EDITOR’S NOTE: Girlz On Bikes have canceled, they got a flat or something like that.
WORTH REPEATING: Senator, Please Phone Home
Dear Jonathan, John Edwards should challenge his rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to go back to Washington, DC and fight against retroactive immunity for the telecoms. The Republicans are not going to let Harry Reid punt and extend the Protect America Act for another 18 months so it looks like the FISA bill is going to come back up again on Monday. Chris Dodd’s objection to Unanimous Consent still stands, so they will pick up in the middle of the Motion to Proceed debate. Without the help of the presidential candidates, we are doomed to lose this fight. And all […]
DAN DEACON: Crystal Cat
Wow! This rocks harder than any man in Sally Jesse Raphael glasses has a right to. He’ll be at First Unitarian Feb. 3rd. You lucky ducks!
HOT DOCUMENT: There Will Be Blood
The following is a union memo to the Inquirer & Daily News staff in the wake of yesterday’s meeting with Philadelphia Media Holdings CEO Brian Tierney: Tierney: We Face A Dire Situation The company held a meeting this morning with representatives of all the unions at which publisher Brian Tierney described a grim financial picture for Philadelphia Newspapers. Citing the struggling economy and PN problems meeting debt requirements, Tierney predicted “a dire situation” by summer or fall if the company cannot find ways to cut costs by 10 percent. Company executives intend to meet one-on-one with each union to discuss […]
NPR FOR THE DEF: This Is Radio Clash
PBS affiliates nationwide are gearing up to premiere “The Clash Live: Revolution Rock,” an electrifying new performance documentary film compiling an extraordinary range of concert and live studio performances from the Clash, the groundbreaking British band which defined and expanded the power of punk-rock in the 1970s and 1980s. “The Clash Live: Revolution Rock” will premiere locally on WHYY-TV Thursday, January 24 at 9:00 p.m. and air on PBS stations across the country beginning this March. “The Clash Live: Revolution Rock” follows the live transformation of the band, incorporating footage from all phases of their meteoric career. The film begins […]
THIS JUST IN: Rendell Endorses Hillary At City Hall
INQUIRER: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to be formally endorsed by Gov. Rendell [NOT pictured] at an appearance this afternoon at Philadelphia City Hall. The formal announcement is scheduled to take place this afternoon in the Mayor’s Reception Room. The stopover in Philadelphia was added to Clinton’s schedule late Tuesday night. Rendell had been inclined to support Clinton but was wavering on making a public endorsement, according to a source close to her campaign who was not authorized to speak for the record. Rendell decided to go ahead with the announcement after he got a call from […]
BABYMAKING: Philly Is The 46th Best City 4 ‘Doing It’
[Click image to activate Internets]
RIP: Actor Heath Ledger Dead At 28
NEW YORK TIMES: The actor Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon in an apartment building at 421 Broome Street in SoHo, according to the New York City police. Mr. Ledger was 28. At 3:31 p.m., a masseuse arrived at Apartment 5A in the building for an appointment with Mr. Ledger, the police said. The masseuse was let in to the home by a housekeeper, who then knocked on the door of Mr. Ledger’s bedroom. When no one answered, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom and found Mr. Ledger unconscious. They shook him, but he did not respond. […]
MEDIA: The Atlantic Tears Down The Pay Wall
BY JEFF DEENEY A major piece of recent news (in nerd circles, at least) is that the Atlantic Monthly has gone the way of the Grey Lady and torn down the pay wall standing between non-subscribers and the magazine’s online content. Now the magazine’s archives dating all the way back to 1857 are yours to search, post about on your blog and link friends to favorite articles you might have read a long time ago but almost totally forgot about. It’s not Alycia Lane, I know, but different things make different people’s hearts go pitter patter. A cursory search for […]
BIG BROTHER: Can You Hear Me Now?
According to this report on, of all places, Fox News, not only can the Feds eavesdrop on your cell phone conversations, but they can use your phone as a de facto ‘bug’ even when it is turned off. Apparently, some unnamed backdoor in the phone technology allows them to remotely activate the microphone in your cell phone and monitor everything you say or hear…this caption will self-destruct in five seconds…
JUNK SCI: Sunshine On My Shoulder Makes Me Happy
BY ELIZABETH FIEND LIVING EDITOR People invariably get depressed in the winter. They complain about the weather. They huddle in the dark, alone and SAD with Seasonal Affective Disorder, or just plain bad moods. They sleep too much, eat too much. Productivity levels go down, anxiety sets in. In Northern Europe, Canada and other cold climates, people sit on park benches, eat and drink at outdoor cafes, ice skate and cross- country ski, soaking in the sun — even if its rays are dimmer, present for shorter periods and there’s a chill in the air. Americans? We hide indoors and […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid, a regular Fresh Air analyst, joins Terry Gross for an update on Pakistani politics after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. Rashid covers Pakistani politics and culture for various Western publications. An expert on the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the country, he’s the author of the best sellers Taliban: Islam, Oil and the New Great Game in Central Asia and Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia. RADIO TIMES Hour 1 (Rebroadcast tonight at 11) We compare the health care plans of the Presidential candidates. Our guest is KAREN […]
AMY WINEHOUSE: She Cracked
Oh, lordy.