We are extremely fond of One Bark At A Time's post Hair today, gone tomorrow, and think it has all the markings of a bigger viral hit. So help us promote this puppy by Digging, Redditting, Facebooking away on it.

Chose the sharing tool of your choice. Not know what… Read full post »

To all who have noticed -- our text editor is having trouble with internal (within Open Salon)  link coding. The Tech staff is on it -- will update when I have more.

Thanks for your patience! Read full post »

 It's a "Slumdog" sweep! Look at all those adorable little children! 

That's a rather lovely way of ending this little shindig. Thanks so much to all of you for chiming in and contributing, for Thomas and Marybeth for helping me, and to all those stars in Hollywood, shining so brightly and… Read full post »

This special edition is a humdinger: Movies elicit an amazing passion, and it's on wonderful display here. Many, many moving and lovely film odes couldn't fit on the cover, but please check out the full list of responses over here.

And log back on and join us for the Oscars!… Read full post »

Last night, we made a long-planned upgrade to give your blog an  individualized Internet address (URL) based on your display name. Gone will be the charmingly impersonal "user_blog.php?..."  replaced by: http://open.salon.com/blog/YOUR DISPLAY NAME

The posts on your blog will have more conte… Read full post »

Open will go offline tonight beginning at 1 a.m. ET/10 p.m. PT for several hours. We'll be adding some key network fixes and upgrades. 

Don't worry -- we'll be back better than ever. Read full post »

David Decker, for his lovely piece, One Day, I'll Run Again in L.A.. Congrats, David! And thanks for all of you who entered any of the weekly essay contests.

This sponsorship has run its course, but we're grateful to Lexus for sponsoring it, and hope to offer more like them in… Read full post »

Like a lot of New Yorkers -- liberal, conservative, chimeric -- the New York Post is a frequent impulse buy for me. Some of the city coverage is exemplary, and its overt conservatism aside, it can capture the romantic, rough-and-tumble underbelly of the city (murder, mafia, midlist celebrities) in a… Read full post »

Our Open Call this week coincides with the buildup to Oscar Sunday, that sacred time of the year when we gather in friends' homes and in bars to honor the movie magic that adds such a soft incandencense to our lives. Also: to make fun of million-dollar hair-don'ts and steam-ironed foreheads,… Read full post »

Our weekly guide to issues and events we're interested in reading about.

Ongoing: Mark Benjamin's Salon series and Fingerlakeswanderer's  coverage has prompted us to encourage Iraq veterans -- and their friends, families -- to  share stories of the medical treatment they received upon retur… Read full post »

An oldie but a goodie: A very special Valentine's Day message (courtesy of Potus, the very talented pupil of Heather Havrilesky.)

  Read full post »

On this holy Valentine's Eve, let's all chip in and spread a little love to Monsieur Chariot and his delightful translation of the adult language of flowers, you DIGG?

Chose the sharing tool of your choice. Not know what on earth I'm talking about? Read this. 

And have a happy… Read full post »

We know -- and we're sorry. We're working to close the loophole these insects are using to climb into Open and set up their fake blogs. We're on it -- sorry for the inconvenience.

So AFSCME has been hammering GOP leaders to support the stimulus package. When they went after Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va. and No. 2 House Republican, a reporter at the Politico apparently contacted Cantor's office for comment.

In step with the GOP's chronic tone-deafness, Cantor spokesman Brad Daysprin… Read full post »

. . . the great Rob St. Amant, for his canny look at two communities he's lived in, and the unique transportation issues facing both. Read it right here.

Congrats, Rob! And thanks for all who entered. 

And don't forget to check out this week's question -- the last one… Read full post »

This lovely post sure set off a lovely and meaningful response. I hope Karen is able stop by and check out all the great response. 

She can see them all right here.

Hope she stops by. Happy birthday, Karen! We miss you. 

<a href="http://open.salon.com/content.php?cid=105800">Read Ka… Read full post »

Our weekly guide to issues and events we're interested in reading about.

Special Open Call: Mark Benjamin's Salon series and Fingerlakeswanderer's  coverage has prompted us to encourage Iraq veterans -- and their friends, families -- to  share stories of the medical treatment they received… Read full post »

Just wanted to point out that Harry's very excellent piece on Christian Bale, which we urged you to share yesterday, topped several sharing lists -- making it to the top of Reddit's entertainment list, and making  a creditable  stand in DIGG. As a result, many tens of thousands of additiona… Read full post »

There have been a handful of fascinating posts about Open Salon lately; what it is, what it needs to be, what it isn't. We're reading them all. And if there's a common thread that runs through them all, one that bubbles up periodically here, it's: Is this a community site or… Read full post »

Let's all share Harry Knapp's great piece on Christian Bale, over here. DIGG, Reddit, whatever you think best -- it's a great read. 

And if you want to read more about Herzog, Bale and Harry, check out this riveting piece by New Yorker writer and Salon friend Dan Zalewski.

And… Read full post »

. . . Jon Henner, for his very excellent piece on the advancements in video telephony, and the impact it's had on his own life, and the deaf population.

Congrats -- and thanks for everyone for a really great batch of submissions.

And next. . . Contest Question No.… Read full post »

Beginning today, I'm going to start posting a short list of upcoming events every Monday that's piqued our interest. Posting a calendar seems a little more efficient than firing off a series of Open Calls; it's also a more direct way of letting you know what topics we're interested in reading… Read full post »

(Images from the News of the World.)

The photo above is causing quite the ruckus. Michael Phelps admits that, yes, it's real (and apparently happened in November). The Times (UK) says it "could spell disaster," and its near hysterical reaction is not alone. Me? Maybe I'm an incorrigible… Read full post »

Joan's already tapped the kegger, Thomas is toiling away on his famous Pigs in a Blanket, and we know some of you are so geared up for today's big game you're already applying your second coat of face paint. Tell us about it!

Or more specifically, blog about your game… Read full post »

. . .  Scruffus, whose post Revitalization of Our Inner Cities Can Transform Our Culture was picked as the winning entry to the question: What innovation do you think can most transform our culture? 

To read and respond to Lexus's Week 3 contest question, go here. Again, the winning entry… Read full post »