Ummmm....Mother Jones?

Nursery rhyme collector? Nun who worked in Calcutta? Someone we learned about in school?

Each of these "descriptions" is equally inaccurate...In fact, Mother Jones was a liberal activist who worked for women's rights and various other causes during the early part of the twentieth century. As one of the first muckrakers, she sought to uncover the dirt on deeply-rooted and extremely powerful institutions in society. Mother Jones the magazine applies her sense of purpose and mission to providing non-corporate news to concerned Americans today. In her tradition, the magazine even takes the time to expose today's major corporations whenever their deals or doings turn dirty. And this is not just a case of rivalry or envy--this is real journalistic activism at its best!

Mother Jones is the best source of actual news in America today. It reads like a website in terms of the sense of freedom, but still carries the added weight and reliability of mainstream print publications. It presents current events that have an impact on our lives with a liberal edge that slices through the muck in a way that would make Mother Jones beam with pride.

The Contents of a Typical Issue

Here are the contents of the November/December 1999 issue, which is a fairly typical issue. I know it's not the most recent one, but it is representative of the magazine as a whole, so I hope it will suffice.

The Cover: The cover of this issue has a close-up photograph of a young man who seems mesmerized by something. There is a glowing green screen in the background. The title reads, "Quake Damage: The Real-Life Impact of Violent Computer Games."

Features:
1. Culture Quake (Paul Keegan)-The real story behind the effects of violent video games
2. High-Risk Monkey Business (Alan Green)-The importation of primates as house-pets may be profitable, but it can also prove deadly
3. Senator Strangelove (Bill Mesler)-Why the United States spends more on nuclear-weapons R & D now than during the Cold War
4. Under the Gun (Jenny Matthews and Amy Wilentz)-A photographic spread on women in wartime throughout the world
5. The End of Growth (Bill McKibben)-An exploration of the need to end greed in order to attain global stability
6. Buffalo Soldiers (Maryanne Vollers)-A tale of killing endangered wild bison to spare abundant corporate cattle

Columns:
1. This Photograph-"Apostles for the Apocalypse"
2. Outfront-"Washington state reaps a bitter harvest; how Louisiana silences the poor; and does the NSA spy on U.S. business? Plus: A report card on influence-peddling"
3. Exhibit: "ACT UP San Francisco acts recklessly; blueprints get a green life; Germany goes gentle; and hip-hop gets licked"
4. Wide Angle: "Europe revisits nationalism"
5. Power Plays (William Saletan): "Can gay Boy Scouts be morally straight? That's what the Supreme Court may soon decide"
6. The Commons (Sue Halpern): "A dairy cooperative in Vermont fights to stay small-and turn a profit-while it compete with big corporate farms"
7. Media Jones: "The best bloodless video games; talking culture with David Byrne; the politics of Dr. Seuss; book, music, and film reviews"
8. The Future Of... (Seth): a cartoon about "The Future Of..." Luddites

So...

If any of this hard news or well-informed humor appeals to you, please check it out. Mother Jones has a terrific website, the MoJo Wire, located at http://www.motherjones.com. If you want to know more about my experiences reading Mother Jones feel free to email me at gypcpoet@aol.com.