"The bigger the lie, the more they believe." – Bunk

How Things Work in this Blog:

– The Pop Culture Angle: Bit-and-piece comments/links on the Wire’s impacts on pop culture.

– The Coast to Coast Connect: Think Baltimore’s drama is far from home? The West Coast has its healthy dose of misspent funds, bought-out politicians and twisted institutions, so read up on the latest news with links.

– The News Angle: As an amateur journalist, the Wire’s fifth season hits close to home. Read up on insights into the newsroom, and how the Guardian operates similarly/differently to the Baltimore Sun.

The Pop Culture Angle: Reviews and Commentary on the Wire

– A terrifically written New York Magazine review of the fifth season:

http://nymag.com/arts/tv/reviews/42386/

– A profile from The Atlantic on the David Simon, creator of The Wire and "the angriest man on television:"

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200801/bowden-wire

The Coast to Coast Connect: Budget Battles Beyond Baltimore

When it comes to money, everyone hurts, even California, where the hot news topic is the $14-billion hole our budget has dug itself into.

– General links:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cap21jan21,1,3533042.column?coll=la-headlines-california

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-regents18jan18,1,4980795.story

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-budget13jan13,1,2319046.story

– L.A. Times readers’ comments on the fiscal crisis:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-budget10jan10-gb,1,6024762.graffitiboard?coll=la-util-news-local

– The Wire’s Baltimore might have to do "more with less," but columnist Mark Paul dubs California the "something for nothing" state:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-op-paul20jan20,1,1624950.story

– How San Diego fares in the bleak picture:

http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2008/01/18/cafesandiego/900bruvold1011808.txt