[Illustration by EMEK] BLOOMBERG: The Federal Reserve is refusing to identify the recipients of almost $2 trillion of emergency loans from American taxpayers or the troubled assets the central bank is accepting as collateral. Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in September they would comply with congressional demands for transparency in a $700 billion bailout of the banking system. Two months later, as the Fed lends far more than that in separate rescue programs that didn’t require approval by Congress, Americans have no idea where their money is going or what securities the banks are […]
KILLADELPHIA: One More Dead Since U Went To Bed
ASSOCIATED PRESS: PHILADELPHIA — Police say the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy in Southwest Philadelphia appears to be an accident. Police say the victim and another teen were sitting in a car and playing with a gun when it discharged Monday night. The victim was shot in the head. Police say a suspect has been arrested. MORE INQUIRER: Police Department statistics show that although homicides and violent crime are down in Philadelphia this year, the decline has not kept pace with Nutter and Ramsey’s targets. Homicides are down about 15 percent, not the hoped-for 25 percent, and violent crime, […]
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: Start Dressing Like One
CLICK HERE to purchase this handsome, phoul-mouthed T-shirt.
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
NEW YORK TIMES: George and Laura and Barack and Michelle | 1:50 p.m. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have just arrived at the White House for their first visit. Their black sedan pulled up outside the diplomatic entrance on the South grounds. John D. Podesta emerged from the car first, followed by Mr. Obama, who turned around to help Mrs. Obama out of the car. Mrs. Obama wore an eye-popping cherry-red dress, and Mr. Obama a dark suit and blue tie. After shaking hands with Mr. and Mrs. Bush, the Obamas posed with them for a quick picture, ladies in […]
MIDNIGHT MOVIE: Christmas On Mars TONITE!
MONDAY NOVEMBER 10th 12 pm screening NATIONAL MECHANICS (Musical acts before the film at 10 pm) FREE 22 s. 3rd st National Mechanics Psychedelic rock band the Flaming Lips present Christmas on Mars: A Fantastical Film Freakout Featuring the Flaming Lips, a glorious science fiction film that marks the directorial debut of the Lips’ visionary frontman Wayne Coyne. Seven years in the making, Christmas on Mars features original music by the Flaming Lips (“The greatest U.S. band today” — The Guardian), with acting performances by all band members, and many others from their Oklahoma City-based team. Comedian Fred Armisen (Saturday […]
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: Howard Dean Steps Down
HUFFINGTON POST: After four years at the helm of the Democratic National Committee, Howard Dean is preparing to relinquish his chairmanship. Dean, who has been serving in the post since 2005, has said in the past that he would serve only one term, though his successful work with the Obama campaign had led some Democrats to wonder whether he would stay on into the next administration. This won’t be the case, officials at the DNC confirm. He will serve as chair until his term ends in January. The party will settle on a new head when it hosts a meeting […]
CONCERT REVIEW: David Byrne At The Tower
[Photo by DANNY CLINCH] BY JONATHAN VALANIA FOR THE INQUIRER David Byrne got his first of countless standing ovations Saturday night just five songs into his set at the Tower Theater, where he closed out the North American run of his ambitious tour in support of Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, his splendid second collaboration with Brian Eno. Not surprisingly, the ovation was occasioned by the first Talking Heads song of the night — “Houses In Motion” from Remain in Light — but it was more than just a beloved old song that elicited such a response from the […]
GAYDAR: Blue Boy In A Red State
BY AARON STELLA GAYDAR EDITOR Welcome friends to a very special edition of GAYDAR. I’ve just returned from visiting my family headquarters in the dirty, dirty south: Cullman, Alabama, to be exact. At the behest of the bossman, I will tell you all about it. If you have never been below the Mason Dixon, you would be well-advised to disabuse yourself of any romantic notions you might have about the South. Things have changed since Faulkner’s day, when the Land of Dixie was ripe with bucolic charm: rustic little hamlets scattered through field and vale, forests flourishing with pine and […]
5 Reasons Why Hanging With The Hold Steady Is More Fun Than Hanging With Your Old Drinking Buddies
TOMMY, CAN YOU FEEL ME: The Hold Steady, Electric Factory, Saturday Night 1. Knowing that they had the shorter of the two sets tonight, Craig Finn and the gang made sure to fit in all of the staples. For the Hold Steady, that means fitting in horse races, Kerouac references, and dealing with dealers—all in the course of an hour. Cliffs notes for having a good time? 2. Just a few years ago the crowd for the Hold Steady was mostly the younger, blog-savvy set, but last night saw a much older collective. It seems like Gen-X (and even some […]
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION: NPR For The Tone Deaf
INQUIRER: WHYY is a relatively low-profile station in the world of public broadcasting. It doesn’t produce flashy, syndicated television shows like Frontline, from Boston’s WGBH, or Nature, from New York’s WNET. Among public stations in the top-10 markets, it is in the middle of the pack for budget and staff. WHYY is tops in one category — how much it rewards its chief executive. President and CEO William J. Marrazzo’s potential pay, benefits and expenses totaled $740,090 in the year ending June 30, 2007, according to its most recent tax filing. The package consists of $415,993 in salary, $317,240 in […]
A CHANGE IS GONNA COME: Sooner Than You Think
MOVEON.ORG: These commemorative stickers mark Barack Obama’s historic victory and were designed by groundbreaking artist Shepard Fairey—the same artist who designed the world-famous, iconic “Hope” poster for Obama. MORE WASHINGTON POST: Transition advisers to President-elect Barack Obama have compiled a list of about 200 Bush administration actions and executive orders that could be swiftly undone to reverse White House policies on climate change, stem cell research, reproductive rights and other issues, according to congressional Democrats, campaign aides and experts working with the transition team. A team of four dozen advisers, working for months in virtual solitude, set out to identify […]
We Know It’s Only Rock N’ Roll But We Like It
NOVEMBER SURPRISE: The Decemberists, Electric Factory, Last Night [photo by MICHAEL DONOVAN] BY MICHAEL DONOVAN We all have novels we constantly return to in times of public boredom or private darkness. I’ve read The Great Gatsby more times than I’d like to admit, and The Sun Also Rises ceases to get old for me. It’s fitting, then, that Portland, Oregon’s premiere storytelling band is just the same—no matter how many times I spend the evening with them (seven) and no matter how little their show changes (very little), I’ll never tire of seeing the Decemberists. Take seven: The D’s are […]
THE NEW NORMAL: That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore
BY JEFF DEENEY I was gassing up early yesterday evening at the mega-Wawa on Edgemont Avenue in Brookhaven, a town in heavily Republican southern Delaware County. Brookhaven and the surrounding towns near the Delaware border have been fairly well covered in McCain lawn signs for the past couple months; I would characterize the area economically as middle-to-working-class depending on which township you’re in. While much of Delaware County strongly supported Obama there are still very substantial clusters of stalwart Republicans here, especially in the towns surrounding Brookhaven like Aston, Concord and Edgmont. These old school Republican Delco towns went for […]