Gun advocates rallied this week in support of their right to bear arms, the Pope has said that his church has sinned, Goldman Sachs is giving out bonuses in the throes of SEC charges, and laptops are taking pictures of kids while they sleep! This may sound like a vision of the end times, but really it's just another week in the news these days.

Last week, I noted that rating agency Standard and Poors had upgraded Massey Energy from “hold” to a “buy.” Massey's the company that owns the mine where 29 miners were killed in an explosion recently. Now we find out that Standard and Poors were right: Massey's prospects are only going up -- in fact, they're on a shopping spree!

Barack Obama was able to win the presidency in part because of the strong support of self-identified "independent" voters. Yet the Tea Party movement draws many who also refer to themselves as independents. As the 2010 midterm elections approach, who's going to win over those supposed independents this time? And what about independent candidates for office?

The coup in Honduras is old news, but conflicts still endure in the Central American country. One of them has been portrayed by the media in Honduras as a fight between "terrorists," possibly foreign-supported, and the law-abiding government and military. The truth, as this video from The Real News Network shows, is a little different.

Tea Party crowds held protests last week for tax day, but recent articles and polls have laid more blame for the anger at Obama at the feet of a deep-seated racial anxiety among certain sectors of Americans. "We have to embrace the fact that America is still going through a racial crisis," notes multimedia journalist and former NPR host Farai Chideya.

Tea Party crowds held protests last week for tax day, but recent articles and polls have laid more blame for the anger at Obama at the feet of a deep-seated racial anxiety among certain sectors of Americans. "We have to embrace the fact that America is still going through a racial crisis," notes multimedia journalist and former NPR host Farai Chideya.

Beauty's in the eye of the beholder, especially, apparently, the beauty of bailouts. In the U.S. right now, some see robust growth, others a limping progress. Some see unemployment edging down, others see it spiking up. It's all about the beholder.

What kind of a house does a man who has lived in a 6' by 9' box for 30 years dream of? That's the provocative question asked by this week's Got Doc feature, The House That Herman Built. Herman Wallace, a member of the Black Panther party, has been in solitary confinement for over 38 years in the Louisiana prison system. In 2003, artist Jackie Sumell asked Herman this simple question, and this documentary traces the growth of Herman's house from art project toward reality.

Elizabeth Streb has been called "superhuman"--her choreography more extreme sport than dance performance. Pushing boundaries, testing limits, redefining pain and strength; this is what she does every day, and her work has received multiple awards, including theJohn D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Award.

Elizabeth Streb has been called "superhuman"--her choreography more extreme sport than dance performance. Pushing boundaries, testing limits, redefining pain and strength; this is what she does every day, and her work has received multiple awards, including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Award.