ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING: Spike Lee, Temple University, Last Night BY TIFFANY YOON At 7pm last night, Spike Lee (Shelton Jackson Lee) spoke to students in Mitten Hall at Temple University. A coy Lee — wearing a black turtleneck, denim jeans, tweed beret and his signature glasses, as ever, reminiscent of Malcolm X — spoke to an over-packed hall of students. The heavy turnout wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for the Emmy-award winning filmmaker except that this event took place amidst a stressful last week of classes for Temple students and most sacrificed valuable studying time, sleep and […]
THE EARLY WORD: These Are People Who Died
THE WAR ON DRUGS: Needle In Your Eye
TURNING JAPANESE: In The Land Of The Rising Sun
BY ELIZABETH FIEND LIVING EDITOR To celebrate my 50th birthday I’m taking a trip to Japan. I’m also taking my brand new Nikon D40 digital SLR camera and telephoto lens. Expect great photos when I return as well as the occasional blog post directly from Japan. Check back here at least once a week and leave comments or messages for me in Comments at the end of the post. We fly out of Philly on December 12 and return just in time for New Years and the Mummer’s parade. How do working class people such as The Fiends afford an […]
NEWS CLUES: Like A Private Bodyguard Of The Truth
Blackwater Guards Surrender On Manslaughter Charges Five private security guards working for the American firm Blackwater fired machine guns and grenade launchers against unarmed Iraqi civilians, some who had their hands up, US prosecution lawyers said today. The five face 14 counts of manslaughter and 20 counts of attempted manslaughter, lawyers announced, following last year’s shooting which killed 17 Iraqis. They are also charged with using a machine gun to commit a crime of violence, a charge that carries a 30-year minimum sentence. The five guards surrendered today and were due to ask a federal judge for bail. A sixth […]
EXPLAINER: Eagles vs. The Libraries
[Dir. by SCOTT COLAN]
HOT DOC: Yes, We Have No Bananas
Partners, We just announced that Tribune is restructuring its debt under Chapter 11 protection. I’m sure you saw the speculative coverage last night and this morning. I would have preferred everyone get the news from me first, but since our debt is publicly traded, we had to keep this decision confidential until we had a formal board decision. The Cubs franchise is not part of the filing. Most importantly, I want to stress that we will continue to operate our business as usual. That includes meeting payroll and covering benefits (such as healthcare, disability and others), and paying vendors for […]
PRINT DEATH WATCH: Chicago Tribune On the Verge
NEW YORK TIMES: Tribune has hired bankruptcy advisers as the ailing newspaper company faces a potential bankruptcy filing, people briefed on the matter said. The newspaper, which was taken private last year by billionaire investor Samuel Zell, has hired advisers including Lazard and Sidley Austin, one of its longtime law firms, these people said. Tribune has been hobbled by debt related to that sale last year, which has been compounded by the growing drought of advertising for newspapers. While Tribune must contend with hefty interest payments over the next year, its most pressing problem is a maintenance covenant on some […]
TROUBLED BRIDGE OVER WATER: South Street Bridge Closed For Two Years Of Fabled Reconstruction
INQUIRER: Harried commuters are braced for protracted delays as the long-awaited reconstruction of the South Street Bridge begins tomorrow, closing the historic span over the Schuylkill and necessitating detours expected to last two years. The 23,000 motorists and countless pedestrians and bicyclists who rely on the bridge daily to go between University City and Southwest Center City will have to use alternate routes because the 85-year-old bridge is “structurally deficient,” inspectors say, and must be demolished and rebuilt. “Significant traffic congestion and travel delays are expected,” Streets Commissioner Clarena Tolson said of the $67 million project. “We ask Philadelphians for […]
WEEKEND UPDATE: The Good News Flower Hour
The Good News Flower Hour #3 Folks, here’s the third installment of The Good News Flower Hour, wherein I provide the voice for a flower that reads the news. The debut is HERE and the last one is HERE. We are still tweaking the concept and streamlining the production schedule on these — it takes a LONG-ass time to make these little three-minute suckers — but we hope to make this a weekly feature in the very near future. Enjoy.
LIE BERRY: What A Difference 3 Years Makes
FAMOUS LAST WORDS: Protester at Save The Libraries rally, City Hall, today [Photo by RAY SKWIRE] BRENDAN CALLING: Philadelphia is facing a budget shortage of $1 billion dollars over the next five years. In response, the Mayor is cutting services, including closing 63 of 72 community pools, 11 branches of the Free Library (most of which are in low-income neighborhoods), and even the city’s nature centers. Meanwhile, despite ample opportunity to take to the bully pulpit, the Mayor has not said a word about the Philadelphia Eagles, who are shamefully welching on a $10 million dollar debt to the city. […]
THE NEW NEW DEAL: Obama Announces Massive Public Works Project To Offset Titanic Econ Downturn
NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama committed Saturday to the largest public works construction program since the creation of the interstate highway system a half-century ago as he seeks to put together a plan to resuscitate the reeling economy.With unemployment on the rise and no end to the recession in sight, Mr. Obama began highlighting elements of the economic recovery program he is trying to fashion with Congressional leaders in hopes of being able to enact it shortly after being sworn in on Jan. 20. Mr. Obama’s remarks sought to expand the definition of traditional work programs for […]
All Of This Happened While You Were Sleeping
FOUR DUDES & A GRITTY URBAN BACKDROP: local free jazzers Shot x Shot [Photo by MARTIN BROWN] BY DAVE ALLEN First thoughts upon entering the charmingly fusty Powel House Museum in Society Hill: “They play jazz here?” I would soon find out that the museum is one of jazz and avant-garde presenter Bowerbird’s regular sites in the “Bowerbird @ Landmarks” series. In addition to old paintings and ornate woodwork, the upstairs room where Philly free-jazz collective Shot x Shot played also held a harp of, presumably, Revolutionary War-era vintage. If one of the guys in the band gets a hold […]
O.J. Simpson Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison
ASSOCIATED PRESS: A broken O.J. Simpson has been sentenced to at least 15 years in prison for a Las Vegas hotel armed robbery by a judge who rejected his apology and said, “It was much more than stupidity.” Simpson stood stone-faced Friday when Judge Jackie Glass quickly rattled off his punishment after he pleaded with her that he didn’t mean to steal from anybody when he tried to retrieve memorabilia. He appeared ready to break down in tears as he told that he was “sorry and confused” before going into a rambling and emotional 5-minute declaration. “I didn’t want to […]