RUSH LIMBAUGH: “…Obama is holding his own against both of them – doing more than his share of the ‘spade’ work. Maybe even gaining ground at the moment. Using not only the spade ladies and gentleman—that when he finishes with the ‘spade’ in the garden of corruption planted by the Clinton’s, he turns to the ‘hoe.’ And so the spade work and his expertise using a hoe.” [via CROOKSANDLIARS] PREVIOUSLY: Ever Notice How No Matter What Rush Limbaugh Is Talking About — Iraq, Football, Yummy Oxycontin — It Always Seems To Come Down To ‘How Scary Black People Are’? WASHINGTON […]
NEWS CLUES: It’s Like Adderall For Your Eyeballs
ATTACK A TASTE OF THE CLONES: FDA Approves Franken-Meat For Humans WASHINGTON – Meat and milk from cloned animals is as safe as that from their counterparts bred the old-fashioned way, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday, but sales still won’t begin right away. “Meat and milk from cattle, swine and goat clones are as safe as food we eat every day,” said Dr. Stephen Sundloff, FDA’s food safety chief. Regardless, it still will be years before many foods from cloned animals reach store shelves, for economic reasons: At $10,000 to $20,000 per animal, they’re a lot more expensive […]
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 […]
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 […]
I’M NOT THERE: Best Golden Globes EVER!
ASSOCIATED PRESS: BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Cate Blanchett won the supporting actress Golden Globe on Sunday for the Bob Dylan tale “I’m Not There” during an awards show truncated from glitzy banquet to dry news conference because of the Hollywood writers strike. Marion Cotillard won for best actress in a musical or comedy for a remarkable personification of singer Edith Piaf in “La Vie En Rose,” playing the French icon from youth through middle age and into her ailing final years.Javier Bardem won for supporting actor in “No Country for Old Men,” playing a merciless killer tracking a fortune […]
NEWS CLUES: It’s Like Adderall For Your Eyeballs
PORNO FOR THE DEAF: They Hear It Even When You Can’t While many a hearing person has muted a porn video, it’s nice to have a choice about what you want to hear — or see — and what you don’t. Deaf Bunny (NSFW), the first deaf-owned and deaf-staffed porn company, launched in August with the mission of making porn accessible to deafies and their hearing partners in as many forms as possible.Through subtitles, sign language, cartoonish thought bubbles, full audio and blatant use of technology, anyone can understand the complex plot and tangled relationships portrayed in the company’s first […]
NEWS CLUES: Dead Man Walking Edition
KILLADELPHIA: Two Men Critical After Shooting Two men are in critical condition after being shot in the Powelton section of Philadelphia late last night. A 19-year-old with multiple gunshot wounds and a 22-year-old with a gunshot wound to the chest were found in the 4200 block of Haverford Avenue shortly before 11:30 p.m., police said. Both men were taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Both were in critical condition. The names of the men have not been released. No arrests have been made and police are investigating the motive for the shootings. [via the INQUIRER] * Judge […]
THAT’S COMCASTIC: Cable Monolith Facing $1.77 Trillion In FCC Fines For Internet Interference
As 2007 came to a close, we learned what we suspected for years: that Comcast has been inhibiting their users’ ability to use popular file sharing protocols, like BitTorrent. Treading in the waters of non-network neutrality is a major faux pas amongst the geek elite, but it may turn out to be a costly violation by the standards of the FCC. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin announced today that a coalition of consumer groups and legal scholars had asked the agency in November to stop Comcast from discriminating against certain types of data. The two groups also asked the FCC to […]
TONITE: Meet The Real Mr. Burns
WIKIPEDIA: Charles Burns (born September 27, 1955 in Washington, D.C.) is an award-winning U.S. cartoonist and illustrator. He is renowned for his meticulous, high-contrast and creepy artwork and stories. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, painter Susan Moore, and their two young daughters. His father was an oceanographer for the government. They moved around a lot, including Boulder, Colorado, Maryland and Missouri before settling in Seattle when Burns was in grade five. Charles Burns’ earliest prominent works include illustrations for the Sub Pop fanzine and contributions to Art Spiegelman‘s comic magazine RAW. Most of his short stories, published in […]
TONITE: Don’t Follow Leaders, Watch-a Pawkin’ Meter
KYW: The reality TV bonanza is getting a bit of Philly flavor. A&E Network cameras have been following Philadelphia Parking Authority employees on the job for months. The result? It’s something you probably already know all too well. The 20-episode “Parking Wars” series was premiering Tuesday night at 10 on A&E MORE RELATED: Parking Wars Is Over, If You Want It