This just came in over the transom from a loyal Phawker reader and Philadelphia School District employee. It appears that Phawker has been deemed ‘Innappropriate For Our Educational Environment’ by the Philadelphia School District. Well, there goes our evil plan to turn the youth of Philadelphia into informed and engaged citizens. If Phawker is blocked at your place of employment, let us know at feed@phawker.com. Include a screen grab JPEG of block notice we will post it up like a red badge of courage. After all, nothing draws ’em in like the lure of the forbidden.
PBS FOR THE HUNGRY: ‘Philly Food’ Debuts Tonight
BY AMY Z. QUINN Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews, you say? Well, I’ve been suspicious of the little bites o’ peanutty goodness since back in ’05 when the company was sold to Just Born Inc. and they started tinkering with the recipes. But I can forgive, since no list of so-called Philly foods would be complete without my all-time favorite candy. For them alone, I’m planning to check out tonight’s premiere of a new WHYY original, The Philly Food Show, an Ed Cunningham production exploring all the usual local munchies and then some. Yes, cheesesteaks and hoagies and pretzels and scrapple (crisp, […]
TEXAS HOLD ‘EM: Showdown At The Ohio Corral
DAYTON BUSINESS JOURNAL: With a day to go before the primary election, a Zogby International poll for Reuters/C-SPAN/Houston Chronicle that was taken between Feb. 29 and March 2 shows Obama with 47 percent compared with Clinton’s 45 percent. The previous poll from a few days earlier showed Clinton with a narrow 47 percent to 46 percent lead. The same poll showed the race in Texas, which also has its primary Tuesday along with Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont, narrowing. Obama had a four percentage-point lead several days ago, but that has shrunk slight to a three percentage-point lead at 47 […]
WHY WE LIKE MIKE: He ‘Gets’ The Wire
PHILLY CLOUT: Mayor Nutter is such a huge fan of the gritty HBO drama, The Wire, that he has organized a special City Hall screening of the series finale Sunday night. Wendell Pierce, the actor who portrays affable Detective Bunk Moreland, is scheduled to attend. Nutter hopes other actors from the show will sign on also. City Representative Melanie Johnson said that after the 8 p.m. screening in the Mayor’s Reception Room, Nutter will host a question and answer session with the actors. Johnson said the roughly 100 tickets for the screening would be evenly divided between invited guests and […]
THE FLINTSTONES: Thank You For Smoking
Sure, we know what you’re thinking: It is OBSCENE that the cigarette companies used to be allowed to advertise on kid’s cartoons! But let’s all just take a breath here. Fact is, the science is inconclusive. Archaeologists have YET to offer even a shred of scientific evidence to counter Fred’s claim that nothing took the edge off another nerve-jangling day in pre-historic times like a smooth-filtered Winston. That’s a fact, Jack.
WORTH REPEATING: A ‘Cancer’ On The Presidency
HUFFINGTON POST: As the Clinton campaign struggles to pull out of a potentially terminal nosedive [on the eve of] the decisive Ohio and Texas primaries, much of the blame for the former First Lady’s difficulties is falling on the shoulders of her controversial chief strategist, Mark Penn. Critiques of Penn run a wide gamut: * that he mistakenly assumed that Hillary Clinton would easily bulldoze the opposition,powered by money, endorsements and a legendary name. * that his strategic strength resides in managing general election campaigns but he has an unreliable sense of the primary electorate. * that Penn had an […]
ROUND 2: Anonymous Vs. Church Of Scientology
Via YouFoundTheCard: On February 10th, 2008 over 7,600 people attended informational pickets in front of 108 Church of Scientology locations across 17 countries. From the single protester in Tokyo to the 500+ in London and Los Angeles there was not a single arrest or incident. Many of the protesters, in fear of Fair Game, wore masks and covered their faces. In fact at every single location there was someone from the Church of Scientology taking pictures or filming the picketers. The 10th was only the beginning. On March 15, 2008, there will be a wave of protests at Church of […]
PAPERBOY: Hollywood Options Ex-CP Editor’s Novel
BY AMY Z. QUINN Straight from the City Paper to Phillywood, Duane Swierczyinski tells me his novel The Blonde may be headed for the big screen. Actress Michelle Monaghan has optioned the rights to film the 2006 sci-fi thrilla, and we could easily see her playing the titular badass babe with a killer kiss. Though who plays Jack Eisley, the bitterly almost-divorced journalist? And will we find out through on-location shooting where that effed-up masturbation club really is? Here’s the official announcement: Film rights to Duane Swierczynski’s THE BLONDE, about a soon-to-be-divorced young father who is poisoned by a beautiful […]
PSA: Don’t Talk To Strangers With Puppies
Seriously, people. Charley is right. Use common sense out there, OK?
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR The cost of war in Iraq reaches far beyond the tab for bullets and bombs, says professor Linda Bilmes, co-author (with Joseph Stiglitz, our guest in the second half of today’s show) of the new book The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict. According to the book, Americans will spend decades treating the physical and psychological wounds of Iraq veterans, and when the economic consequences of the invasion are taken into account, the costs are staggering. Linda Bilmes is a professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. An expert on U.S. budgeting […]
WHEN PIGS FLY: Auditors Downsize Inky Circulation
ASSOCIATED PRESS: The Philadelphia Inquirer’s circulation numbers have been reduced after an adjustment by industry auditors. The Audit Bureau of Circulations cut the Inquirer’s posted Sunday circulation by 15,718 to 670,022 for the 12 months ended April 1, 2007. The weekday circulation count was adjusted down by 392 to 341,384. The change enlarges the Inquirer’s Sunday circulation decline from the March 2006 audited report to 5.7 percent, instead of the previous 3.4 percent decline. The weekday circulation decline for the 12 months remained at about 3.6 percent. The 15,718 reduction is unusually large in the newspaper industry, which typically sees […]
NOW HEAR THIS: Military Industrial Complex Announces Hostile Takeover Of Diebold
REUTERS: United Technologies Corp said on Sunday it made a $2.64bn unsolicited bid for Diebold after trying to hold merger talks with the automatic teller machine maker for more than two years. United Technologies, the world’s largest maker of elevators and air conditioners, said Diebold would make an ”excellent fit” due to its ”strong market position, US footprint, and balance between product and service revenues.”The $40 a share cash offer marks a 66 per cent premium to Diebold closing stock price of $24.12 on Friday on the New York Stock Exchange. Based on Diebold’s roughly 66m shares outstanding as of […]