FRESH AIR As the civil rights movement gained momentum in the 1960s, Ku Klux Klan activity boomed. That fact itself may not be surprising, but in the introduction to his new book, Klansville, U.S.A., David Cunningham also reveals that, “While deadly KKK violence in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia ha[d] garnered the lion’s share of Klan publicity, the United Klan’s stronghold was, in fact, North Carolina.” North Carolina, Cunningham writes, had more Klan members than the rest of the South combined. Cunningham’s book focuses on the rise and fall of the KKK in the U.S., and specifically in North Carolina. […]

  Bomb Bomb BBQ, 1024 Wolf street, 10:24 PM last night by JEFF FUSCO

  Dear Guild member, In the most difficult decision of my life, I chose to apply for the voluntary separation program and was approved. My last day at the Daily News is February 1. It breaks my heart to not only leave the paper, but to resign from leading the Newspaper Guild, effective immediately. It would not be prudent, nor fair to the membership for me to be take part in any meetings or conversations with Interstate General Media about a future for which I will not be around. My decision was not based on fear, but on opportunity. Taking […]

  Flyers Skate Zone, Vorhees, NJ, 11:01 AM by JEFF FUSCO WASHINGTON POST: The Philadelphia Flyers have named Claude Giroux the 19th captain in team history. General manager Paul Holmgren made the announcement Tuesday night. The Flyers say Kimmo Timonen will serve as associate captain, and Scott Hartnell and Danny Briere will serve as alternate captains. Giroux takes over for defenseman Chris Pronger. Pronger has not played for the Flyers since Nov. 19, 2011 and still suffers from lingering effects of multiple concussions. MORE

  Nine days after Veronique Pozner’s son, Noah, was killed in the Newtown schools shootings, I interviewed her and other members of the family about their grieving process. […] The details that stuck with me the most — and the details which I felt most conflicted about putting in print — were Veronique’s descriptions of the damage to her son’s body. He was shot 11 times; she told me that his jaw and his left hand were mostly gone. […] I didn’t understand why she, as a mother, chose to see Noah’s body, so I asked her again: “I owed […]

  Here’s “Jubilee Street,”  the second track from the new Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album, Push Away The Sky, which drops stateside on February 19th. Old saint Nick plays a completely and totally sold out show at the Keswick March 19th. PREVIOUSLY: In the beginning, there was the Birthday Party. And it was good. Rock ‘n’ roll as sonic aneurysm: screeching, cataclysmic and cruel. The Birthday Party was scary. Not in the silly Count Chocula way of the misguided Goths who would follow in its steps, but, like, Exorcist scary. Danger was the Birthday Party’s business, and in […]

  MOTHER JONES: Glenn Beck [has]unveiled plans for a new planned community—inspired by the Ayn Rand novel Atlas Shrugged—to be built at an undisclosed location somewhere in the United States MORE THE BLAZE: What are the American Dream Labs building towards? Glenn gave a look at the big picture that everything is building towards: Independence, USA! While Independence is very much a dream at this point, the proposed city-theme park hybrid would bring several of Glenn’s seemingly disconnected projects into one place. Media, live events, small business stores, educational projects, charity, entertainment, news, information, and technology R&D – all of […]

Morrissey, House of Blues, Atlantic City, 10:04 p.m. by JONATHAN VALANIA

  BY EVA LIAO My 25-year-old friend Maria has a steady job working for her dad’s Brooklyn production company as a scenic artist. Her luxurious Upper East Side apartment was purchased by her parents after she graduated college. Five-out-of-seven nights, Maria can be seen at the coolest concert or the hottest bar, shuttling back and forth between Williamsburg and Bushwick. Not surprisingly, Maria hates the show Girls because it’s a show about her. She says it makes her cringe — the clueless conversations, the awkward sex scenes — and she’s not alone. For many young females living in Brooklyn Girls […]

  This Isn’t the Petition Response You’re Looking For By Paul Shawcross, Chief of the Science and Space Branch at the White House Office of Management and Budget The Administration shares your desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star isn’t on the horizon. Here are a few reasons: – The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. We’re working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it. – The Administration does not support blowing up planets. – Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star […]

Jack White sits down with Conan for a lengthy discussion about art, winning, and upholstery with Conan over drinks. Enjoy.