carlin's timeless message.
Powerful short "America Wake Up" invokes George Carlin: "The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it."
Surreally-earnest instructional films from the 40s, 50s, 60s
What retro-fresh hell is this? Old TV Time is a YouTube channel dedicated to cultural and industrial instructional films from the 1940s and 50s (and 60s and 70s). From advice on dating (directed at boys), properly behaving at a restaurant (directed at girls), and how to suppress "strong feelings" so that you don't end up… READ THE REST
Camperforce: Laura Poitras documentary on the elderly precariat nomads who keep Amazon's warehouses working
Last September, I wrote about Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, Jessica Bruder's important, fascinating book-length investigation into the Americans who live on the road out of economic necessity, including the Camperforce, a precariat army of retirees who saved carefully all their working lives, only to be bankrupted in the 2008 financial crisis who… READ THE REST
Student loan garnisheeing topped $176M in three months
The latest figures on government-backed student loans are in, and with them, the news that the US government took $176 million out of ex-students paychecks and Social Security in the last three months of 2015. READ THE REST
This wooden chess, checkers, and backgammon set will definitely class up your game night
Thanks to Netflix's wildly popular series, The Queen's Gambit, chess, a game invented about 1,500 years ago, is surging back into public consciousness. But while the Game of Kings may be riding a wave of increased awareness right now, it is, by no means, the only game that has survived the test of time into… READ THE REST
These 10 apps can help you make 2021 the year you learn a new language
Only 20% of American students learn a foreign language. While that's low, it ends up feeling downright pathetic when you consider that more than 9 out of 10 European students are schooled in at least one other tongue. Sure, there are so many languages in Europe that residents there have to learn a few to… READ THE REST
This grooming vacuum will help reduce dog and cat fur around your home
You love your family and friends. You love your spouse. You love your kids. But, even among those things you treasure most in this world, there's still a special kind of love you hold only for your pet. For as much as we shower our love and affection over these furry family members, there isn't… READ THE REST