WALL STREET JOURNAL: The race is heating up among regulators and prosecutors to show the public that they’re sorting out the auction rate securities mess. Here’s the breaking news, courtesy of WSJ’s Liz Rappaport: A team of 10 state securities regulators drove to the St. Louis headquarters of Wachovia Securities yesterday to demand documents and conduct interviews about the firm’s sales and marketing of ARS. The “onsite inspection” occurred after Wachovia hadn’t fully complied with regulator requests, Missouri regulator officials said. The state investigators came from Missouri, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other states, all of which are part of […]
EARLY WORD: Walking The Dog In Rittenhouse Square
Hey Jonathan, How are you? I want to let you know Philly natives, Dr. Dog, will be playing a free show in Rittenhouse Square on August 13th, in support of their new studio album, Fate. Set for a July 22nd release, Fate is the follow up to the band¹s critically acclaimed album We All Belong, which critics and fans alike hailed as one of the best albums of 2007.
GAYDAR: To Be Young And Gay In Philadelphia
BY AARON STELLA Welcome one and all to the brand spanking new Phawker gay column called … drumroll, please … GAYDAR. My name is Aaron Stella, at your service, and I am proud to succeed Miss Tommy Zane — whose honesty and sharp wit made us laugh and invited us to share in his vision of the gay life in our fair city. I’m a bit younger than Zane — only 22, part of the troupe he might call “you young things” — but I’ve got plenty to say, and there’s never a time I haven’t got a hurricane brewing […]
LAWYER: Spitzer Girl Stole I.D. For Gone Wild Debut
INQUIRER: Ashley Dupre, arguably the world’s most famous call girl, is being sued by a North Jersey woman who claims Dupre stole her identity. Dupre’s sexual liasons with Gov. Eliot Spitzer were made public in March and brought down the powerful New York lawmaker. After the scandal broke, the producers of the Girls Gone Wild videos scoured their vaults, found explicit footage of Dupre, and released the film. In the widely distributed video, Dupre identifies herself as “Amber Arpaio.” The camera zooms in on a New Jersey drivers license with Arpaio’s name and picture on it. Arpaio, 26, who works […]
POLL: Tale Of Two Americas
NEW YORK TIMES/CBS NEWS POLL: After years of growing political polarization, much of the divide in American politics is partisan. But Americans’ perceptions of the fall presidential election between Mr. Obama, Democrat of Illinois, and Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, also underlined the racial discord that the poll found. More than 80 percent of black voters said they had a favorable opinion of Mr. Obama; about 30 percent of white voters said they had a favorable opinion of him. Nearly 60 percent of black respondents said race relations were generally bad, compared with 34 percent of whites. Four in […]
ONLY IN THE TOWN WHERE THEY BOOED SANTA CLAUS: Jeering Protesters Brand Dalai Lama A ‘Liar’
COMMUNIST PARTY STOOGES?: Protesters at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Sunday THE POPULIST: The Dalai Lama is in town today, and appeared at the Kimmel Center during the lunch hour. Instead of an oasis of calm and spiritual awakening, the pavement outside was the scene of rage and tears. Vocal protesters, cordoned off by the police to the south of the Center, held placards reading “the Dalai Lama is lying.” One man held a bullhorn and led the group of 40 in jeers. The group consisted mostly of Caucasians, including women with short-cropped hair dressed in saffron-and-crimson monk-like garb, Chinese and Chinese-Americans. […]
WHY WE FIGHT: Chinese Democracy
[Photo via DAILY MAIL] REUTERS: Construction over the next two decades will be unprecedented as the number of city dwellers rises by over 350 million — more than the U.S. population — to 926 million in 2025 from 572 million in 2005. By 2025, China will have 221 cities with more than 1 million people, compared with 35 in Europe today. China will need to build between 20,000 and 50,000 new skyscrapers — the equivalent of up to 10 New York Cities. TED KOPPEL: China’s streets have gone from being jammed with bicycles to being jammed with cars. The nation […]
DAILY DOS: Last Night’sDaily Show With Jon Stewart
Last night’s Colbert Report, in its entirety, after the jump. Enjoy.
WELDONGATE: Feds Charge Curt Cohort With Destruction Of Evidence As The Noose Tightens
INQUIRER: In a statement, Grimes’ attorneys said she was “extremely remorseful,” but defended her lobbying work. “Any suggestion that Ms. Grimes engaged in any inappropriate, illegal or improper conduct with regard to her role as a lobbyist is incorrect and unfounded,” the statement said. Her lawyer, Richard L. Scheff of Philadelphia, declined further comment. Two FBI agents interviewed Grimes at her home in October 2006 and asked her about how she got into lobbying and her contacts with Weldon, according to the criminal information filed in Washington yesterday. At the end of the interview, they gave her subpoenas seeking records […]
TEE-VEE: It’s Always Sunny Stays Golden
HARTFORD COURANT: With its show a hit on cable and past episodes topping charts for downloads, FX mapped a long long future for “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” FX chief John Landgraf said there were 39 episodes ordered in addition to the 13 already in production for a total of 52 new episodes on their way. This is in comparison to the 32 that have already produced. “We’re proud to say that “Sunny” has seen very significant ratings growth in each of its first three seasons on our air,” Landgraf said. “It consistently ranks among the top series downloaded on […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR The war on terrorism has had devastating social and political costs, and it is the United States government — not foreign enemies — that has caused much of the damage, says investigative journalist Jane Mayer. Mayer’s new book is The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals. In it, The New Yorker writer contends that the policy implemented after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks promoted an agenda that sought to increase presidential power. Further, many of the Bush administration’s strategy decisions violated the Constitution and impeded the […]
GRIM RUMBLINGS: Is Wachovia Next?
ASSOCIATED PRESS: The situation is increasingly bleak for Wachovia Corp. and the bank’s mortgage portfolio will continue to lose value, “seriously jeopardizing” the company’s ability to generate earnings, an influential analyst warned on Tuesday. The latest note of caution came as the government moved to reassure people their money is safe in the nation’s banks. Yet fears about the system persisted and financial shares were broadly lower Tuesday, signaling another tough day for the stock market. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is scheduled to brief Congress Tuesday on the economy, which has been walloped by high energy prices and fallout […]
All This Happened While You Were Sleeping
DJ John Shank spins at 1601, 10th & Tasker, last night. [Photos by ROZA FRYKOWSKA]