Home ›
Michael Mechanic
Senior Editor
Michael landed at MoJo after six years as an award-winning feature editor at the alt-weekly East Bay Express. He's written for numerous publications, including The Industry Standard, the Los Angeles Times, and Wired. An amateur science geek and father of two, he lives in Oakland, California, where he strums his guitar and croons for the old-time band Heller Highwater.
Author's Articles
-
Ralph Stanley's World of Sorrow
Old man, new memoir: At 82, country music's most taciturn…
—Mon Oct. 19, 2009 3:30 AM PDT -
Running The Odds on Copenhagen
Can a global climate pact save our behinds?…
—Tue Sep. 29, 2009 2:59 AM PDT -
Why America Can't Afford a Karzai Win
Interview: Afghanistan scholar Thomas Barfield on…
—Mon Aug. 24, 2009 4:00 AM PDT -
Books: The Spiders of Allah
James Hider's atheist romp on the front lines of holy…
—Tue Jul. 21, 2009 10:30 AM PDT -
What One Stimulus Buck Could Do
Can this man's plan slash CO2, create millions of…
—Fri May. 29, 2009 9:45 AM PDT -
Pakistan's Pashtun Reservation
Along the country's northwest border, remnants of…
—Tue May. 19, 2009 7:00 AM PDT -
MoJo Interview: Khaled Hosseini, Kabul's Splendid Son (Extended)
The Kite Runner
—Tue May. 19, 2009 7:00 AM PDT -
The Great Game, Afghanistan Edition
Who wants to be an Afghanistan expert?…
—Tue May. 19, 2009 7:00 AM PDT -
Battling the Low-Tech Boom
America's anti-IED strategy pits million-dollar technology…
—Tue May. 19, 2009 7:00 AM PDT -
The Opium War
Just how much of the Afghan economy depends on the…
—Fri May. 1, 2009 6:18 PM PDT -
Has America Helped Afghan Women?
For basic rights, Kabul is a haven.…
—Fri May. 1, 2009 5:42 PM PDT -
Mr. Karzai's Neighborhood
It’ll take a village to stabilize Afghanistan.
—Fri May. 1, 2009 5:16 PM PDT -
MoJo Interview: Khaled Hosseini, Kabul's Splendid Son
The Kite Runner author Khaled Hosseini talks…
—Fri May. 1, 2009 8:14 AM PDT -
Wal-Mart's CFL Paradox
Home Depot recycles compact fluorescents.…
—Fri Apr. 24, 2009 8:48 AM PDT -
Could Pakistan Dissolve Altogether?
Interview: Afghanistan scholar Thomas Barfield on…
—Thu Apr. 23, 2009 2:33 PM PDT -
The Empire Strikes Out
Soldier-scholar Andrew Bacevich talks about his hot…
—Mon Oct. 13, 2008 12:00 AM PDT -
Zbigniew Brzezinski vs George W. Bush
Interview: The former national security adviser talks…
—Thu Sep. 4, 2008 12:00 AM PDT -
Mission Creep
Bush and Rumsfeld may be history, but America's new…
—Fri Aug. 22, 2008 12:00 AM PDT -
Brzezinski Talks Bases
The former national security adviser on the Bush Pentagon…
—Fri Aug. 22, 2008 12:00 AM PDT -
How to Get a Conjugal Visit
Shackled births, prisoner experiments, and rampant…
—Mon Jul. 21, 2008 12:00 AM PDT -
Identity Theft
A missing id is often a ticket back to the pen.
