How the World's Biggest Corporations, From Starbucks to Wal-Mart to Barnes & Noble, Claim to Be 'Local'

Sep 08, 2009 - HSBC, one of the biggest banks on the planet, has taken to calling itself "the world's local bank." Starbucks is un-branding at least three of its Seattle outlets, the first of which just reopened as "15th Avenue Coffee and Tea." Winn-Dixie, a 500-outlet supermarket chain, recently launched a new ad campaign under the tagline, "Local flavor since 1956." - 10 Comments

Soft Tyranny

Apr 22, 2009 - +PUBLIC POST+ ***************************************** Soft Tyranny By Paul Greenberg After touring Jacksonian America in the1830s, Alexis de Tocqueville would write a wide-ranging, eloquent and still highly relevant analysis of "Democracy in America," the title of his masterwork. But he was interested in more than the America of his time. He was also intrigued by the future of democracy in America. - 11 Comments

Kite Runner Joins Gay Penguins on Top 10 Books Americans Want Banned

Apr 17, 2009 - Friday, April 17, 2009 by The Guardian/UK by Alison Flood The American Library Association's 'most challenged' books of 2008 include Khaled Hosseini's bestseller alongside Philip Pullman's Dark Materials and And Tango Makes Three Khaled Hosseini has joined the illustrious ranks of Philip Pullman and the authors of a story about gay penguins, after his novel The Kite Runner became one of the books that inspired most complaints in America last year. The bestselling and critically acclaimed title, the story of a 12-year-old Afghan and his betrayal of his best friend, includes the rape of a boy, and provoked challenges in the US over what objectors saw as sexual content and offensive language. Some objections led to the removal of the book from library shelves, while others saw it replaced with bowdlerised versions minus the offending scenes, according to the American Library Association, which compiles an annual list of the most challenged titles in the country. - 31 Comments