capitalism

Guy Robs Bank So He Can Get Health Care in Prison

Max Read · 06/20/11 08:37PM

James Verone, a 59-year-old former truck driver, was having serious medical problems that he couldn't afford to get checked out or treated. If only North Carolina had a free, state-run health-care system!, he thought. Then he realized it does: in prison.

Rob Zombie Has Made a Woolite Commercial

Hamilton Nolan · 06/16/11 10:36AM

Demon from rock-n-roll hell and grindcore director Rob Zombie has just released his latest project: a commercial for Woolite™ brand laundry detergent. "It's not like it's scary," says Zombie. That's "cool." [NYT]

Jailvertisements Coming Soon to New York State

Max Read · 03/27/11 10:01PM

New York's Erie County Holding Center will be playing advertisements on a television screen in its holding cells, apparently in an effort to plug the hole created by upcoming budget cuts. Obviously, the HDTV won't be for ads only—it will also "publicize general information about parking, the jail's policies and more," according to Anthony Diina, the advertising whiz who came up with the idea. ("What do people want they are in the Holding Center?" Diina asks, intriguingly, before settling on the rather obvious answer, "They want to get out.") "It strikes me as inserting a commercial aspect into something when I don't feel there is any place for it," says former prosecutor James Auricchio, which is a sweet thing to say, but get real, James, do you even know what "monetizing" is? Talk about "captive eyeballs," I am right? And listen to this:

Did Capitalism Destroy Life on Mars?

Max Read · 03/23/11 01:28AM

Why isn't there life on Mars? Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has a theory! "I have always said, heard... it would not be strange that there had been civilization on Mars, but maybe capitalism arrived... and finished off the planet." Hmm.

All Your 'Environmentally Friendly' Products Are Lying

Hamilton Nolan · 10/26/10 10:09AM

Guilty Americans enjoy nothing more than assuaging our collective guilt over raping the earth by purchasing "green" products, with labels helpfully telling us how these "green" products are saving the planet. Too bad they're almost all fake, somehow.

The Good, The Bad, The Bad, and The Bad

Hamilton Nolan · 10/12/10 04:27PM

The Way We Live Now: fraying around the edges. Yes, there's always one bright, shiny piece of good news to focus on obsessively. But is it bright enough to outshine the creeping black horrors? We shall see.

What is a $33,000 Mattress Made Out Of?

Max Read · 06/17/10 01:03AM

Luxury mattress makers E.S. Kluft sell a $33,000 mattress called the Palais Royale. It will probably not make you sleep that much better than an $800 mattress from Sleepy's. So how do they justify charging that much?

Haiti Update: Military Secures Hospital, Things for Sale Again

Pareene · 01/19/10 04:33PM

The streets of Port-au-Prince contained scenes of commerce and activity Tuesday morning, instead of just devastation and death. Merchants sold fruits and vegetables amid the rubble of destroyed businesses. More cars were winding through the debris-strewn streets.