Temples play Morgan’s Pier on August 6th. They’ll be Jimmy Fallon’s guest on the Tonight Show tonight.

Infographic by RAY NOLAND via CHICAGO READER NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD: The federal law that makes possession of marijuana a crime has its origins in legislation that was passed in an atmosphere of hysteria during the 1930s and that was firmly rooted in prejudices against Mexican immigrants and African-Americans, who were associated with marijuana use at the time. This racially freighted history lives on in current federal policy, which is so driven by myth and propaganda that is it almost impervious to reason. The cannabis plant, also known as hemp, was widely grown in the United States for use […]

  THE DECLARATION: The Philadelphia Police Department and city solicitor Shelley Smith’s office are refusing to release documents pertaining to an intelligence-gathering program called “Look Up, Speak Up”. The Declaration filed a public records request in May with the intention of gaining a stronger understanding of Philadelphia’s version of The Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative (NSI), a jointly-administered Department of Justice/Information Sharing Environment counterterrorism program. The city has refused even an informal mediation session to settle this dispute. The Office of Open Records in Harrisburg will issue a final determination regarding The Declaration’s appeal by August 7th. “Look Up, Speak […]

THE VERGE: When AOL executive and Comcast customer Ryan Block recently tried to cancel his internet service, he ended up in a near-yelling match with a customer service representative who spent 18 minutes trying to talk him out of it. […] Block posted a recording of the call online, where it has been listened to more than 5 million times. During the ensuing media frenzy, The Verge put out a call and sought out current and former Comcast employees, hoping to shed light on the inner workings of the largest broadcasting and cable company in the country. More than 100 […]

  NEW YORK TIMES: In October 2010, Bernard Noble, a 45-year-old trucker and father of seven with two previous nonviolent offenses, was stopped on a New Orleans street with a small amount of marijuana in his pocket. His sentence: more than 13 years. At least he will be released. Jeff Mizanskey, a Missouri man, was arrested in December 1993, for participating (unknowingly, he said) in the purchase of a five-pound brick of marijuana. Because he had two prior nonviolent marijuana convictions, he was sentenced to life without parole. Blacks and whites use marijuana at comparable rates. Yet in all states […]

  FRESH AIR Many fans know George Takei from his role as Mr. Sulu on the 1960s show Star Trek. But in the past decade, he has drawn followers who admire him because of who he is — not just who he has played. Now, the new documentary may interest more people in Takei’s life. Takei’s personal story offers insights into a couple of key chapters of American political and cultural history. After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, Takei and his family were among the 127,000 Americans of Japanese descent forced into internment camps. He was 5 years old. […]

  NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD: It took 13 years for the United States to come to its senses and end Prohibition, 13 years in which people kept drinking, otherwise law-abiding citizens became criminals and crime syndicates arose and flourished. It has been more than 40 years since Congress passed the current ban on marijuana, inflicting great harm on society just to prohibit a substance far less dangerous than alcohol. The federal government should repeal the ban on marijuana. We reached that conclusion after a great deal of discussion among the members of The Times’s Editorial Board, inspired by a […]

MSN: A dynamic new lead and an epic-scale chase will be at the center of the new “Mad Max” reboot, as Australian director George Miller reignites his explosive action thriller franchise as the fight for survival in the wasteland rages on. “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the fourth installment of the “Mad Max” franchise that began in 1979 with Mel Gibson in the lead role, saw a post-apocalypse dystopian Australia where police officer Max Rockatansky battles hardened criminals of the outback.Time Warner Inc-owned Warner Bros’ “Fury Road,” due in theaters next year, is set 45 years in a post-apocalyptic future, and […]

  PHILLY NOW:  As part of his effort to decriminalize marijuana, Councilman Kenney has promoted a hotline for citizens to call detailing how arrests for minor pot possession have negatively impacted their lives. Folks are encouraged to call 267-570-3726 and leave voicemails detailing their own personal experiences with marijuana criminalization. The councilman hopes these stories will motivate Mayor Nutter to sign Kenney’s municipal decriminalization bill. […] In response to Kenney’s vox populi pressure on the mayor, Nutter’s office seemed unimpressed. Nutter press secretary Mark McDonald [pictured, below right] is quoted in the Philadelphia Inquirer this morning, saying, “The first thing I would recommend is […]