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 […]
DEENEY: On The Kensington Strangler
DAILY BEAST: The rusting, blue steel frame of the El, the elevated portion of Philadelphia’s subway, looms over dilapidated Kensington Avenue like a giant centipede’s decaying exoskeleton. Known as “the stroll,” Kensington Avenue is the hub of Philly’s street prostitution scene, where young, drug-addicted women turn tricks for dope money—and where lately, a serial killer stalks them in the sickly orange glow of the streetlamps under the El. […] The two murdered women are alleged by the prostitutes on the stroll who knew them to have met the same fate in similar ways, by having gone on what the girls […]
Q: Would You Buy $300 Million Worth Of Full Body Scanners From This Man? A: You Already Did
Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., former Chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee and the current top Republican on the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, blasts TSA’s invasive “pat downs” during a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives on November 17, 2010. Duncan also questions the role of lucrative government contracts in TSA’s new naked body scanning machines. The text of the speech is copied below: “Mr. Speaker: A nationwide revolt is developing over the body scanners at the airports, and it should. Hundreds of thousands of frequent fliers who fly each week are upset about getting […]
UPSHOT: Man Shoots TV During Dancing With The Stars Saying Bristol Palin Isn’t A Very Good Dancer
ASSOCIATED PRESS: A rural Wisconsin man blasted his television set with a shotgun after watching Bristol Palin’s “Dancing with the Stars” routine Monday night, saying he was fed up with politics and Palin wasn’t a very good dancer, according to court documents. Steven Cowan, 67, of the town of Vermont, about 15 miles west of Madison, then pointed the gun at his wife, 66-year-old Janice Cowan, who escaped and called police, authorities said. A SWAT team surrounded the couple’s farmhouse, and officers were able to talk Cowan out Tuesday morning after an all-night standoff. Janice Cowan told police her husband […]
INFO GRAPHIC: Online News Reading Habits
[via WALL STREET JOURNAL]
HARRISBURGER: Dwight Evans Stripped Of Ranking Dem Status On The House Appropriations Committee
INQUIRER: Evans was on the outs with some members because they believe he was the master puppeteer behind an edict to try and cancel a House voting session this week in order to prevent a vote on a bill that contains a provision Evans did not like. In the end, other House leaders buckled to pressure from members and called them back to vote Monday. But the spat left Evans vulnerable. And it brought to the surface other complaints that House Democrats have had against their old leadership team, including how the controversial special-project grants nicknamed WAMs – for walking-around […]
GAYDAR: Deconstructing Gwyneth On Glee
VANITY FAIR: When I heard that Gwynny was going to be appearing on the show—along with myriad commercials for her upcoming strong-willed-lady-in-country-music film creatively entitled Country Strong—I cringed and died inside. Not because I think, like most people, that Gwyneth is a talentless, affectless hack, who happened to luck into a few decent roles that called for skinny blond desperation. And not because I believe that celebrity cameos are the crystal meth of network television, fostering a euphoric bump in ratings followed by an increasing need for similar (and enhanced) euphoric bumps in ratings, followed by losing all your dignity […]
SIDEWALKING: Dancing Days Are Here Again
Stencil art up against the wall at Front & Girard [via PANHANDLE PRINT]
EARLY WORD: Rock A Fella Skank
Part of the Socal Ska and Punk “white-kid-reggae” movement with sibling bands like Sublime and the Aggrolites, the Expendables hail from Santa Cruz, CA. They’ve been banging out everything from surf rock to ska to punk since the band formed in 1997. After touring with many acts such as Slightly Stoopid, Kottonmouth Kings and 311, the Expendables have embarked on their own reggae vibed, and most definitely stoner geared, tour accompanied by a variety of ska, punk and reggae bands. Gettin’ Filthy was definitely their crowning achievement with the irresistibly poppy Bowl for Two and the heavily ska driven, message […]
IN GOTHAM CITY: The Rent Is Still Too Damn High
NEW YORK TIMES: New York City was home to nearly 1.28 million people in their 20s last year, up from 1.21 million in 1980. In many respects, Mr. Cavin Quezada’s situation mirrors the way large numbers in that age group are living, three years after the Great Recession began. They are doubling, tripling, quadrupling and even quintupling up. According to the New York City Planning Department, 46 percent of New Yorkers in their 20s who moved to the city from out of state between 2006 and 2008 lived with people to whom they were not related, up from 36 percent […]
AFTER THE GOLD RUSH: ‘The Currency Of Fear’
MARKET WATCH: Gold does not always glitter, but you wouldn’t know that from surging worldwide interest that has turned the yellow metal red-hot. Gold has become highly prized bling, as anxious and astute buyers alike, from hedge-fund players to central bankers, flock to the “currency of fear.” Gold at around $1,400 an ounce is almost double what it commanded two years ago, and gold’s price is up almost 25% so far this year alone. It’s been a great ride. Except gold is a bad investment. Gold’s feverish run has made a lot of people a lot of money, and though […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
HOVA: Jay-Z at the TLA, November 12th 2007. [Photo by JONATHAN VALANIA] Jay-Z will be on Fresh Air today discussing his just-published memoir Decoded. RELATED: His first book, “Decoded,” is not your typical celebrity memoir. In it, Jay-Z (real name: Sean Carter, aliases: many) paints the portrait of his life by delving into his lyrics, unwrapping his metaphors and opening up his ideology. He reveals who he was before he sold 50 million albums, scored 10 Grammys and established himself as a fixture in Forbes (current net worth: $450 million) as well as music history. He also ruminates on politics, […]