[via The New Republic via U.S. Department Of State] “Torture anywhere is an affront to human dignity everywhere. We are committed to building a world where human rights are respected and protected by the rule of law. Freedom from torture is an inalienable human right. The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, ratified by the United States and more than 130 other countries since 1984, forbids governments from deliberately inflicting severe physical or mental pain or suffering on those within their custody or control. Yet torture continues to be practiced around the world by rogue regimes […]
NPR 4 THE DEF: Giving Public Radio Edge Since 2006
FRESH AIR Author Craig Yoe explores the risque art of the man behind Superman in his new book, Secret Identity: The Fetish Art Of Superman’s Co-creator Joe Shuster. As Yoe explains, artist Joe Shuster did not earn much money for his part in the creation of the man of steel. After suing D.C. Comics over the copyright for Superman, Shuster drew art for an obscure series of magazines called Nights Of Horror. In Secret Identity, Yoe collects Shuster’s racy drawings and details the scandal and murder trial related to Nights Of Horror. The author of over 30 books, Yoe runs […]
PAPERBOY: Slow-Jamming The Alt-Weeklies
BY DAVE ALLEN Like time, news waits for no man. Keeping up with the funny papers has always been an all-day job, even in the pre-Internets era. These days, however, it’s a two-man job. That’s right, these days you need someone to do your reading for you, or risk falling hopelessly behind and, as a result, increasing your chances of dying lonely and somewhat bitter. That’s why every week, PAPERBOY does your alt-weekly reading for you. We pore over those time-consuming cover stories and give you the takeaway, suss out the cover art, warn you off the ink-wasters and steer […]
Who Approved What & When Did They Approve It
MCCLATCHY: A newly declassified narrative of the Bush administration’s advice to the CIA on harsh interrogations shows that the small group of Justice Department lawyers who wrote memos authorizing harsh interrogation techniques were operating not on their own but with direction from top administration officials, including then-Vice President Dick Cheney and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. At the same time, the narrative suggests that then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and then-Secretary of State Colin Powell were largely left out of the decision-making process. The narrative, posted Wednesday on the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Web site and released by its former chairman, Sen. […]
THIS JUST IN: PJ Harvey Is Coming To Town
PJ HARVEY & JOHN PARISH Sunday June 7th 7:00PM DOORS / 8:00PM SHOW Trocadero Theatre 1003 Arch Street, Philadelphia PA www.thetroc.com All Ages Welcome On Sale this Friday April 24th at Noon! Tickets available at ticketmaster.com, Charge by phone 800.745.3000 and at the box office. Performing songs from their current album ‘A Woman A Man Walked By’ and their previous collaboration ‘Dance Hall At Louse Point’ the pair will be backed by Eric Drew Feldman, Giovanni Ferrario and Jean Marc Butty. Polly and John are currently on tour in the UK, where their opening night show in Brighton has been […]
VANILLA VICE: Asher Roth Is All That
INQUIRER: Asher Roth isn’t like other rappers. The rising star whose debut album Asleep in the Bread Aisle went straight to No. 1 when it was released on iTunes on Monday hails from nowhere near the hood. The 23-year-old rhymer grew up in the middle-class community of Morrisville, in Bucks County. His hip-hop calling card is “I Love College,” an ode to higher-education hedonism born of his experiences while sort-of studying to be an elementary-school teacher on the leafy campus of West Chester University. That song, which Roth calls “satire at its finest,” has sold nearly a million copies since its release in January, and been […]
HIGHER LEARNING: This Is Your Brain On Steroids
NEW YORKER: Adderall, a stimulant composed of mixed amphetamine salts, is commonly prescribed for children and adults who have been given a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. But in recent years Adderall and Ritalin, another stimulant, have been adopted as cognitive enhancers: drugs that high-functioning, overcommitted people take to become higher-functioning and more overcommitted. (Such use is “off label,” meaning that it does not have the approval of either the drug’s manufacturer or the Food and Drug Administration.) College campuses have become laboratories for experimentation with neuroenhancement, and Alex was an ingenious experimenter. His brother had received a diagnosis of […]
YOU ARE BEING WATCHED: You Cannot Hide
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Two FBI workers are accused of using surveillance equipment to spy on teenage girls as they undressed and tried on prom gowns at a charity event at a West Virginia mall. The FBI employees have been charged with conspiracy and criminal invasion of privacy. They were working in an FBI satellite control room at the mall when they positioned a camera on temporary changing rooms and zoomed in for at least 90 minutes on girls dressing for the Cinderella Project fashion show, Marion County Prosecutor Pat Wilson said yesterday. Gary Sutton Jr., 40, of New Milton, and Charles […]
THIS JUST IN: Folk Festival Line-Up Announced
Among the top attractions at the 48th annual PHILADELPHIA FOLK FESTIVAL are Sonny Landreth, Del McCoury Band, Iron and Wine, Tom Rush, Rebirth Brass Band, Justin Townes Earle, Tony Trischka, Langhorne Slim, Alela Diane, Joe Pug, Works Progress Administration, Ellis Paul, Sara Hickman, The Low Anthem, Women in Docs, The Folk Brothers, Erik Mongrain, Frog Holler, Caravan of Thieves, Enter The Haggis, and Marissa Nadler. Local musicians that have been garnering tremendous praise will also be featured throughout the weekend including Adrien Reju, Boris Garcia, Chris Kasper, Zach Djanikian, Wissahickon Chicken Shack, and Slo-Mo featuring Mic Wrecka. As if this […]
STYLE COUNCIL: TopStitch Is Top Notch
BY LAURA YACOE TopStitch is making all the right moves. From their old second story spot on Market Street, they’ve officially made the big move to the ground floor of 54 North Third Street. I loved the hidden-away-vintage-haven appeal of their former location, but this one is unbelievable. Same awesome vintage and jewelry selection and interior designing by Bahdeebahdu, but now they’ve devoted the entire second floor of their new home to the sewing studio. The upstairs sewing studio classes are taught by Emily Geddes, who also produces the clothing line emmaluv. Emmaluv is a collection of handmade reconstructive vintage […]
CRAIGSLIST KILLER: The Baby Face Of Evil
BOSTON GLOBE: Boston police arrested a Boston University medical student yesterday in the slaying of a New York woman at a luxury Back Bay hotel last week and an earlier attack on another woman. Both victims had advertised personal services on Craigslist. After an intensive manhunt along the Eastern Seaboard, Philip Markoff, 22, of Quincy, was stopped by police around 4 p.m. while driving south on Interstate 95 in Walpole, Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis said at a press conference last night at police headquarters. The second-year medical student was charged with fatally shooting 26-year-old Julissa Brisman April 14 at […]
Chorus Of Voices Calling 4 Torture Special Prosecutor
NEW YORK TIMES: Pressure mounted on President Obama on Monday for more thorough investigation into harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects under the Bush administration, even as he tried to reassure the Central Intelligence Agency that it would not be blamed for following legal advice. Mr. Obama said it was time to admit “mistakes” and “move forward.” But there were signs that he might not be able to avoid a protracted inquiry into the use of interrogation techniques that the president’s top aides and many critics say crossed the line into torture. And while Mr. Obama vowed not to prosecute C.I.A. […]
WEEK IN REVIEW: The Good News Flower Hour
The Good News Flower Hour #17 Better late than never. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you might even learn something.