FRESH AIR Historian Drew Gilpin Faust writes that Civil War deaths — both their number and their manner — transformed America. Her new book is This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War. The Civil War death rate was six times that of World War II, when adjusted against the size of the American population, Faust points out. “For those Americans who lived in and through the Civil War, the texture of the experience … was the presence of death,” she writes. “At war’s end this shared suffering would override persisting differences about the meanings of race, citizenship, […]
HOT DOC: Governor’s Proclamation
GREETINGS: It is my distinct pleasure to welcome everyone gathered tonight at the Keswick Theatre to honor the late gospel musician, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and to pay tribute to this musical legend that influenced an entire generation with her song and spirit. I would also like to give a special thank you to those performing in the benefit concert—The Dixie Hummingbirds, Willa Ward with The Johnny Thompson Singers, Marie Knight, The Huff Singers, and Odetta. Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a pioneering gospel singer, songwriter, and recording artist. She took gospel music into the mainstream with her unique mixture of spiritual lyrics […]
BREAKING: Santa Claus Radiohead Is Comin’ To Town
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RADIOHEAD CONFIRMS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR MARKETS With In Rainbows having debuted today at #1 on the U.S. charts, RADIOHEAD has confirmed the cities to be visited on the band’s upcoming North American tour. The cities IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER are: Atlanta Boston Charlotte Chicago Cleveland Dallas Houston Indianapolis Los Angeles Miami Montreal New York Philadelphia San Diego San Francisco Santa Barbara Seattle St Louis Tampa Toronto Vancouver Washington DC Exact dates and venues will be announced at a later date.
THAT’S COMCASTIC: Cable Monolith Facing $1.77 Trillion In FCC Fines For Internet Interference
As 2007 came to a close, we learned what we suspected for years: that Comcast has been inhibiting their users’ ability to use popular file sharing protocols, like BitTorrent. Treading in the waters of non-network neutrality is a major faux pas amongst the geek elite, but it may turn out to be a costly violation by the standards of the FCC. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin announced today that a coalition of consumer groups and legal scholars had asked the agency in November to stop Comcast from discriminating against certain types of data. The two groups also asked the FCC to […]
O’JAYS: For The Love Of Money
INQUIRER: In a suit filed Friday, the O’Jays, who scored massive R&B hits in the mid-1970s with “For the Love of Money,” “Used to Be My Girl,” and “Love Train,” accuse Philadelphia International Records, producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and others of theft, larceny, and misappropriation of royalties. The suit demands $3 million for back payments and punitive damages.
NO MORE TEARS: The Empire Strikes Back
[SOURCE: CNN]
TONITE: Meet The Real Mr. Burns
WIKIPEDIA: Charles Burns (born September 27, 1955 in Washington, D.C.) is an award-winning U.S. cartoonist and illustrator. He is renowned for his meticulous, high-contrast and creepy artwork and stories. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, painter Susan Moore, and their two young daughters. His father was an oceanographer for the government. They moved around a lot, including Boulder, Colorado, Maryland and Missouri before settling in Seattle when Burns was in grade five. Charles Burns’ earliest prominent works include illustrations for the Sub Pop fanzine and contributions to Art Spiegelman‘s comic magazine RAW. Most of his short stories, published in […]
PBS FOR THE BLIND: We See It Even When You Can’t
BY AMY Z. QUINN When does a little boy’s childish behavior cross the line into alarming behavior? When does a little girl’s sweet-but-violent flights of imagination become dangerously grandiose ideation? When does a garden-variety tantrum escalate into an “explosive rage”? Until few years ago, those questions might have led a parent to wonder if their child had ADHD, OCD, ODD or any of the other now-familiar childhood neurological and psychiatric disorders. In the last few years, that very question has evolved into, “Is my child bipolar?” Tonight’s episode of PBS’s “Frontline,” The Medicated Child (9 p.m., PBS), asks all the […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR James Hansen, a leading NASA climate scientist, says the Bush administration has tried to silence his warnings about global warming. Writer and scientist Mark Bowen wrote the book on the affair: Censoring Science: Inside the Political Attack on Dr. James Hansen and the Truth of Global Warming. ALSO, In Paul Thomas Anderson‘s new film There Will Be Blood, the young actor Paul Dano plays a rural preacher at odds with the oilman (Daniel Day-Lewis) at the center of the story. Dano previously appeared in Little Miss Sunshine, playing the teen who was an elective mute. RADIO TIMES Hour […]
NEWS CLUES: It’s Like Adderall For Your Eyeballs
IT’S OFFICIAL: The State Of New Jersey Is Sorry About Slavery New Jersey last night joined a list of states that have apologized for slavery, after lawmakers overwhelming passed a resolution expressing the state’s regret. The resolution merely offers the Legislature’s opinion and would not require the governor’s signature. It would be recorded in the state annals of declarations. The resolution’s sponsor, Assemblyman William D. Payne (D., Newark), noted that New Jersey had 12,000 slaves and was the last Northern state to free them. Last night, New Jersey became the latest state to apologize.”This is an apology for their descendants […]
TONITE: Don’t Follow Leaders, Watch-a Pawkin’ Meter
KYW: The reality TV bonanza is getting a bit of Philly flavor. A&E Network cameras have been following Philadelphia Parking Authority employees on the job for months. The result? It’s something you probably already know all too well. The 20-episode “Parking Wars” series was premiering Tuesday night at 10 on A&E MORE RELATED: Parking Wars Is Over, If You Want It
COMEUPPANCE: Angry Mob Of Pitchfork-Wielding Villagers Chases Sean Hannity Out Of New Hampshire
(Well, at least down the street and to his hotel.) Ron Paul supporters pissed that Fox News banned Dr. Paul from appearing at their debate converge on Sean Hannity. Not sure that this actually helps Ron Paul, but it definitely makes Hannity look like a hunted man. Live by the angry mob, die by the angry mob, we always say. RELATED: Why White Supremacists Like Ron Paul FLASHBACK: OCTOBER 2003, Sean Hannity Comes To Town SEAN HANNITY IS SUCH A DICK By JONATHAN VALANIA Hannity is the far right’s new attack dog, baring his pearly fangs for the camera, mauling […]
WORTH REPEATING: Tyranny Of The Super-Minority
THE NATION: The third-place finishing Sen. Hillary Clinton now has over twice as many delegates as Sen. Obama, and more than three times as many delegates as the second-place candidate, Sen. John Edwards. Why? Because the Democratic Party uses an antiquated and anti-democratic nominating system that includes 842 “super-delegates” – un-pledged party leaders not chosen by the voters, free to support the candidate of their choice, and who comprise more than forty percent of the delegates needed to win the nomination. Many have already announced the candidate they will support. MORE DELEGATE COUNT: Clinton – 169 Obama – 66 Edwards […]