INQUIRER: The investigation is the second recent major undercover arms investigation carried out by members of a small counter-proliferation unit based in Philadelphia, part of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s division of Homeland Security Investigations.[…]Much of the case is laid out in a 39-page affidavit unsealed late Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Wilmington. In the affidavit, an ICE agent alleges the following: Knapp’s first contact with the undercover ICE agent was a telephone call a year ago on Christmas Eve. During the call, Knapp offered to sell an F-14 ejection seat for $29,000. Sure, the agent said. Let’s meet […]

The Mütter Museum 2011 Calendar presents the work of a distinguished group of photographers who have turned their attention to the unexpected art inherent in the study of medical science. MORE

THE GRIO: Vick has often expressed his love of all animals — not just dogs, and hopes that the court-ordered rule that prevents him owning a dog will one day change.  “I would love to get another dog in the future. I think it would be a big step for me in the rehabilitation process. I think just to have a pet in my household and to show people that I genuinely care, and my love and my passion for animals; I think it would be outstanding. If I ever have the opportunity again I will never take it for […]

MICHAEL MOORE: I ask you to imagine how much different our world would be if WikiLeaks had existed 10 years ago. Take a look at this photo. That’s Mr. Bush about to be handed a “secret” document on August 6th, 2001. Its heading read: “Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US.” And on those pages it said the FBI had discovered “patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings.” Mr. Bush decided to ignore it and went fishing for the next four weeks. But if that document had been leaked, how would you or I have […]

INQUIRER: In Philadelphia, neighborhoods contiguous to Center City, encompassing 20 percent of the city’s population, showed dramatic income growth since 2000, but for eight of 10 city dwellers farther from the hub, incomes fell or were at best flat. Southwest Center City, including the south-of-South-Street area nicknamed “So-So,” posted the largest income growth – up 61 percent for the five-year snapshot. Income was soundly up as well in Northern Liberties, Bella Vista, and Queen Village/Pennsport, while University City and Fairmount/Spring Garden also benefited. But household income in Tioga/Nicetown in North Philadelphia showed the greatest decline – down 35 percent. Fairhill, […]

NEW YORK TIMES: After a week in detention facing possible extradition, Julian Assange, the founder of the WikiLeaks antisecrecy group, was ordered released on $310,000 bail by a court on Tuesday as he challenges a Swedish prosecutor’s demand that he return to Stockholm for questioning about alleged sex offenses. However, Mr. Assange remained in custody pending a hearing on an appeal by the prosecutor, which would take place within the next 48 hours. In granting bail, Judge Howard Riddle ordered that Mr. Assange appear again in court on Jan. 11. He also said that between then and now he must […]

BY MAVIS LINNEMANN Laura and I had our second annual holiday bash this past Sunday, and overall it was a great success. As anyone who’s planned a party knows, it’s super important that the people who RSVP actually come, so the hosts don’t get stuck preparing food for no-shows. Unfortunately, out of the 25 girls who RSVPed, only 10 showed, apparently because of the weather. However, if you ask me, if you’ve lived in Chicago for more than a year, you should be more than accustomed to trekking through snow drifts to visit friends in the winter months. Hrrumph! But […]

ASSOCIATED PRESS: Turns out the Philadelphia Phillies do have enough money for both Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay – and Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels, too. A year after Phillies traded him away, Lee chose to rejoin them and form a fearsome foursome that is the envy of all of baseball. The free-agent pitcher passed up an extra $50 million from the New York Yankees and reached a preliminary agreement on a $100 million, five-year contract with the Phillies on Monday night, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. MORE

Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy with Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly from Will Ferrell Hilarious spoof of this Bing Crosby and David Bowie’s duet (circa 1977) on “Little Drummer Boy”, which remains one of the most beloved Yule Tide memories of our gloriously misspent youth. Bing Crosby & David Bowie – Duet Uploaded by beautifulcynic. – Explore more music videos.