—Tue Jul. 1, 2008 2:26 PM PDT -
Work, Then Party
Who's more conservative, plastic surgeons or brain…
—Thu May. 1, 2008 12:00 AM PDT -
Power Q&A: Amory Lovins
The energy-efficiency guru who cofounded the Rocky…
—Thu May. 1, 2008 12:00 AM PDT -
Power Q&A: Joe Romm
The author of The Hype About Hydrogen on the…
—Mon Apr. 21, 2008 12:00 AM PDT -
Hell Times Five
The terrible trials endured on Solitary
—Fri Mar. 14, 2008 12:00 AM PDT -
What Americans Will Do for Money
If it involves prizes, beer, or bragging rights, the…
—Fri Mar. 14, 2008 12:00 AM PDT -
The Real Life Prison Experiment
Psychologist Phil Zimbardo explains how mild-mannered…
—Fri Mar. 14, 2008 12:00 AM PDT -
The Fascination With Isolation
In real-life experiments, mental collapse comes quickly…
—Fri Mar. 14, 2008 12:00 AM PDT -
Voluntary Confinement
Contestants on the Fox Reality show Solitary
—Mon Mar. 10, 2008 12:00 AM PDT -
The Verdict Is In: Our Voting System Is a Loser
An interview with author William Poundstone.
—Wed Jan. 2, 2008 12:00 AM PST -
Sugarcoating Reagan
Mount Rushmore?…
—Thu Mar. 1, 2001 12:00 AM PST -
Sweet Memories
the ronald reagan legacy project aims to have reagan…
—Thu Mar. 1, 2001 12:00 AM PST -
Bitch, Bitch, Bitch
Big Dick, sure; Bitch, no way.…
—Wed Feb. 2, 2000 12:00 AM PST -
Gifts for Subversives
The J.…
—Fri Dec. 17, 1999 12:00 AM PST -
Squatting on Hate
Savvy activists are buying up nasty Internet domain…
—Tue Dec. 14, 1999 12:00 AM PST -
Interview: Righteous Babe Ani DiFranco
The radical folk-rocker on fame, feminism, and her…
—Wed Sep. 8, 1999 12:00 AM PDT
Author's Blog Posts
-
Music Monday: Johnny Cash—the Man in Black & White
—Mon Nov. 9, 2009 3:30 AM PST -
Quoth the Newspaper Maven, "Nevermore"
—Fri Oct. 30, 2009 3:30 AM PDT -
Can Michael Stipe and Eddie Vedder Shut Down Gitmo?
—Thu Oct. 22, 2009 4:24 AM PDT -
Another Ralph Lauren Anorexia Ad
—Thu Oct. 15, 2009 11:48 AM PDT -
Ralph Lauren Model Fired: Too Fat
—Thu Oct. 15, 2009 9:29 AM PDT -
Ralph Lauren Apologizes (Sort of) for its Anorexia Ad
—Thu Oct. 8, 2009 1:53 PM PDT -
Putting a Little Meat on Ralph Lauren's Models
—Wed Oct. 7, 2009 10:18 AM PDT -
When Private Equity Attacks Affordable Housing
—Tue Oct. 6, 2009 3:30 PM PDT -
Boing Boing Raises Its Middle Finger to Ralph Lauren
—Tue Oct. 6, 2009 11:47 AM PDT -
Health Reform Rocker: We're Number 37!
—Wed Sep. 30, 2009 12:20 PM PDT -
Saying Goodbye to Clove Cigarettes
—Tue Sep. 22, 2009 11:47 AM PDT -
Music Monday: Penthouse, iPhone, and Fishing Music
—Mon Sep. 21, 2009 3:30 AM PDT -
CNN's Off-Record Video: Obama Calls Kanye 'Jackass'
—Thu Sep. 17, 2009 10:47 AM PDT -
How to Get Your Future Teenager Pregnant
—Thu Sep. 17, 2009 9:32 AM PDT -
Facebook's Public Option
—Fri Sep. 11, 2009 4:00 AM PDT -
My Big Fat Private Government
—Tue Sep. 8, 2009 1:08 PM PDT -
Free Torture Trading Cards!
—Wed Sep. 2, 2009 4:00 AM PDT -
Physicians' Group Seeks Criminal Investigation of Torture Docs
—Mon Aug. 31, 2009 12:52 PM PDT -
Music Monday: The MoJo Back-to-School Playlist
—Mon Aug. 31, 2009 4:00 AM PDT -
Man's Video Plea for Public Option
—Fri Aug. 28, 2009 12:05 PM PDT -
NY Says No to Shackled Prison Births: 44 States To Go
—Thu Aug. 27, 2009 12:26 PM PDT -
The CIA's Torture Psychologists
—Wed Aug. 12, 2009 1:52 PM PDT -
Day Without A Right-Wing Wack Job
—Fri Aug. 7, 2009 11:00 AM PDT -
Carbon-Spewing Baby Monsters, Round 2
—Thu Aug. 6, 2009 10:05 AM PDT -
KRON 4's 'Best Of' Pay to Play
—Wed Aug. 5, 2009 8:41 AM PDT -
Why Did the Feds Bury Data on Cell-Phone Dangers?
