Bob Odenkirk’s Page

Most Neediest Forgotten Charities

During the holiday season, America's charities are highlighted in the popular media and, hence, deluged with donations. But each year, regardless of the economy or collective good will, some of the neediest of the of the needier needy charities are overlooked. Full story

Sewing for the Heart

“Sewing for the Heart” is from Yoko Ogawa’s new collection, 'Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales,' and it’s as perversely tantalizing as anything she’s written. In the story, a cabaret singer with a heart that developed outside her body hires a reclusive bag maker to sew a satchel to prot… Full story

Never Party with the Brick Squad

Or You Might End Up Drinking an Entire Bottle of Hennessy and Almost Dying

I’ve been smoking blunts since I was 11 years old. And I grew up in the suburbs, so I’m no stranger to bongs, bowls, and weird white-people shit like vaporizers. But nothing prepared me for how high I was about to become after hitting Gucci’s burner. Full story

Bulgaria’s Immigrant Bummer

Bulgaria’s “special homes” are essentially prisons for immigrants. The official purpose of these centers is to detain illegal immigrants until they can be deported, but many long-term inmates are refugees seeking asylum who have gotten caught in the system. Full story

I Was Tortured as a Bahraini Political Prisoner

Bahraini journalist Ahmed Radhi was one of the 500 prisoners who were detained following the citizen uprising against Bahrain’s government that began in 2011. Ahmed told us about the supposed reasons for his detention and the poor conditions he faced while in prison. Full story

Killing Up Close

The Death of William Wold

William Wold seemed fine when he came home from Iraq. Wold had begged his mother to sign a parental-approval form when he wanted to join the Marines at 17, taking extra online classes to graduate a year early in order to do so. But after four years of service, he had had enough. Full story

Lil' Thinks

Selfies

Anything that is commonly understood as the province of teenage girls or their proxies is understood to be something dumb. A “selfie” is understood to be dumb, and it really is, but it’s also the ordering feature of the internet. Full story

Combover

What Means What Now?

Did you know I was married? Of course you don’t. I didn’t tell you. I don’t really talk about her very often. To me, a wife is pretty much a backup plan. If I don’t get no shtuppin’ for a while, if my career falls apart, if I got no one else to turn to—you know, that kind of a ge… Full story

A Poem Leads to a Life Sentence in Qatar

The Arab Spring has faded from headlines, but that doesn't mean governments have ceased oppressing their people. Case in point: Mohammed al-Ajami was just sentenced to life in prison in Qatar after reading a poem aloud at his house to a group of friends and colleagues. Full story

All Welcome the Bomb-Sniffing Mice Infestation

An Israeli biologist named Eran Lumbroso wants to make mice the cutest little soldiers in the global war on terror, and if his efforts are successful they could result in mass layoffs of bomb-sniffing dogs. Full story

Dream Catcherz

Photos by Bijoux Altamirano and styling by Hayley Pisaturo. Full story

Burning Man Vs. Superstorm Sandy

Yes, a bunch of people who head out to the middle of a desert in Nevada every year to do a bunch of drugs, dress up like gay aliens, and light a bunch of shit on fire have formed what appears to be an extremely efficient charitable organization that helps people in ways more bure… Full story

Your Dog Is Full of Dirty Diseases

Recent research has shown that sharing an ice cream cone with your dog or letting your cat nap on your face isn’t just unhygienic, it could kill you, shit-for-brains, so cut it out. Full story

In Search of Great Men

Using 15-day Amtrak USA Rail Passes, I crossed our country to photograph my fellow passengers, asking them where they came from and where they were heading: an 18-year-old facing felony mescaline charges, a woman returning to Madison for her ex-boyfriend’s funeral, an exotic danc… Full story

Living the American Dream in the West Bank

Hanging Out with Israel’s Illegal Homesteaders

Prospective settlers of Hashmonaim receive a handy FAQ sheet: “Is this area over the ‘Green Line’?” reads one question. “Geographically and tax-wise, yes,” the sheet explains. But because it’s guarded by armed men and the Israeli government sanctions the settlement, Hashmonaim do… Full story

Make Sure You’re Alive to Collect

Gun-Crazed and Dangerous, My Aunt Debra Haunted My Family for 20 Years

It was Christmas of 1990 in my grandmother’s house. My Aunt Debra reached behind her and pulled a bullet from a box on a nearby bookshelf. She held it between her thumb and forefinger, looked at my mother, and said, “Janna, this has your name on it.” Full story

Records

When I first saw the video for “Celebration,” I was so pissed I wasn’t invited. I would’ve totally bumped asses with all of those people singing and dancing and drinking and smoking in the park who look like better-dressed and more tattooed versions of what was happening in Compt… Full story

Part-Time Hunks

Five Elvis Impersonators Slip on Their Blue Suede Shoes and Get Personal

"It started when I was a little kid. I used to dance in front of the mirror and my mother would play 45s. I used to make-believe I was Elvis by giving out scarves and kissing the mirror, pretending there were girls there. Who knew I would be putting on a jumpsuit, wig, and sideb… Full story

Dry Heat

Photos by Amanda Charchian and styling by Annette Lamothe-Ramos. Full story

The Iron Pipe of Swedish Neo-Fascism

The Sweden Democrats Show Their True Face

At first glance, the upswing of fascism and racism in Sweden appears surprising. Fascism seems totally out of place in an affluent country with a well-functioning welfare system. But in the past couple of decades, xenophobia has festered under the surface of prosperity. Full story