ASSOCIATED PRESS: Roadside bombs killed five American soldiers in Iraq on Sunday, including four in a single strike in the volatile province of Diyala, northeast of the capital, the military said.
REVIEW: THE DEAD GIRL
(2007, directed by Karen Moncrieff, 85 min., U.S.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC This past week I happened to see Rosanna Arquette’s 2002 film Searching For Debra Winger, a star-filled documentary in which a wide array of film actresses talk about the joys and heartaches of being a woman in the business. Marcia Gay Harden is among the actresses rightfully bemoaning the dearth of juicy roles for women, and a film like Karen Moncrieff‘s The Dead Girl, an anthology film with roles for eight actresses (includingt Harden), is just the sort of worthy project these women were imagining.Following five troubled […]
SONIC BOOM: Hypnogoogia
At JBs April 2nd.
UN-AMERICAN: NYC Police Spying Before 2004 RNC Convention Curiously Similar To Philly Police Spying Before 2000 RNC Convention
March 25, 2007 City Police Spied Broadly Before G.O.P. Convention By JIM DWYER NEW YORK TIMES For at least a year before the 2004 Republican National Convention, teams of undercover New York City police officers traveled to cities across the country, Canada and Europe to conduct covert observations of people who planned to protest at the convention, according to police records and interviews. From Albuquerque to Montreal, San Francisco to Miami, undercover New York police officers attended meetings of political groups, posing as sympathizers or fellow activists, the records show. They made friends, shared meals, swapped e-mail messages and then […]
PHILLY MAG: Looking For Rosebud In The Winter Of Our Dissed Content
Press Lord 2.0 Can a self-made ad man with big ideas and a Walter Annenberg fascination save the Inquirer and Daily News? Maybe. But when Brian Tierney’s finished, the newspaper business may never be the same By Jason Fagone THEY HAD LET THE PLACE GO TO HELL. Tierney could see it the first day he walked in the door. In the lobby alone, the paint was peeling and the floor was dirty. The reception desk was plated with metal that gave off a chilly, clinical vibe. Off in the corner was an old Panasonic on a TV cart, an orange […]
TODAY I…GOT SHOT AT
“Today I saw…” is a series of nonfiction shorts based on my experiences as a caseworker serving formerly homeless families now living in North and West Philadelphia. I decided not long after starting the job that I was seeing so many fascinating and disturbing things in the city’s poorest neighborhoods that I needed to start cataloging them. I hope this bi-weekly column serves as a record of a side of the city that many Philadelphians don’t come in contact with on a daily basis. I want to capture moments not frequently covered by the local media, which tends to […]
WASHINGTON POST Runs John Doe Editorial From Patriot Act Victim
[Excerpted from The Washington Post] My National Security Letter Gag Order BY JOHN DOE Friday, March 23, 2007; Page A17 The Justice Department’s inspector general revealed on March 9 that the FBI has been systematically abusing one of the most controversial provisions of the USA Patriot Act: the expanded power to issue “national security letters.” It no doubt surprised most Americans to learn that between 2003 and 2005 the FBI issued more than 140,000 specific demands under this provision — demands issued without a showing of probable cause or prior judicial approval — to obtain potentially sensitive information about U.S. […]
PREVUE: One Man’s Quest To Visit EVERY Starbucks On Earth
Starbucking, SEE ALSO Myth Of Sisyphus [Hat tip to FreeIndie]
JUNK SCIENCE: Freeze! Drop The Twinkie!
BY ELIZABETH FIEND Spring is in the air, and peoples’ attention will be turning to romance and in turn lookin’ good for the summer months when you get to show off a lot more skin. If you’re considering going on a diet to look great to attract that special someone, I can help you because I know THE definitive way to lose weight. Send me a check and I’ll spill it. Oh hell, I’ll just tell you right now. The way, and this is the only way to lose weight — drum roll please….. eat less and/or exercise more. Or […]
HOT DOCUMENT: Don’t Blinq, You’ll Miss It
From: Gordon, Anne Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2007 5:13 PM To: Inquirer Subject: metro column news Staff, I am pleased to announce that Dan Rubin [pictured, left] will become a full-time Metro columnist, effective immediately. His column will appear on Wednesdays. He eventually will move to twice a week. Meanwhile, Annette John-Hall will debut her column this Friday. Annette delayed the start of her try out so that she might tend to some personal issues. She is back now and ready to write. Please welcome her new column, focusing on local issues, people and places, when it appears tomorrow. Anne […]
MAILBAG: Behind Blue Eyes II
Phawker, Come on, “sad man” Why is that necessary? Why not something more positive and uplifting, and respectful of his spirit? I’m not the only one irked by your choice of words. I don’t pretend to try to “dictate” anything you do. But you have comments and an editorial e-mail listed as plain as day on your site – what do you expect? Even Joey Sweeney – your nemesis – got it right. Would a better choice of words been so hard? Laura Koepfler ************* Phawker, Your reference to “Behind Blue Eyes” was not at all clear…in these situations it’s […]
MAILBAG: Behind Blue Eyes
DEAR PHAWKER, “Singer, songwriter, sad man”? [Actually, it said ROCKER, WRITER, SAD MAN–Ed.] We could try and contemplate what kind of a fool takes a cheap crack a such a decent, inventive and beloved man, but we can’t be bothered at this moment. We’re mourning someone we loved. Whatever emotional deficiency, envy, pathetic need or lack of soul brought you to react to someone’s death in this way, you should know that Bruce cast a wide net and touched more than his share of people. We remember his wit, kindness, talent and humanity. Attributes you apparently lack. We will be […]