—Tue Jul. 21, 2009 1:14 PM PDT -
How Henry Louis Gates Blew It
—Tue Jul. 21, 2009 11:23 AM PDT -
Chart Wars: Media Watchdog vs GOP
—Fri Jul. 17, 2009 2:39 PM PDT -
CIA Seeks a Few Good Doctors
—Thu Jul. 16, 2009 1:52 PM PDT -
Re: Bing, Drum, Ford, & Jacko
—Mon Jul. 13, 2009 10:23 AM PDT -
House GOP: Forget Parenting; Give 'Em Baby Einstein
—Mon Jul. 13, 2009 4:00 AM PDT -
SF Chronicle to Open Typewriter Shop
—Mon Jul. 6, 2009 1:20 PM PDT -
Haiku Review: Studs Terkel's Last Interview
—Fri Jun. 12, 2009 9:22 AM PDT -
Haiku Review: The Inheritance, by David Sanger
—Fri Jun. 12, 2009 4:30 AM PDT -
Stimulus: Your Chance to Act Locally
—Mon Jun. 1, 2009 2:37 PM PDT -
Nancy Pelosi's Attackers Now Going After… Her Looks?
—Mon May. 18, 2009 1:43 PM PDT -
Psst! Wanna buy an F-22 for $360 Million?
—Thu May. 14, 2009 3:04 PM PDT -
Make Billionaires Pay Taxes? Say It Ain't So!
—Mon May. 4, 2009 1:31 PM PDT -
The Birth of Birth Control
—Thu Apr. 30, 2009 10:00 AM PDT -
Putting Torture Memos to Music
—Thu Apr. 23, 2009 1:54 PM PDT -
Rosa Parks Didn't Act Alone: Meet Claudette Colvin
—Tue Jan. 20, 2009 12:32 PM PST -
The Renaming of Bush Street
—Tue Jan. 20, 2009 9:28 AM PST -
Cell Phone Lawsuit Follows Mojo Investigation
—Tue Dec. 2, 2008 2:40 PM PST -
Sarah Palin and the Russians
—Thu Sep. 25, 2008 1:34 PM PDT -
The Tippin Point: Congress Caves to Big Oil, Newt Gingrich, John McCain, and Country Music
—Thu Sep. 25, 2008 11:08 AM PDT -
On Iraq's Northern Front, Echoes of Georgia?
—Wed Sep. 24, 2008 10:44 AM PDT -
But Honey, Now I Know What the US Military Is Doing in Nauru!
—Fri Aug. 22, 2008 8:41 AM PDT -
California's Top Democrat Blames Bush (or Somebody) for His Likely Indictment
—Thu Jul. 10, 2008 6:04 PM PDT -
Happy 2008! Your Prius' Fuel Efficiency Just Dropped 16%
—Thu Jan. 24, 2008 11:00 AM PST -
Artist Drives Mass Consumption Home
—Tue Jan. 8, 2008 3:31 PM PST -
Clean Up the Coal Plants, Then Clean Out the Fridge
—Wed Nov. 28, 2007 4:38 PM PST -
Clean Up the Coal Plants, Then Clean Out the Fridge
—Wed Nov. 28, 2007 3:46 PM PST -
Meet the New, Old Newt Gingrich
—Wed Nov. 21, 2007 1:13 PM PST -
Ron Paul: The Only Candidate that Won't Land Catholics in a Pit of Eternal Fire. ... Or Is He?
—Thu Nov. 15, 2007 1:09 PM PST -
Take Two Aspirin and Call the NSC in the Morning
—Wed Nov. 14, 2007 1:01 PM PST
