Muqtada al-Sadr’s Militia parading through Basra in an undated photo. [via ALTERNET] U.S. is propping up unpopular regime; Sadr has support because of his platform One of the ironies of the reporting out of Iraq is the ubiquitous characterization of Muqtada al-Sadr as a “renegade,” “radical” or “militant” cleric, despite the fact that he is the only leader of significance in the country who has ordered his followers to stand down. His ostensible militancy appears to arise primarily from his opposition to the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. He has certainly been willing to use violence in the past, but the […]
All Of This Happened Whie You Were Sleeping
TURBO CHARGE: Turbo Station, Trocadero, Last Night, [Photos by TIFFANY YOON/CLICK TO ENLARGE]
We Know It’s Only Rock N’ Roll But We Like It
THE DIRTY SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN: Drive-By Truckers, The Fillmore, Last Night BY JONATHAN VALANIA FOR THE INQUIRER The Drive-By Truckers write songs about the dirty South, where life is hard and folks die soft and squishy and often emphysemic, dirty deeds get done dirt cheap, and everyone goes to church but nobody really goes to heaven. These songs are like the weeds in the cracks of the trailer park, or the pile of broken beer bottles in the woods, or the lipstick traces on the stubbed-out Kools overflowing the ashtray. Oh, the things they have seen. It also bears […]
LIVE & DIRECT: From Clinton Headquarters
On Monday we will have a report from Obama headquarters.
NPR 4 THE DEF: Giving Public Radio Edge Since 2006
FRESH AIR In the climax of Arthur Penn’s 1967 classic film, Bonnie and Clyde, the bank-robbing duo’s days of crime end abruptly when they are gunned down in a shower of bullets. It’s a realistically violent scene, shot in slow motion, which has been both praised and criticized for its brutality. Penn says that the scene was influenced by media reports and images of the Vietnam War, which were broadcasts daily during the filming of the movie. “It was a time,” he says, “where, it seemed to me that if we were going to depict violence, then we would […]
JUNK SCIENCE: Heavy Metal Fishing Lot
BY ELIZABETH FIEND LIVING EDITOR Subway’s Tuna sandwich is advertised as dolphin-safe but they fail to mention it comes with a side order of heavy metal — mercury, to be exact. Not just hoagies, sushi too. Shocking news outta Manhattan recently. How much mercury did you say was in that sushi? Yikes, just eating two or three pieces a week of bluefin tuna sushi could be a health hazard for an adult. There are dangerous levels of mercury in marlin, shark, and swordfish, too. Tuna is the fish most often consumed by Americans, so this is the vehicle for most […]
OBAMA AD: It’s The Oil Companies, Stupid!
CLINTON CAMPAIGN: According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Sen. Obama has received over $160,000 from the oil and gas companies. Two major bundlers for his campaign — George Kaiser and Robert Cavnar – are oil company CEOs. Sen. Obama has accepted money from Exxon, Shell, BP, Chevron and just about every other major oil company. Just last month, Sen. Obama accepted another $8,400 from ExxonMobil, $12,370 from Chevron and $6,500 from British Petroleum. In 2005, Sen. Obama voted for the Dick Cheney energy bill, which was written in secret with the oil industry. Hillary Clinton opposed Cheney’s energy bill, […]
All Of This Happened While You Were Commuting
GIRL FROM CHELSEA: Miss Clinton greets commuters with Mayor Nutter at Olney Station this morning. [photo by TIFFANY YOON]
PAPERBOY EXTRA: Channel 3 Pink-Slips 11 Jobs?
Did CBS3 just lay off 11 employees? We’ve got a call in to Station Manager Michael Colleran and will update you when he does. In the meantime, feel free to give us the skinny in the comments or via email, if you’re the shy type.
UPDATE: Diddy Knew DID NOT Have Advance Knowledge of 1994 Assault And Robbery Of Tupac
EDITOR & PUBLISHER: The Los Angeles Times apologized for using documents that were apparently fabricated in a story implicating associates of Sean “Diddy” Combs in a 1994 assault on rapper Tupac Shakur. “The bottom line is that the documents we relied on should not have been used,” Editor Russ Stanton said in a story posted Wednesday night on the newspaper’s Web site. “We apologize both to our readers and to those referenced in the documents … and in the story.” Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Chuck Philips, who wrote the story, and his supervisor, Deputy Managing Editor Marc Duvoisin, also apologized. The […]
IOU: Cash-Strapped Clinton Campaign In Arrears
POLITICO: Hillary Rodham Clinton’s cash-strapped presidential campaign has been putting off paying hundreds of bills for months — freeing up cash for critical media buys but also earning the campaign a reputation as something of a deadbeat in some small-business circles. A pair of Ohio companies owed more than $25,000 by Clinton for staging events for her campaign are warning others in the tight-knit event production community — and anyone else who will listen — to get their cash upfront when doing business with her. Her campaign, say representatives of the two companies, has stopped returning phone calls and e-mails […]
CHINESE DEM: Dr. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Man
NME: Axl Rose has responded to an offer by soft drink company Dr Pepper in which they promised a free can of their drink to every American — except Slash and Buckethead — if the band releases their ‘Chinese Democracy’ album this year. Rose said he was “surprised and very happy” about the offer, but denied the record label or himself were involved in the pledge. Posting on Guns N Roses‘ website, Rose stated: “We are surprised and very happy to have the support of Dr Pepper with our album ‘Chinese Democracy’, as for us, this came totally out of […]
ARTSY: Now Hanging On A Bus Stop Near You
UPDATE: Thanks for all those who bought the print in support of OBEY and OBAMA. Unfortunately, the print is sold out and we do not plan on producing another edition. The edition was released earlier today with great response. The PROGRESS screenprint was exclusively available through OBEY and the HOPE offset print will be distributed by the OBAMA Camp as an awareness campaign. I believe with great conviction that Barack Obama should be the next President. I have been paying close attention to him since the Democratic convention in 2004. I feel that he is more a statesman than a […]