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...VaguePolitix delivers a satirical presentation of today's major political issues. Although the approach is often light --quirky quizzes and video games--the subject matter is not.
VAGUEpolitix
- raw, exciting political material explored through a variety of voices.
(Featured June
21)
Vaguepolitix:
Anyone who thinks that the internet will end reading hasn't looked at
the first issues of this on-line quarterly from the PBS Online Web Lab
that examines the topic of crime. Great writing. Provocative ideas.
Resources to support your own learning. And a terrific example of how
web graphics and good design can enhance your reading experience. http://www.pbs.org/weblab/vaguepolitix/
"Woman News: Smart Talk: This news outlet's special interest is more fun, less fluff", by Amanda Temple Barbara Walters yuks it up with
three sweater-clad pseudo-personalities on "The View" and gets all giggly
with Monica over her choice of undies. "60 Minutes" shows its softer
side with a midweek installment. And your local news does a report on
calories in coffee drinks and calls it investigative reporting. Odd but intriguing look at major
social issues, built on the premise that boredom is the greatest threat
to democracy today. Current feature focuses on crime, offering a splattered
approach of intellectual inquiry on the subject. Truly unique.
Excerpt: Rather than tell you what Vague
Politix is, perhaps I should tell you what it isn’t (that seems a rather
vague thing to do.) Well, for starters, it’s not a political think tank
filled with policy wonks -- or maybe it is. No, it’s definitely not
a think tank. It covers just one vague issue at a time, like crime.
But what coverage! Stats and opinions on everything: crime and the arts,
crime and you, prisons and crime, police and justice, crime prevention.
It’s all the politics of crime. Too much information, you say? Then
try "Nutshells" -- that's crime in a nutshell -- or their 10-minute
overview of crime. There’s probably more than you want to know here,
but hey, nobody’s forcing you to spend 12 hours in front of your computer.
Has this been sufficiently vague? If you’re concerned that Vague Politix
is trying to spout some (bleeding heart liberal, libertarian, right-wing,
etc.) political agenda, don’t worry, they present 'em all -- and
then some. (full article available upon request)
Launched on June 14 and hosted
by PBS Online, this new Web Lab project aims to offer an irreverent
but balanced guide to important political and public issues. A review
of the first issue, a "prototype" which focuses on crime, reveals quite
a bit of engaging content (although most of the more useful and authoritative
material is not original to the site), links, and other resources presented
in a somewhat flashy and pretentious, but very clean, format. For instance,
pieces on crime range from a humorous but fairly thorough overview ("all
you need to know in 10 minutes or twelve hours") to crime policy "nutshells"
to an article on crime and the arts to an excellent piece on the misuse
of statistics. This issue also includes a section on Body Politix, navigated
via clickable human figures, that contains mini-essays
and related links.
What is the greatest threat to
democracy today? There are many possible answers to such a question.
But according to VAGUEpolitix -- a new political site brought to us
by Web Lab and PBS Online, assorted funders, and a gaggle of would-be
opinion leaders -- the answer is actually quite simple: "It's
Boredom -- Ours"... (full article available
upon request)
Another excellent Web content experiment
underwritten by Web Lab. This attempt to be at once informative and
oh-so-clever, newsy and wry has outstanding topical material from the
likes of John Leonard, Emily Prager and Paul Krassner. The launch issue's
crime-focus wisely pokes at Americans silly and uneven attitudes toward
the issue rather than the usual flood of statistics and posturing. Some
wonderful graphical gags and issue-themed games are refreshing breaks
from the relatively humorless Salon or Slate. Clearly, there is a space
for such a high-spirited issues site and a break from predictable punditry. In the murky world of online politics,
not all choices boil down to black and white, RudyYes.com and Hillary4Senate.com.
Sometimes, the truth is a little more vague. Enjoy the irreverent weekly news
of The Onion? Then check out VAGUEpolitix, launching Mon 14.
Funded by the New York-based nonprofit group Web Lab (which supports
online projects that embrace contemporary issues), VAGUEpolitix aims
to spice up the mundane world of partisan bickering and attract categorically
nonpolitical people to its collection of graphics-rich political discussion
groups.
The Ventura Files (Jesse Ventura's official site), June 30, 1999 Yahoo! Pick of the Week, June 21, 1999 Project Cool Sighting, June 21, 1999 Netscape Netcenter What's Cool, June 17, 1999 Yahoo! Pick of the Day, June 15, 1999 |
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