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 […]
All This Happened While You Were Sleeping
DJ John Shank spins at 1601, 10th & Tasker, last night. [Photos by ROZA FRYKOWSKA]
TRUCKSTOP: The Best Meals On Four Wheels
BY AARON STELLA Welcome everyone! This is the first 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: Temple University, we are inside you. * THE CREPE TRUCK Location: Norris St., between 12th and 13th Cuisine: Phalanxes of sweet, savory and French-Mex crepes Ari Lolosidis, 21, Alex Gyftopoulos, 22, […]
OFFICIAL: Comcast-Spectacor To Put Spectrum On Ice
INQUIRER: “This will be the final year of the Spectrum,” Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider announced this morning. “This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” he said. “The Spectrum is my baby. It’s one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me, but after a lot of thinking and discussions, we all feel it is in our best interest to close the Spectrum at the conclusion of the upcoming 2008-09 Philadelphia Phantoms and Kixx seasons.” That means the last game could come next spring. In its place Comcast-Spectactor is expected to build a […]
Chutley Chokes, Drops F-Bomb, Sweeney Easily Amused
ASSOCIATED PRESS: NEW YORK — Josh Hamilton has hit a record 28 homers in the first round of the All-Star Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium. The Texas Rangers’ slugger, back from drug and alcohol addiction that derailed his career, broke Bobby Abreu’s mark for one round with a dazzling display of power Monday night. MORE INQUIRER: Chase Utley is not much of a fan of the limelight. But Utley inadvertently put himself into the type of situation he loathes when he uttered an obscenity as he was introduced before the Home Run Derby tonight at Yankee Stadium. As Utley […]
HELLO DALAI: Tibetan Spirtual Leader Comes To Town
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) — The Dalai Lama said Sunday that “it’s totally wrong, unfair” to call Islam a violent religion. The Tibetan spiritual leader, appearing at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, offered a defense of Islam in response to a question about the rise of violent religious fundamentalism. He added that he has made a point of reaching out to Muslims since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Dalai Lama arrived at Lehigh on Thursday for a series of talks on a 600-year-old Buddhist text. He took a break Sunday to lecture on “Generating a Good Heart,” and afterward took […]
Vai Sikahema Kicks Jose Canseco’s Ass
And then adopts FIVE children. What a mensch!
Ocean Kills Three; Authorities Decline To Press Charges
ASSOCIATED PRESS: TRENTON, N.J. – Storm-driven waves and currents appear to have claimed the lives of three swimmers at the Jersey shore, authorities said Sunday. One swimmer drowned and another is missing following a Saturday evening swim off the Wildwood beach, while a swimmer died after being rescued from waves in Atlantic City on Saturday afternoon. The tricky surf is because of Bertha, now a tropical storm, far out in the Atlantic Ocean and approaching Bermuda. Coast Guard personnel, using a vessel and a helicopter, searched for the missing swimmer in Wildwood until 7:29 a.m. Sunday, when the effort was […]
All This Happened While You Were Sleeping
MCs Dozia & Red Richards + DJs Jafar Barron & mikefivedeuce, Patou, Last Night [Photos by ROZA FRYKOWSKA]
EARLY WORD: The Past Isn’t Dead, It Isn’t Even Past
When the smoke cleared after the hardcore punk wars of the ’80s — fought fiercely in the all-ages basements of West Philly and the early ’90s Jäger-fueled grunge matches at the Khyber — for a brief and shining moment Caterpillar had its turn in the sun. Consisting of three natty indie types and a gray-haired dude, the band rocked quite righteously — not quite punk, not quite grunge, but born of both — in a way that can only be described as Delawarean. Standing in the center of a local rock moment is a fleeting thing, of course, and in […]
We Know It’s Only Rock N’ Roll But We Like It
THE SUMMER OF SHOVE: No Age, First Unitarian, Last Night PHOTO & TEXT BY TIFFANY YOON A young, near-capacity crowd squeezed into the church basement like it was a pair of skinny jeans that no longer fit comfortably, it was sweatbox-hot, and nearly everyone was drunk and hormonal. In other words, I haven’t had this much fun at a show in a long time. Sadly, I missed Abe Vigoda open the show, but I did catch some of High Places set, but found it somewhat disappointing. They just weren’t very exciting to watch. Danceable music, definitely, but I just wanted […]
KILLADELPHIA: One More Dead Since U Went To Bed
INQUIRER: A 24-year-old man, shot last night inside a Northeast apartment building, died this morning, according to Philadelphia police. Matthew Smith, 24, was shot in the chest and shoulder shortly before 11:30 p.m. inside the Brookmont Apartments at 600 Red Lion Road in Bustleton. Smith, who lived there, was taken to Frankford Torresdale Hospital, but was pronounced dead at 4:29 a.m. The shooting took place in a stairwell or hallway near the entrance, police said. Homicide detectives were at the scene this morning, asking neighbors for help in piecing together what happened.
EXODUS: We Are The Fastest-Losing City In America
INQUIRER: Continuing a long-running downward trend, Philadelphia lost more residents between 2000 and 2007 than any U.S. city except hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, newly released estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show. Population in the city decreased from 1,517,550 to 1,449,634 in the seven years, a loss of nearly 68,000 people, according to Greg Harper, a demographer for the bureau. That drop of 4.5 percent represents the largest percentage loss in population of a top-25 U.S. city between 2000 and 2007, figures show. Viewed more broadly, the population of the Philadelphia region as a whole has grown even as the number […]