STUDY: Marijuana Is NOT A Gateway Drug

SCIENCE BLOG: Marijuana is not a “gateway” drug that predicts or eventually leads to substance abuse, suggests a 12-year University of Pittsburgh study. Moreover, the study’s findings call into question the long-held belief that has shaped prevention efforts and governmental policy for six decades and caused many a parent to panic upon discovering a bag of pot in their child’s bedroom. The Pitt researchers tracked 214 boys beginning at ages 10-12, all of whom eventually used either legal or illegal drugs. When the boys reached age 22, they were categorized into three groups: those who used only alcohol or tobacco, […]

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LET THE DOGS OUT: Eagles Sign Michael Vick

USA TODAY: Philadelphia Eagles spokesman Derek Boyko confirmed to USA TODAY via email that the team has signed the former Atlanta Falcons Pro Bowl Quarterback. ESPN is reporting that the Eagles have signed Vick to a two-year deal. Vick’s agent, Joel Segal, confirmed the signing to ESPN. Fox is reporting that the first year of the deal is worth $1.6 million. The Eagles have a team option for a second year at $5.2 million. MORE RELATED: How Michael Vick Went Bankrupt Amount jailed star quarterback Michael Vick spent from July ‘06 to July ‘08, according to recent bankruptcy papers: $17.7 […]

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THE EARLY WORD: Quoth The Raven

In preparation of the world premiere of their Edgar Allan Poe-based production Haunted Poe (October 1 – November 1, 2009), Brat Productions will host a walking tour through Laurel Hill Cemetery (3822 Ridge Avenue) on August 20 at dusk.  The “candle lit” tour (bring your own flashlight) of the grounds will explore Poe literature, anecdotes and his life in Philadelphia.  The event is free but space is limited.  To attend, RSVPs must be sent to rsvp@bratproductions.org, or call (215) 627-2577.  A rain date is set for August 27. [DETAILS AFTER THE JUMP]

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LOST IN TRANSLATION: Letter From Tokyo

[Photos by EVA LIAO] EDITOR’S NOTE: Longtime Phawker editrix EVA LIAO is currently living in Tokyo where she is learning to speak and write Japanese as a certified business communicator. From time to time she sends dispatches back to the home office detailing her adventures and observations as a stranger in a strange land. Dear People Who Read Phawker, If, for whatever reason, you plan on visiting Tokyo in the near future, here are the Top Ten things you should know. 1. There is no such thing as a non-smoking establishment in Tokyo. Without all the stateside taxes, a pack […]

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Rock N’ Roll Game-Changer Les Paul Dead At 94

Les Paul & Mary Ford Show: World Is Waiting For The Sunrise NEW YORK TIMES: Mr. Paul was a remarkable musician as well as a tireless tinkerer. He played guitar with leading prewar jazz and pop musicians from Louis Armstrong to Bing Crosby. In the 1930s he began experimenting with guitar amplification, and by 1941 he had built what was probably the first solid-body electric guitar, although there are other claimants. With his electric guitar and the vocals of his wife, Mary Ford, he used overdubbing, multitrack recording and new electronic effects to create a string of hits in the […]

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PAPERBOY: Slow-Jamming The Alt-Weeklies

BY DAVE ALLEN Like time, news waits for no man. Keeping up with the funny papers has always been an all-day job, even in the pre-Internets era. These days, however, it’s a two-man job. That’s right, these days you need someone to do your reading for you, or risk falling hopelessly behind and, as a result, increasing your chances of dying lonely and somewhat bitter. That’s why every week PAPERBOY does your alt-weekly reading for you. We pore over those time-consuming cover stories and give you the takeaway, suss out the cover art, warn you off the ink-wasters and steer […]

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NO DEPRESSION: Fed Declares Recession Over

NEW YORK TIMES: Almost exactly two years after it embarked on what was the biggest financial rescue in American history, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that the recession is ending and that it would take a step back toward normal policy. Though the central bank stopped well short of declaring victory, policy makers issued their most upbeat assessment in more than a year by saying that the downturn appears to have hit bottom and that consumer spending, financial markets and inventory-building by corporations all continued to stabilize. The central bank cautioned that the recovery would be slow and that […]

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Boo Birds A No-Show At Sestak Health Care Forum

[Photos by RAY SKWIRE] BY GREG ADOMAITIS The chants of “People! Not profits!” and signs calling  for the death of the Obama health care plan stayed out on the sidewalk when Congressman Joe Sestak [D-PA] packed the Broad Street Ministry last night for a largely shout-free town hall forum on health care reform. The event drew an overflow crowd, not only was the main floor packed but so was the basement where workers were running up questions from those downstairs to put before Sestak. It was so full that by 8:30 p.m. there were police in the lobby claiming it […]

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CINEMA: Don’t Eat The Brown Acid, Again

WOODSTOCK (Directed by Michael Wadleigh, 184 minutes, U.S.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC For the fortieth anniversary Warner Brothers has whipped up quite a promotional frenzy around the most legendary festival of the twentieth century, Woodstock. Half a million people are estimated to have attended it, the triple record set went to number one on the Billboard charts in 1970, yet what most people are really discussing when they mention Woodstock is their memories of the Oscar–winning documentary of the event, directed by Michael Wadleigh. The film was a phenomenon of its time, bringing a piece of the counter-culture to […]

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