Salon’s indispensable Glenn Greenwald got into a dust-up with CNN’s John King after Greenwald called him on the carpet for throwing nothing but softballs in an insufferably fawning interview with John McCain. King’s arrogant response is, to say the least, disappointing for its wounded-ego defensiveness and I-Live-In-A-Bubble-And-Proud-Of-It cluelessness. But beyond that, as Greenwald points out, it is fascinating in its similarity — both in tone and content — to likeminded missives from other aggrieved MSM mandarins decrying the cruelty and irrelevance of the blogosphere. It’s almost like they had a secret meeting and hammered out a boilerplate response to blogger slings […]
PAY TO PLAY: Feds Sniffing Councilman Kelly’s Butt
DAILY NEWS: Federal authorities are investigating City Councilman Jack Kelly’s office, the Daily News has learned. The councilman at large — who squeaked back into office in November by 122 votes — has been questioned by FBI agents, as have members of his staff, sources said. Kelly yesterday refused to discuss specifics, but downplayed the probe. “I think it’s much ado about nothing, probably,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going to come out of it. It may not be anything.” Sources close to the probe said the feds have been asking questions about Kelly’s chief of staff, Chris Wright, […]
MEDIA: The End Of Newspapers As We Now Know It
DEAR PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, We’ve said it before and we will say it again: PEOPLE WHO WATCH AMERICAN IDOL DON’T READ NEWSPAPERS, AND VICE VERSA. This just looks desperate and sad. Very sad. Please make it stop. Yer pal, THE PHAWKER
MOTHERS OF INVENTION: Trouble Coming Every Day
“I’m not black but there’s a whole lots of times I wish I could say I’m not white.” — Frank Zappa, 1967
SHUCK AND JIVE: Limbaugh Plays Homonym Card; BET Prez Steps Over Obama And Fetches For Clintons
RUSH LIMBAUGH: “…Obama is holding his own against both of them – doing more than his share of the ‘spade’ work. Maybe even gaining ground at the moment. Using not only the spade ladies and gentleman—that when he finishes with the ‘spade’ in the garden of corruption planted by the Clinton’s, he turns to the ‘hoe.’ And so the spade work and his expertise using a hoe.” [via CROOKSANDLIARS] PREVIOUSLY: Ever Notice How No Matter What Rush Limbaugh Is Talking About — Iraq, Football, Yummy Oxycontin — It Always Seems To Come Down To ‘How Scary Black People Are’? WASHINGTON […]
PROPS: ‘Today I Saw’ Deeney In The Pennsylvanian
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN: Jeff Deeney, a social worker and freelance writer who writes frequently about his work in Philadelphia’s poorest neighborhoods, also cited housing segregation as a concern. “The poorest parts [of the city] are very isolated socially — they don’t generally butt up against neighborhoods that are thriving.” Deeney also blames a lack of jobs, a broken housing system, and “schools that look and function a lot like correctional facilities” for much of the problem. “People don’t understand what life under the poverty line looks like,” he said. Deeney explained that many single-parent families live on less than $1,600 […]
HOT DOC: Why Immunity For Telecoms Caught Illegally Wiretapping Americans Is Oddly Popular With Dems
[CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE] Campaign Donations From The Telecom Lobby 2007-2008 [Source: CENTER FOR RESPONSIVE POLITICS] PREVIOUSLY: The Senate is considering a bill that would grant immunity to any telecom company that assisted in the administration’s illegal wiretapping. Chris Dodd promised to put a hold on any such bill, and Joe Biden and Barack Obama pledged to uphold it. ONE SENTENCED EDITORIAL: Are we the only ones shocked and appalled that these ass-clowns are selling out the American people and the Constitution for such paltry sums? RELATED: 1984 Already Happened RELATED: The Walls Have Ears
NPR 4 THE DEF: Giving Public Radio Edge Since 2006
FRESH AIR Hamburg-born Astrid Kirchherr met the Beatles in 1960, before they were famous, when they came to perform in Germany. An art student in Hamburg, she took some of the earliest photographs of the group — now-classic shots that capture the foursome back before Ringo joined the band, back when Stuart Sutcliffe was playing bass. And Kirchherr has often been credited with convincing the band to adopt those iconic mop-tops. Kirchherr and Sutcliffe fell in love and got engaged — he was more of a painter than a bass player, as it turned out — and Sutcliffe quit the band […]
NEWS CLUES: It’s Like Adderall For Your Eyeballs
ATTACK A TASTE OF THE CLONES: FDA Approves Franken-Meat For Humans WASHINGTON – Meat and milk from cloned animals is as safe as that from their counterparts bred the old-fashioned way, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday, but sales still won’t begin right away. “Meat and milk from cattle, swine and goat clones are as safe as food we eat every day,” said Dr. Stephen Sundloff, FDA’s food safety chief. Regardless, it still will be years before many foods from cloned animals reach store shelves, for economic reasons: At $10,000 to $20,000 per animal, they’re a lot more expensive […]
INSTA-REVIEW: Real Emotional Trash
NOW PLAYING ON PHAWKER RADIO! BY ED KING ROCK EXPERT I’ve been looking forward to this one for a couple of years, since a friend turned me onto Malkmus’ last album, Face the Truth. I haven’t anticipated an artist’s next release like this one for some time. My hope and optimism are bound to let me down. Here goes! “Dragonfly Pie”: I’m digging the rumbling fuzz guitars and the overall sinister vibe as this one gets underway. Wait a second! It’s getting light and airy, with falsetto singing and a cheap electric piano sound. Ah, back to the distorted, double-stop […]
TODAY I SAW…
BY JEFF DEENEY Today I saw a confused young man having a meltdown behind the counter of the McDonald’s on 52nd and Chestnut Street. His uniform was oversized and he had a dark, long-sleeved shirt on under his uniform that looked unwashed. His grease-stained visor’s brim was pulled down low to obscure his eyes. He rang my order up wrong, so I repeated it slowly, thinking maybe he misheard me. It was crowded and loud, and I figured my order was drowned out by the noise. I tilted my head a bit to see if he was listening, but he […]
FORBES: We’re Number One!
[Illustration by ALEX FINE] Bill Giles, The P.T. Barnum Of The Phillies, And The Creature He Brought To Life INQUIRER: The Phillie Phanatic is the top mascot in sports, according to a market research group whose findings were reported today on Forbes.com.The Phanatic — which edged out the pioneer mascot the San Diego Chicken for No. 1 on The Marketing Arm’s Davie-Brown Index — “became an instant smash when it debuted for the Phillies in 1978. Leading fans from the top of the dugout, riding around on a motorbike and heckling opposing players was all new at the time, offering […]