THE EARLY WORD: Get With The Winning Team!

Dear Phawker, This is it! Election Day is just five days away. Now we need to make sure that Philadelphians come out and vote in force this Tuesday, November 6th. To kick off our massive get out the vote effort, we’ll be holding a rally tomorrow, Friday, November 2nd at Noon in Love Park. Please come out and join us and invite all of your friends, family members and neighbors to attend the rally, too. This rally is a great way to raise awareness about this election and get people fired up to get out and vote for change on […]

BREAKING: Led Zeppelin Reunion Postponed

The Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert, originally scheduled for Monday, November 26th and featuring Led Zeppelin, Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings, Paul Rogers, Paolo Nutini, and Foreigner has been postponed until December 10th due to Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page fracturing his finger. The injury to Page’s finger, which was sustained this past weekend, will not allow him to play guitar for 3 weeks. MORE

PAPERBOY: ‘Like Pulling Teeth’ Edition

BY AMY Z. QUINN We know how it is: so many words to read, so little time to surf for free porn. That’s why every week, PAPERBOY does your alt-weekly reading for you, freeing up valuable nanoseconds that can now be better spent ‘roughing up the suspect’ over at Suicide Girls or what have you. Every Thursday we pore over those time-consuming cover stories and give you the takeaway, suss out the cover art, warn you off the ink-wasters and steer you towards the gooey caramel center of each edition. Why? Because we like you. ON THE COVER CITY PAPER: […]

MAILBAG: Nevermind

DEAR PHAWKER, If it is indeed true that Brian Abernathy, legislative aide to Frank DiCicco’s office, did not write the letter you published on your site, then I offer him my sincere apology. I look forward to working with Brian and Councilman DiCicco on the important issue of resisting Sugarhouse and Foxwoods casinos out of neighborhoods. Best, Anne Dicker EDITOR’S NOTE: We apologize to Mr. Abernathy for inadvertently allowing an impostor put words into his mouth and tip our hat to him for being a good sport about it.

JUNK SCIENCE: IT’S LIKE THERE’S A GREEN PARTY IN MY MOUTH AND EVERYONE IS INVITED!

BY ELIZABETH FIEND LIVING EDITOR You’ve got your spinach, your bok choy (and a zillion other ‘choys’), your soft, dainty salad greens, yer sturdy kales and collards. Dandelion and mustard greens, Chinese broccoli, broccoli rabe, beet and turnip tops — they’re all part of the green family. I also include green, leafy herbs like basil, mint, parsley and cilantro in the green clan. Lots of cultures celebrate greens in their cuisine, but with the exception of a few Southern favorites, your Standard American Diet (SAD) generally ignores these powerhouses of nutrition, taste and versatility. Still I was pretty surprised when […]

‘No one who practices deceit, shall live in my house’

DEAR PHAWKER, Brian Abernathy* is dead right, about one thing at least. I desperately want to represent the voters of Philadelphia in Harrisburg. Not because I need the job, but because it’s time that first district voters had someone working for them in Harrisburg. Like most people, I learned the value of self sacrifice and public service at home. My parents were devoutly Catholic and throughout my childhood we worked hard to extend a helping hand to those less fortunate than ourselves. At the age of eight, I helped my mother bake hundreds of pies to benefit our church, St. […]

VIVA LA BAM: Uncle Vito Convicted Of Groping Minors

ASSOCIATED PRESS: GOLDEN, Colo. — The man known as “Don Vito” on MTV’s show “Viva La Bam” was convicted Wednesday of two counts of sexual assault on a child. Vincent Margera, 51, of West Chester, Pa., was accused of groping three girls ages 12 to 14 during an autograph signing event last year at mall skate park in the Denver suburb of Lakewood. After he was convicted, he fell to the floor cursing and yelled, “Just kill me now.” He was acquitted of a third count of sex assault on a child. He faces a sentence of probation to six […]

NEWS CLUES: It’s Like Adderall For Your Eyeballs

SUICIDE NOT PAINLESS NOW: Accidental Attempted Murder-Suicide Girl TOKYO – A woman leaped from an 11-story Tokyo apartment Wednesday in an apparent suicide, striking and seriously injuring a passer-by, Kyodo News reported on Wednesday. The unidentified woman, who appeared to be in her 30s or 40s, appeared to have jumped from the building onto a busy Tokyo street and was declared dead at the scene. She hit a 47-year-old male pedestrian who suffered a brain injury. Japan has one of the industrial world’s highest suicide rates, with more than 32,000 people taking their own lives in 2006. [via ASSOCIATED PRESS] […]

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS: Day Of The Dead

…is today. So cheer up! On the 31st of October, families create an ofrenda in their homes. Essentially an altar, the ofrenda is anoffering of love and respect for the souls of loved ones. Various traditions include placement of photos of the deceased, bread known as Pan de Muerte (Bread of the Dead), water, and other food items they might have enjoyed in life. Ofrenda have also been known to include clothing, and personal grooming items for the souls to freshen up with following their journey from the afterlife. There is always an abundance of flowers, known as cempasúchil, valued […]