Stories by Laura Barcella

A few celebrities pledge $1 million each to aid Katrina relief efforts, while NYC plans an appropriately alcohol-related Nola fundraiser.

Do you agree that it's the Bush kids' <i>duty</i> to fight for their country -- or else?

In his book <i>American Mania</i>, a psychiatrist urges us to stop our endless quest of accumulation -- unless we want to witness a mass psychological and economic meltdown.

sitting in a tree. In love, forever and ever.

...unless you want to lose face in the lesbian community. DUH.

David LaChapelle's new documentary chronicles the evolution of a dance craze in South Central L.A. -- but skims over harder questions about race.

My first <a href="http://www.blogher.org">BlogHer</a> panel dissects red and blue echo chambers (i.e. how can we make them talk to each other?); race and ethnicity in the blogosphere; the 'parrotsphere' and why it's useless; strategies for making political analysis more palatable to culture at large.

Tomorrow I'll spend my whole (hopefully sunny) Saturday in Santa Clara, CA at <a href="http://www.blogher.org/">BlogHer</a>, the first-ever convention of women bloggers. I'll also be live-blogging from the event. Are you excited? I am.

The Roman Polanski vs. <i>Vanity Fair</i> libel lawsuit raised oft-forgotten questions about the fugitive director's misogynistic, violent past.

but I might not do <i>that</i>.

The 'I'm Tom Cruise, and I'm in LOVE!!!' blog provides minutes and minutes of TomKat gossip goodness.

John Graham's recent article, about being on the government's 'no fly' list, sparked a number of insightful comments from alarmed AlterNet readers.

Blogger Solari Ekine of <a href="http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks/2005/07/we_are_not_whal.html">Black Looks</a> writes, 'It is as if people so much want to believe that Geldof's agenda for Africa has and will make a difference that they cannot see the wood for the trees...'

Remember when Tom Cruise said that Brooke Shields should have treated her postpartum depression with vitamins instead of Paxil? She's fighting back in a <i>New York Times</i> op-ed.

I like to think of myself as being <i>in the online loop</i>. But I might be late to the 43 Things party...

The 58-year-old heir was ranked No. 11 on <i>Forbes</i>' list of the world's richest people. But at least he gave some of his money away for low-income families to send their kids to private school.

"It is hard to be an American in Australia at the moment, it is really hard. It varies with different people, but you have to be quiet and try not to draw attention to yourself."

I still don't trust Nike, even though it gets a (very tiny) cookie for its...

Why is Wal-Mart wicked? AlterNet counted the ways in a June 1 article -- and lots of ever-opinionated readers weighed in.