THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN: Jeff Deeney, a social worker and freelance writer who writes frequently about his work in Philadelphia’s poorest neighborhoods, also cited housing segregation as a concern. “The poorest parts [of the city] are very isolated socially — they don’t generally butt up against neighborhoods that are thriving.” Deeney also blames a lack of jobs, a broken housing system, and “schools that look and function a lot like correctional facilities” for much of the problem. “People don’t understand what life under the poverty line looks like,” he said. Deeney explained that many single-parent families live on less than $1,600 […]
TODAY I SAW…
BY JEFF DEENEY Today I saw a confused young man having a meltdown behind the counter of the McDonald’s on 52nd and Chestnut Street. His uniform was oversized and he had a dark, long-sleeved shirt on under his uniform that looked unwashed. His grease-stained visor’s brim was pulled down low to obscure his eyes. He rang my order up wrong, so I repeated it slowly, thinking maybe he misheard me. It was crowded and loud, and I figured my order was drowned out by the noise. I tilted my head a bit to see if he was listening, but he […]
FORBES: We’re Number One!
[Illustration by ALEX FINE] Bill Giles, The P.T. Barnum Of The Phillies, And The Creature He Brought To Life INQUIRER: The Phillie Phanatic is the top mascot in sports, according to a market research group whose findings were reported today on Forbes.com.The Phanatic — which edged out the pioneer mascot the San Diego Chicken for No. 1 on The Marketing Arm’s Davie-Brown Index — “became an instant smash when it debuted for the Phillies in 1978. Leading fans from the top of the dugout, riding around on a motorbike and heckling opposing players was all new at the time, offering […]
NEW RULE: Middle-Aged Dudes Wearing Sunglasses At Night Are Not Allowed To Call 16-Year-Old Girls ‘Slut’ UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES
From today’s Howard Gensler column: WAITING IN the Wegman’s checkout line yesterday, Tattle read that Britney Spears was insane, she’s threatened to kill her children, what sent her over the edge was meth and her slutty younger sister has been dumped by her impregnator. [Note to angry readers: Tattle is not calling Jamie Lynn Spears a slut, although if she quacks like a duck . . . but in using slutty as an adjective we are saying her behavior was slutty. Teen or not, when your mother allows your (now ex-)boyfriend to live with you, and your older sister is as […]
NY TIMES: Has Gawker Jumped The Snark Shark?
NEW YORK TIMES: Is it so? There are certainly signs that Gawker, delivering a daily dose of gossip and commentary about the news business and selected celebrities since 2002, is in the midst of a particularly intense period of turmoil, which has led to a slide in its once-hypnotic influence on the news media world. Before the wave of staff departures at Gawker, New York magazine published an article in October ascribing the site’s popularity to the resentment of the city’s “creative underclass,” and asked whether pandering to the nasty impulses of those who covet an increasingly rare slot among […]
THIS JUST IN: New York Dolls Are For Lovers
Legendary punk rockers the NEW YORK DOLLS will be back on the road for a late winter tour to support their first album in over 30 years, One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This and put the “fun” back in “election year.” Don’t miss this rare Valentine’s Day occasion to catch the NEW YORK DOLLS in concert Thursday, Feb. 14 at the New Alhambra Arena, 7 Ritner St., in Philadelphia. Showtime is 9 p.m.
TONIGHT: Freedom of Speech Is Not Free
The National Constitution Center, in partnership with the Freedom to Read Foundation, welcomes two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Lewis, one of the country’s most esteemed experts on the First Amendment and the author of the classic, Gideon’s Trumpet, to share his latest work, Freedom for the Thought That We Hate, on the importance of freedom of expression. Lewis’s new book tells the story of how the right of free expression evolved along with our nation and makes a compelling case for the adaptability of our Constitution. Lewis will discuss how our First Amendment rights were created and reveal a story […]
KILLADELPHIA: Meet The New Sheriff
INQUIRER: Most of the initial changes in the department’s operations last week were largely cosmetic: Mayor Nutter declared a symbolic “crime emergency” after he was sworn in Monday, and the commissioner vowed to increase the department’s visibility by wearing a uniform and driving a marked squad car himself. But behind the scenes, the former Washington police chief is sending signals that big changes are in store.The coming weeks are likely to include many long workdays for Ramsey’s command staff: In addition to the morning meetings, the commissioner has scheduled six nightly meetings across the city to gather public comment before […]
KILLADELPHIA: One More Dead Since U Went To Bed
INQUIRER: An unidentified man was found with a gunshot wound to the head shortly before 12:30 a.m. today at 22nd and Thompson Streets, police said. The victim, in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:46 a.m. Police are continuing their investigation. They have made no arrests and have no motive for the shooting.
KILLADELPHIA: Cops Kill Ex-Mayor’s Nephew
INQUIRER: Lt. Frank Vanore said that Timothy Goode, 24, of the 1000 block of Pratt Street, was involved in a drug deal Friday night in Germantown. Vanore said that when police moved in, Timothy Goode ran to Logan Street and turned toward police with a gun. Officers shot him twice, in the side and lower back. He died at Temple University Hospital. A 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a bag containing 45 crack vials were recovered nearby, police said. Plainclothes narcotics officers had been staking out the area of 200 Clapier St. where, police said, numerous drug transactions had been reported. […]
ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Top Five Things You Really Should Know About The Wu-Tang Clan At The Troc
1.) RZA wasn’t in the house — he’s not part of Wu-Tang’s current tour — and not a single track from the Pride of Shaolin’s latest album, 8 Diagrams, was played, but nobody minded, least of all the drunk white dudes who rapped along to “Bring The Pain” like they were away at Senior Week ’94. 2.) Even without The RZA, the Clan was not lacking in personnel — GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Cappadonna, Inspectah Deck and others made appearances, passing the mic (and, uh, other things) freely and generously back and forth across the stage during a […]
AFTER INNOCENCE: Why The Caged Bird Sings
BY JEFF DEENEY Hearty and much-deserved congratulations go out today to Nick Yarris, whom the Inquirer reports received a heaping settlement in his wrongful imprisonment lawsuit against Delaware County. You might remember Yarris from the searing 2006 documentary, After Innocence, which profiled wrongfully convicted men exonerated by the nonprofit Innocence Project, a national coalition of legal clinics that advocates for the release of prisoners who can be conclusively proven innocent by DNA evidence. Yarris got tangled up with the law as a young drug addict in the early ’80s and through a series of unfortunate circumstances and bad decisions (which […]
MAYOR NUTTER: Rapper’s Delight
Reason #6,784 why we like Mike.