Three men suspected of funneling illegal guns to the streets of Philadelphia were arrested yesterday and charged. In announcing the indictment of the trio, U.S. Attorney Patrick L. Meehan said investigators were trying to trace the weapons they sold to an undercover agent back to their legal origins to determine whether they had been stolen or purchased for black-market sale. The undercover agent purchased 22 guns – including 15 semiautomatic pistols – during the sting operation set up by a task force involving the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Philadelphia police, and the state police. INQUIRER: Smells Like […]
JUNK SCIENCE: Seasons In The Sun
BY ELIZABETH FIEND I’ve been reading Wild Fruits, an unfinished, recently published manuscript by American naturalist Henry David Thoreau [pictured, above]. The book is a combination of diary and essay, chronicling the ways Thoreau spent his days and what he learned during the final years of his brief life. With each page I get more jealous, wishing I too could spend my day stalking a bee to find its hive and to learn what type of flower the bee drinks nectar from and how that affects the flavor of the honey. Of all the things I love to do (and […]
THE SECRET HISTORY OF AMERICAN BANDSTAND: The Fall Of Bob Horn And The Rise Of Dick — Drunk Driving, Statutory Rape, Geator The Bagman, And Mrs. Annenberg Is NOT Amused
Let us just say up front, we have no idea where the truth lies in all of this and merely offer this up for your consideration. In the last 10 years, a very different story about the rise of Bandstand has emerged that runs counter to the soft-focus squeaky-clean nostalgia we’ve all come to know and accept about the beginnings of the Philly-based Mecca of Sock-Hopdom. (The time-hook on this is a glowing notice in the Inquirer about Leonore Annenberg — widow of Walter Annenberg and noted philanthropist and a major 215 civic supporter in her own right — being […]
GUNCRAZY: Pennsyltucky Gun Nuts Call For Lynching Of State Rep. Cruz
[S]everal gun-rights proponents unfurled a banner saying that State Rep. Angel Cruz (D., Phila.) should be hanged for introducing legislation that would require people to register their guns and pay a $10 fee to the state police. “People want to hang me for doing my job,” Cruz said, adding that his bill was aimed at trying to reduce gun violence in his district. His bill outraged gun-owner groups that used its introduction this month to mobilize members for a rally yesterday at the Capitol. Rally organizers had hoped to promote bills to ease restrictions on gun purchases, but anger over […]
JOBS: Philly To Become Major-League Shipping Playa?
The Maritime Stakeholders Group (MSG) of Philadelphia yesterday presented proposals to Pennsylvania state legislators for a major port development on the site of the current port of Philadelphia. The MSG represents a cross-section of organizations involved in promoting the development of the US port of Philadelphia. The group told legislators that major terminal operators, shipping lines and investment firms had expressed interest in the new port development plan. The project aims to turn Philadelphia port into a major East Coast container facility, capable of handling over 3.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per year. “With the congestion at West Coast […]
GAMBLOR: Foxwoods Already A Three Million Dollar Tax Deadbeat & Trying To Weasel Casino Property Value Down To Zero
Foxwoods paid $65 million to acquire the property at Reed and Columbus Blvd. in January, 2005, but hasn’t paid any taxes on the property since the [Philadelphia Board of Revision of Taxes] raised its market value for the property to $45 million in August 2005. According to the Philadelphia Revenue Dept., Foxwoods Philadelphia Casino now owes the City $2.8 million in back taxes for 2006 and 2007, making it the third largest corporate tax deadbeat after Amtrak and Septa according to the Top 100 list maintained by Hallwatch. An appraisal submitted by Foxwoods as part of its appeal suggests that […]
TALKIN’ TRASH: NOLA Mayor Sorry — As He Damn Well Should Be, But Deep Down You Know He’s Right
Referring to his remarks about Philadelphia’s problem with trash and litter, Nagin said in a statement issued yesterday that he was speaking to a New Orleans community group Saturday and, “in an effort to reassure the citizens of New Orleans of the progress being made in our recovery, I pointed to an area in which many American cities struggle but which we are achieving some success.” “I intended no disrespect to the city of Philadelphia,” Nagin’s statement said. “We are truly thankful for the generosity of our hosts and look forward to a long, positive working relationship between our cities.” […]
HIZZONER ’07: High Court Keeps Brady’s Bunch On The Ballot; White Vote Remains Split; Advantage Fattah
The State Supreme Court today declined to hear an appeal filed by supporters of rival candidate Tom Knox, who wanted Brady booted from Philadelphia’s May 15 mayoral primary ballot for omitting certain information on his financial-disclosure form. The ruling means that as Brady campaigns for mayor in the remaining three weeks before the Democratic primary, he can do so knowing that his place on the ballot is secure. The legal fight over his candidacy, begun March 16, is over. INQUIRER: Joe Trippi Knox Kept Brady Back On His Heels For More Than A Month While Building A Double-Digit Lead With […]
TURTLES: So Happy Together
Geez Louise, Phawker was one big bummer after another today, huh? Burning monks, dead journalists, fucked city finances, murder and mayhem, sound sucked at Spoon. But remember folks, we don’t make news, we just make fun of it. We scare because we care.
NPR FOR THE DEAD: David Halberstam RIP
FRESH AIR Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Halberstam died yesterday from injuries sustained in a car crash. He was 73. We revisit his Fresh Air interviews from 1985, from 1993, and from 1999. [Via Wikipedia] Thich Quang Duc (born Lam Van Tic in 1897 – June 11, 1963), was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who burned himself to death at a busy Saigon intersection on June 11, 1963. His act of self-immolation, which was repeated by others, was witnessed by David Halberstam, a New York Times reporter, who wrote: I was to see that sight again, but once was enough. Flames were coming […]
EARLY WORD: No Rain In Spain Tonight
D.J.’s Silvia & Jay spin international vinyl rarities — ’60s soul, beat and mod sides all cut en Espana — at MADE IN SPAIN TONITE 9:00 pm until late TRITONE 1508 South Street, Philadelphia (215) 545-0475 Admission: FREE
MEDIA: ‘Corporate Crime Reporter’ To Watchdog Inky ‘Bidness’ Section
[E]ven with the consolidation of corporate journalism, there still existed an imaginary wall separating the editorial from the advertising side of most corporate newspapers. It has kept alive in the public mind the illusion of objectivity. Now, that wall too is crumbling. Earlier this month, the Philadelphia Inquirer announced that the front page of its business section will be sponsored by Citizens Bank. According to the Inquirer, a Citizens Bank ad will appear across the bottom of the front page of the business section — and another smaller ad in the top corner. And a front page business column will […]