WALL STREET JOURNAL: At a press conference last week, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder indicated that President Obama would keep a campaign promise by ending federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries. This means that the weed will remain illegal to transport and sell — and thus highly profitable for criminals — but there will be fewer repercussions for those who use it in states with liberal marijuana laws. The administration says it wants to end federal infringement on the rights of states. But the consequence of the policy change will be stealth legalization — which will create the worst of […]
DJ KOOL: Let Me Clear My Throat
Wookified just dropped this weirdly touching psychodrama starring Obama, Steven Seagal and John McCain that’s sure to raise a lot of questions. We kindly ask that you direct them at him. Thanks in advance.
BREAKING: Inquirer Swallows Daily News
Early reports are confused and conflicting, but from what we can gather Philadelphia Newspapers CEO Brian Tierney is meeting with Daily News peeps as we type this, to discuss folding the Daily News into the Inquirer…DEVELOPING UPDATE: Just got off the phone with a DN newsroom source and here’s the deal: Starting March 30th, The Daily News will become ‘an edition of’ the Inquirer. This is largely a technicality, meaning no job cuts, both papers function pretty much as is, separate news staffs and managers, both competing for stories, etc. By making DN an ‘edition of’ The Inquirer, Philadelphia Newspapers […]
TONITE: Rare Bird Watching
*** REAL ESTATE: South St. Not Just For Drunken Fat Tuesday Titty Shows Anymore [Photo by NDBUTTER] ASSOCIATED PRESS: A touristy shopping strip is battling the economic crunch by turning over vacant storefronts to artists, hoping the creative community will again breathe new life into a neighborhood it brought back from the brink in the 1970s. The plan is to establish a “creative incubator” on the South Street corridor by giving artists nearly free rehearsal or work space (they pay utilities but no rent) in a high-traffic area they couldn’t otherwise afford — giving their endeavors a wider audience while […]
NEWS CLUES: Like A Torture Tape Of The Truth
BURN AFTER READING: CIA Destroyed 92 Torture Interrogation Tapes The CIA destroyed nearly 100 videotapes of interrogations and other U.S. treatment of terror suspects, far more than previously acknowledged, the Obama administration said Monday as it began disclosing details of post-Sept. 11 Bush-era actions. The interrogations were a highly contentious issue during the administration of President George W. Bush, with many Democrats and other critics saying that some methods used amounted to torture _ a contention Bush and other officials rejected. A criminal prosecutor is wrapping up his investigation in the matter. Monday’s acknowledgment, however, involved a civil lawsuit filed […]
HOT DOC: Intelligent Design Is Stupid
[via YAWOOT] THE U.K. REGISTER: The [British] government has announced that it will publish guidance for schools on how creationism and intelligent design relate to science teaching, and has reiterated that it sees no place for either on the science curriculum. It has also defined “Intelligent Design”, the idea that life is too complex to have arisen without the guiding hand of a greater intelligence, as a religion, along with “creationism”. Responding to a petition on the Number 10 ePetitions site, the government said: “The Government is aware that a number of concerns have been raised in the media and […]
HEAR YE: U2 No Line On The Horizon
Select tracks now playing on PHAWKER RADIO! NEW YORK TIMES: “People don’t know what’s going to happen next,” Bono said. “Our fans are not sure. Could we embarrass them? Maybe. Could we inspire them? Maybe. They don’t know. That’s very important, because when you become a comfortable, reliable friend, I’m not sure that’s the place for rock ’n’ roll.” Bono added: “It’s very hard to be relevant, so there’s a lot of stake for us on this album. I know the quality of the work is there, but will it be taken? I really don’t know. I’m genuinely curious. I […]
FORECAST: Fantastic Blog-Reading Weather!
[First Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914. SOURCE: The Mitchell Library] ACCUWEATHER: During the day Monday, the heaviest snow will spread throughout New England. At the same time, storm will wind down over the mid-Atlantic. Disruptive snowfall will reach 3-6 inches along a narrow band through the Carolinas to Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania. Travel will be difficult Sunday night into the Monday morning rush. Northeastward from New Jersey, including greater Philadelphia and New York City, snowfall will reach at least 6 inches in a swath that will broaden over most of New England. MORE KYW: What’s Closed, Canceled Or Delayed […]
NEWS CLUES: Like The Medical Marijuana Of Truth
TIMES A-CHANGIN’: Obama Halts Fed Medical Marijuana Raids Supporters of programs to provide legal marijuana to patients with painful medical conditions are celebrating Attorney General Eric Holder’s statement this week that the Drug Enforcement Administration would end its raids on state-approved marijuana dispensaries. Federal raids on medical marijuana distributors continued at least into the second week of Barack Obama’s presidency, when federal agents shut down at least two dispensaries in California on Feb. 3. Holder was asked about those raids Wednesday in Santa Ana, Calif., at a news conference that was called to announce the arrests of 755 people in […]
Everytime U Download Illegal Music A President Dies
MSNBC: A company that monitors peer-to-peer file-sharing networks has discovered a potentially serious security breach involving President Barack Obama’s helicopter, NBC affiliate WPXI in Pittsburgh reported Saturday. Employees of Tiversa, a Cranberry Township, Pa.-based security company that specializes in peer-to-peer technology, reportedly found engineering and communications information about Marine One at an IP address in Tehran, Iran. Bob Boback, CEO of Tiversa, told WPXI-TV: “We found a file containing entire blueprints and avionics package for Marine One, which is the president’s helicopter.” The company was able to trace the file back to its original source. “What appears to be a […]
Q&A: Author & Ex-Inquirer Maverick Ralph Cipriano
BY ADAM BONANNI Jim Beasley looks damn proud on the cover of his book, standing with John Wayne-like swagger atop his desk in his richly-appointed, oak-lined office suite. He has reason to be. Beasley and former Inquirer reporter Ralph Cipriano [pictured, below left] have gathered their favorite cases of Beasley’s long, impressive career as a crusading plaintiff’s attorney between the covers of Courtroom Cowboy. Beasley comes across as a hard-nosed, steadfast litigator who exudes charisma and never did believe in the phrase “backing down.” If you don’t back down in court from Don King, Ira Einhorn, Osama Bin Laden, or […]
Top Five Things You Should Know About Thievery Corporation At The Electric Factory Last Night
1. As much as Thievery Corporation come across as a DJ duo on CD, they don’t really live it out live. In addition to incorporating organic instruments and lead singers that take the stage as performers, they tend to just play songs straight. They didn’t leave any room for improvisation or even a short showcase resembling a DJ set. Kind of earns them the label “studio DJs.” 2. When a live band gets mixed with DJs and they’re playing groove-centric songs to the T, things are rarely unexpected, or exciting. Save a couple percussion solos, someone with sitar skills, hearing […]
RETURNING FIRE: An Open Letter To Joey Sweeney
BETTER DAYS: The editor with an old, dear friend, circa 2006. [EDITOR’S NOTE: The following open letter is in response to this.] Jojo, I find it ironic in the extreme that despite all your frantic efforts to paint me as a stick-in-the-mud rockist and yourself as the ever-evolving purveyor of What Comes Next, I see Phawker as a DJ — mixing, mashing and adjusting the visual BPM of all the media drifting in the ether, constantly re-writing the recombinant DNA of the news — and you see Philebrity as a band, where all the songs start with “I” and end […]