Articles written by Michael Mercadante

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About me - Michael Mercadante

Michael Mercadante is a multimedia content creator with 20 years of professional experience. He holds a B.A. in American History from Temple University, specializing in American Popular Culture, and has written and lectured on the history of African-Americans

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Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno): 2 of 47
El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labryinth) is the eighth feature film from director Guillermo del Toro, best known to American audiences for his 2004 hit Hellboy, based upon the cult-favorite comic book of the same name.The film is set in rural Spain in 1944, during the fascist repression that preceded the end of World War II. ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > International News Poverty in the third world countries: 5 of 28
In the 1970's and 1980's, an unfortunate chain reaction struck many third world nations, as an oil crisis led to disastrous debt crises, which suffocated their economic development. As the price of oil shot up in the 1970's, many third world nations were forced to borrow money from the banks of developed nations just to maint... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Ethnicity & Gender (Other) Race, class and gender: How do they mix?: 2 of 10
There is an age-old saying that "history is written by the victors". This is usually attributed to military conflicts (wars, crusades, et cetera) to indicate that the "truth" of the history of such events may (and usually is) colored by the fact that it is the victor who has created the history. Therefore, to understand histo... More..
Entertainment > Album Reviews Album reviews: New Maps of Hell, by Bad Religion: 1 of 3
Veteran punk rockers Bad Religion return this summer with their fourteenth studio album, 2007's New Maps of Hell. It's been three years since their last effort, The Empire Strikes First, and the wait proved well worthwhile. After nearly thirty years together, Bad Religion shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, at 16 tracks,... More..
Entertainment > Musicians & Bands The resurrection of Michael Jackson: 1 of 3
Back in the 1980's, Michael Jackson was known to the world as the King of Pop, even though he only released two albums that decade. The first of those, 1982's Thriller, is considered the best-selling album of all time. Since Thriller, he has released five albums, all of which have been certified at least platinum.But his musi... More..
Celebrations & Holidays > Wedding Budget Should you have to pay wedding vendors who are not professionals?: 1 of 3
My wife and I got married in June, 2007. We had a limited budget, but with a long engagement of 14 months there was plenty of time to shop around. I didn't want to use a professional photographer for a number of reasons. First off, the typical cost for a professional service is between $3,000 and $10,000, which would certainl... More..
Politics, News & Issues > War in Iraq Exiting the Iraqi War: An historical perspective: 1 of 2
The United States intervened in Vietnam under the pretense, real or mistaken, of attempting to limit the spread of communism, considered detrimental to the American way of life. In a 1949 interoffice memorandum, Raymond Fosdick (Consultant to the State Department) quotes Ambassador Charles Yost as saying that "a further major... More..
Arts & Humanities > 20th & 21st Century US History Causes of the Cold War: 9 of 14
Immediately following the second World War, longtime allies The United States and The Soviet Union drifted away from each other ideologically and politically, to the point that each regarded the other as public enemy number one. This period of hostile tension between the world's two superpower nations lasted nearly 40 years, ... More..
Entertainment > Music Business How commercialization has harmed the music industry: 4 of 6
Somehow, I don't even know when it happened, but the airwaves were taken from the citizens of this country and placed into the control of the government. But I do know when the government gave that control of the air to private corporations.President Bill Clinton, who said that "the purpose of government is to rein in the rig... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Bush Administration Dick Cheney: the fourth branch of government?: 3 of 4
Richard Bruce Cheney has served in the administrations of four presidents: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, George Herbert Walker Bush, and George W. Bush. Although he himself has never been elected to the office, he has exercised considerable influence on the modern presidency, and is without question the most powerful vice presi... More..