BY PHILLYGRRL The white boys on the 47 bus are talking about Jews. They are young, most likely Temple students and they are talking about Jews for Jesus. “He asked me if I was Jewish and I said ‘yeah’ but of course I’m not,” said the boy. “I ain’t no Jew.” His companions chortle and look over at me. I adjust my headphones and grasp the box of cupcakes tighter. I’m worried about where this party is located and if this is the right bus to ride. In the spirit of adventure and thriftiness, I impulsively boarded the 47 […]
BREAKING: Bill Clinton Rushed To Hospital
[Portrait by CHUCK CLOSE] MSNBC: Former President Bill Clinton was hospitalized Thursday in New York City after experiencing chest pains, according to a spokesman. “Today President Bill Clinton was admitted to the Columbia Campus of New York Presbyterian Hospital after feeling discomfort in his chest,” adviser Doug Band said in a statement. “Following a visit to his cardiologist, he underwent a procedure to place two stents in one of his coronary arteries.” “President Clinton is in good spirits, and will continue to focus on the work of his Foundation and Haiti’s relief and long-term recovery efforts,” said Band. NEW YORK […]
OLBERMANN: Yes, Virginia, There ARE Death Panels
DAILY NEWS: Kyler has neuroblastoma, a rare and deadly form of childhood cancer that attacks the nervous system, creating tumors throughout the body. Diagnosed at 2 1/2, he endured more than a year of treatment at both St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. […] Unbelievably, Kyler’s insurance carrier, Harrisburg-based HealthAmerica, has denied coverage for the treatment, which it considers “investigational/experimental” because there is “inadequate evidence in the peer-reviewed published clinical literature regarding its effectiveness.” The therapy is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, another criterion that HealthAmerica requires. “It’s considered experimental because not […]
NYT: How Christian Were The Founding Fathers?
NEW YORK TIMES: LAST MONTH, A WEEK before the Senate seat of the liberal icon Edward M. Kennedy fell into Republican hands, his legacy suffered another blow that was perhaps just as damaging, if less noticed. It happened during what has become an annual spectacle in the culture wars.Over two days, more than a hundred people — Christians, Jews, housewives, naval officers, professors; people outfitted in everything from business suits to military fatigues to turbans to baseball caps — streamed through the halls of the William B. Travis Building in Austin, Tex., waiting for a chance to stand before the […]
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 […]
EARLY WORD: Requiem For A Kensington Bluesman
[Click to enlarge] PREVIOUSLY: Jack Rose, Kensington Bluesman, Dead At 38 *
WORTH REPEATING: Bissinger Lowers The Boom
BUSS BISSINGER: The cause for celebration is the announcement Monday that Williams charged recently fired police officer Frank Tepper with murder in the November shooting death of 21-year-old Billy Panas. Williams bypassed the laughable grand jury that Abraham had impaneled to investigate the killing, which in all probability would have taken months and, based on past history, failed to do anything anyway, even though Panas was unarmed and defenseless. Williams’ decision was neatly prefaced by Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey’s swift firing of Tepper several weeks earlier. That was another remarkable move given the city’s slow and Byzantine police disciplinary […]
Charlie Wilson Is Dead, But His War Is Alive And Well
WASHINGTON POST: DALLAS — Charlie Wilson, the former U.S. congressman from Texas whose funding of Afghanistan’s resistance to the Soviet Union was chronicled in the movie “Charlie Wilson’s War,” has died. He was 76. Wilson represented the 2nd district in east Texas in the U.S. House from 1973 to 1996 and was known as “Good Time Charlie” when he was in Washington. Actor Tom Hanks portrayed Wilson in the 2007 movie about Wilson’s efforts to arm Afghani mujahedeen during their war against the Soviet Union. Wilson, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, helped secure money for weapons. MORE THE […]
Enterprising Cat Earns Pocket Money Shovelling Snow
[Photo by JENN BRITTON] News for Immediate Release Feb. 10, 2010 Pennsylvania Closing All of Interstates 81, 83, 78 Blizzard Conditions Impacting Majority of the State Harrisburg – With blizzard conditions causing impassible road conditions, Governor Edward G. Rendell is closing interstates 83, 78, and part of Interstate 81 beginning at 12:30 p.m. and is expecting to close additional roads as conditions deteriorate. Interstate 81 is closed from the Maryland line to Interstate 80. With hazardous weather conditions in much of the state, the Governor said it is too dangerous for any motorist to be driving. “For your safety, do […]
SCRAPPLE TV NEWS: Snowpocalypse, Now!
With your host AP Ticker.
GITMO’S CHILD: The Trials Of Omar Khadr
BRIARPATCH: You’re 15 years old, in the company of hardened militants who are associates of your father. A foreign army has invaded the country and unleashed a massive bombing campaign. Soldiers come knocking one morning and demand entry. The men around you refuse and a firefight ensues, culminating in the occupying air force bombarding the compound you’re in, killing everyone but you and one other person. What happens next is disputed. As the soldiers enter the bombed-out compound a grenade is thrown and explodes near one of them. He later dies of his wounds. Based on witness reports, the thrower […]
JANELLE MONAE: Many Moons
A second Johnny Brendas show has been added, Thursday March 18th. Click HERE to buy tix. In other news, Major Lazer will drop a new EP in April, featuring M.I.A, Busy Signal, Collie Buddz, Lindi Ortega, Buraka Som Systema, Kicks Like a Mule and Thom Yorke, according to Diplo.