oligarchy Joe the Plumber dead at 49 Mark Frauenfelder

videos This fun and thoughtful show asks where latinos sat on the bus with Rosa Parks Thom Dunn

economics Tracking the Rise and Fall of the American middle class with shopping malls Thom Dunn

classic tv Surreally-earnest instructional films from the 40s, 50s, 60s Gareth Branwyn

American Dream 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." Rusty Blazenhoff

videos Camperforce: Laura Poitras documentary on the elderly precariat nomads who keep Amazon's warehouses working Cory Doctorow

Business Student loan garnisheeing topped $176M in three months Cory Doctorow

politics Public historians slam Trump's statue garden plan Jennifer Sandlin

tourism Two German teen girls discover America's new tourist attraction: detention centers Ellsworth Toohey

music Cyberculture pioneer RU Sirius's new album of "rhymes against reality" David Pescovitz

Business Why "Made in America" dreams are a galaxy-brain-stupid fantasy Ellsworth Toohey

Weird Living the dream: island sized for exactly one house Popkin

healthcare The hidden truth about Medicaid: 64% of recipients are employed workers Maureen Herman

travel The famed crooked house of Windsor is now a cafe bar and bottle shop Popkin

politics Inflation rate rose sharply in January Rob Beschizza

photos Book of Monsters (1914): Early macro photography of creepy crawlies by Marian and David Fairchild Popkin

Entertainment David Lynch forever changed my life: A filmmaker's tribute to cinema's greatest dreamer Case Esparros

Entertainment RIP David Lynch, visionary director who brought surrealism to the mainstream Boing Boing

Science Controlling lucid dreams, for real Rob Beschizza