BY AARON STELLA Welcome my fellow hungry Americans to another edition of Truck Stop, where each week we’ll visit street vendors in different parts of Philadelphia to assist the common wayfarer in their travels and grub scavenging. Hey, don’t give me that look — if you ain’t too proud to get your news off the Internet, then you probably ain’t too proud to eat sushi off a truck. This week: the Center City theater and financial district. As I was zooming down 12th street on my way from Temple University to Center City, I fantasized about the fine cuisine Center […]
GOLIATH: How One Man Brought Comcast To Its Knees
INQUIRER: [T]he FCC, for the first time, will establish enforceable rules for how Comcast and other broadband companies can treat the Internet. The agency is calling the order a precedent-setting move that will provide some consumer protections. The agency’s five commissioners are expected to vote on it tomorrow at the agency headquarters in Washington. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, a Republican, has found allies in Democratic Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan S. Adelstein, who reportedly intend to vote for the punishment order. Republican Commissioners Robert M. McDowell and Deborah Taylor Tate are expected to oppose Martin’s order. Comcast and FCC have […]
KILLADELPHIA: 10 Year Old Takes Lead In Gun Battle
NBC10: PHILADELPHIA — Police said Wednesday a 10-year-old girl was caught in the middle of a frightening gun battle on the streets of West Philadelphia.Victoria Green, along with two men, were shot in the area of Ruby and Chestnut streets. Green was shot in the leg and rushed to Children’s Hospital. “Ten years old, out here playing, can’t even play in front of your door with violence going on. I mean it’s ridiculous,” David Smith, the victim’s uncle, said. Police said the shooting began with a cell phone call saying there was going to be a fight. Then, police said […]
OVERHEARD: Sucking In The 70s
[From today’s edition of Fresh Air] TERRY GROSS: I happen to know you play bassoon. RAINN WILSON: Yeah, I do. TERRY GROSS: Which is great, it’s a great instrument, a lot of people don’t even know what it sounds like. RAINN WILSON: Sounds a little like this [makes bassoon sound]….I think. TERRY GROSS: It’s a hard instrument to play. RAINN WILSON: It’s very hard, it’s a double reed. It’s also a ‘girl repellent.’ TERRY GROSS: [laughs uproariously] RAINN WILSON: So all you aspiring bassoonists out there, thrown down the bassoon and pick up the electric guitar. TERRY GROSS: You have […]
THE EARLY WORD: The Mambo Kings
Details after the jump…
NPR 4 THE DEF: Giving Public Radio Edge Since 2006
FRESH AIR While his Office character may take himself seriously, actor Rainn Wilson seems to be all about the laughs. Wilson plays beet-farming, archery-loving middle-management kook Dwight Schrute on the NBC hit television series. Now, Wilson is trading his crossbow for a guitar in the new film The Rocker. In The Rocker, Wilson plays a failed hair metal musician. After he’s kicked out of his band, the group goes on to achieve great success. But when he joins his nephew’s garage band, he gets a second chance at fame. Wilson made his breakthrough as an actor playing an eccentric mortician […]
We Know It’s Only Rock N’ Roll But We Like It
HEY, MR. SPACEMAN: Spiritualized, TLA, Last Night [Photos by JONATHAN VALANIA]
GAME OVER: Feds Crack Down On ‘Stop Snitchin’ Site
INQUIRER: But Adero Mahia Miwo fell for a drug dealer, and now she’s headed to prison for 30 months for conspiring to put the word out — with information from the controversial Web site whosarat.com — that a prosecution witness against him was a “rat” and a “snitch.” The Web site, which touts itself as the largest online database of informants and agents with more than 4,000, has caused consternation in the criminal-justice system, where informants play a critical role. Miwo, now 26 and from Jenkintown, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to suborn perjury and witness tampering, acknowledged that she […]
MAILBAG: Mother Knows Best
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is in response to Aaron Stella’s GAYDAR column last week. DEAR PHAWKER, Very colorful! Most of it quite true too! I must comment however that there were and, no doubt, still are many people there who attempt to live good Christian lives, as did your family. I particularly know of some children of members who are away at colleges around the country and are doing all they can to lead true Christian lives. They don’t have a clue about any ulterior motives, hidden agendas, or misguidance in the community and might be shocked and hurt by […]
TOMORROW: Win A Dream Date With Ron Jeremy!
Tune in tomorrow for details.* *Prize merchandise is strictly ‘as is’.
HOT DOCUMENT: How Dry I Am
Following is a list of the top 20 “stone-cold sober schools,” according to Princeton Review‘s survey of 120,000 college students. 1. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. 2. Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill. 3. U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Conn. 4. College of the Ozarks, Point Lockout, Mo. 5. Grove City College, Grove City, Pa. 6. U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 7. U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md. 8. Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass. 9. Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, Calif. 10. Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich. 11. U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. 12. Wesleyan College, Macon, Ga. 13. Franklin […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR We humans have long wondered what separates us from the other animals — but neuroscientist Michael Gazzaniga may have given the topic more consideration than most. Gazzaniga, a pioneer in what’s called split-brain research, has just published Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique. He talks to Terry Gross about his work, which involves investigating the varying functions of the left and right sides of our brains, and about how that research informs our understanding of the brain and human consciousness. Gazzaniga has spent the past 45 years studying the functions of the left and right brain. […]
LOCAL FOOLS MAKE GOOD: Tim & Eric’s Trip
NEW YORK TIMES: ON first viewing, the comedy sketches on “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” can seem like outtakes from a public-access channel that’s broadcast only in hell. They are full of shoddily produced, sloppily edited talk shows about acne and commercials for utterly unnecessary gadgets, and populated by people who should never stand within 50 feet of a camera lens. When these elements appear in a typical television program, they’re usually a result of accidents, budgetary restrictions and bad choices. When they appear on “Awesome Show,” they’re intentional. “We have a very strict set of rules of […]