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A Stateless Passport, Please

Pipe dream or realistic potentiality? Thoughts on the merits of universal citizenship and the freedoms it could, in an ideal world, generate.

Rino Breebaart

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Take Out the Eurotrash, or, TV Is Reality

Television's rules of engagement have blurred the distinction of real vs. unreal for viewers. From camera friendly political campaigns to glossy televised hype-fests, the principle of Style over Substance reigns supreme.

Rino Breebaart

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We Love You, Bill Hicks

Imitation is one thing, but Emmet Quinn's comedic impersonation of Bill Hicks? Now that is the highest form of flattery.

Rino Breebaart

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St. Patrick's Prime

Nothing like being the only sober one surrounded by the madness of St. Patrick's Day. To help him sort it out, Breebaart calls upon the ghost of James Joyce for his assessment of the proceedings.

Rino Breebaart

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My Love is Belgian

Belgium is a paradise of beer. The life-long quest to find that one beer whose unique flavour resonates with you is well and truly worth the effort. And chances are you'll make many new friends along the way.

Rino Breebaart

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More or Less Moore Street

Breebaart provides a walking tour of a special place in Dublin. In its brief 250 metres, Moore Street inadvertently draws the best portrait of modern and diverse Dublin that can be drawn; it mixes the banal and plain elements of small business with the unexpected contiguity of being surrounded by gaping commercial wealth.

Rino Breebaart

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Pop is Porn

These days, it's possible to have a porn website on the computer screen and an MTV video on the telly, and lose one's ability to distinguish one from the other.

Rino Breebaart

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Theo van Gogh: Words and Reform

Muslim women, the very subject of the film that resulted in van Gogh's murder, may ultimately be the force that invoke proactive change within Islam.

Rino Breebaart

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Youssou N'Dour and African Islam

The broad tar-brushing of Islam has meant westerners have generally lost sight of the varieties and subtle differences of the many cultures to be found within Islam. In these times especially, Youssou N'Dour's music needs to be heard.

Rino Breebaart

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Brussels Fair

The best literature on the world's great cities becomes massive solidifications of cities as enlarged physical characterisations; maps of the full gamut of human expression and suffering. Breebaart sees much-overlooked Brussels as next up for such great literary work.

Rino Breebaart

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Medals Über Alles

Still feeling good about the Olympics? Spare a thought for those who didn't make it to the medal podium.

Rino Breebaart

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The Neu! Deal/It's a Neu! Day

Music is transportation, and this little window of German instrumental music has the wide-open road at its heart. Nothing else sounds so much like driving, like the passage of blurred or streaming vistas seen through fast moving windows.

Rino Breebaart

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Internet Saved the Radio Star

Listeners hungry for quality radio are tuning in to Internet stations, which offer more choice than free-to-air radio, and for the time being, anyway, more independence.

Rino Breebaart

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Bloomsday 100, Dublin 2004

Of the Bloomsday revellers in Dublin, only some have actually read Ulysses, but somehow, it seems, James Joyce wouldn't mind one wit.

Rino Breebaart

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Pub Cause and Effect

Since the smoking ban in Ireland took effect, Breebaart noticed he could detect smells in pubs he never noticed before, including something vaguely musty with a hint of parmesan... And then it him like a punch in the nose: he could smell old people!

Rino Breebaart

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Mel's Collection Plate

Easter in Ireland 2004 finds the faithful flocking to the blood-spattered screen; this is how many people want their kids to process a religion based on love and charity.

Rino Breebaart

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Pop Ten

The Best Progressive Rock/Metal of 2019

The 20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2019

The 20 Best Metal Albums of 2019

The 10 Best Ambient Albums of 2019

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 1: 100 - 81

The 25 Best Classic Progressive Rock Albums

The 50 Best Albums of 2019 So Far

The 10 Best Indie Rock Albums of 2019

The 15 Best R&B/Soul Albums of 2019

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Mixed Media

Collapse Expand Mixed Media

PM Picks

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A Stateless Passport, Please

Pipe dream or realistic potentiality? Thoughts on the merits of universal citizenship and the freedoms it could, in an ideal world, generate.

Take Out the Eurotrash, or, TV Is Reality

Television's rules of engagement have blurred the distinction of real vs. unreal for viewers. From camera friendly political campaigns to glossy televised hype-fests, the principle of Style over Substance reigns supreme.

We Love You, Bill Hicks

Imitation is one thing, but Emmet Quinn's comedic impersonation of Bill Hicks? Now that is the highest form of flattery.

St. Patrick's Prime

Nothing like being the only sober one surrounded by the madness of St. Patrick's Day. To help him sort it out, Breebaart calls upon the ghost of James Joyce for his assessment of the proceedings.

My Love is Belgian

Belgium is a paradise of beer. The life-long quest to find that one beer whose unique flavour resonates with you is well and truly worth the effort. And chances are you'll make many new friends along the way.

More or Less Moore Street

Pop is Porn

These days, it's possible to have a porn website on the computer screen and an MTV video on the telly, and lose one's ability to distinguish one from the other.

Theo van Gogh: Words and Reform

Muslim women, the very subject of the film that resulted in van Gogh's murder, may ultimately be the force that invoke proactive change within Islam.

Youssou N'Dour and African Islam

The broad tar-brushing of Islam has meant westerners have generally lost sight of the varieties and subtle differences of the many cultures to be found within Islam. In these times especially, Youssou N'Dour's music needs to be heard.

Brussels Fair

The best literature on the world's great cities becomes massive solidifications of cities as enlarged physical characterisations; maps of the full gamut of human expression and suffering. Breebaart sees much-overlooked Brussels as next up for such great literary work.

Medals Über Alles

Still feeling good about the Olympics? Spare a thought for those who didn't make it to the medal podium.

The Neu! Deal/It's a Neu! Day

Music is transportation, and this little window of German instrumental music has the wide-open road at its heart. Nothing else sounds so much like driving, like the passage of blurred or streaming vistas seen through fast moving windows.

Internet Saved the Radio Star

Listeners hungry for quality radio are tuning in to Internet stations, which offer more choice than free-to-air radio, and for the time being, anyway, more independence.

Bloomsday 100, Dublin 2004

Of the Bloomsday revellers in Dublin, only some have actually read Ulysses, but somehow, it seems, James Joyce wouldn't mind one wit.

Pub Cause and Effect

Since the smoking ban in Ireland took effect, Breebaart noticed he could detect smells in pubs he never noticed before, including something vaguely musty with a hint of parmesan... And then it him like a punch in the nose: he could smell old people!

Mel's Collection Plate

Easter in Ireland 2004 finds the faithful flocking to the blood-spattered screen; this is how many people want their kids to process a religion based on love and charity.

Friend Within Brings Sunshine to the Dancefloor on "Space Jam" (premiere)

With "Santa Baby", Emergency Tiara Updates a Classic Just in Time for the Holidays (premiere)

Tyler Boone Dodges Cliches With "Jealousy" (premiere + interview)

The Pedaljets Celebrate Contentment With "Sleepy Girl" (premiere + interview)

Aiming for Enrike's Minimalistic Dance Is on Full Display With "Flat Beats" (premiere)

Dankrupt Explore Romance's Darker Side With "Drowning" (premiere)

Andrew Deadman Faces Himself Down in "Silent Scream" (premiere)

Lady Lazarus' "I Recall July" Is a Bittersweet Look Back on Love (premiere)

Banjolectric's "Another Thing For Pain" Is a Raw Reflection on Substance Abuse (premiere)