Sen. Barack Obama, on his way to address a union audience in Philadelphia this morning. [photo by MASTERCHEF28] BY NICK POWELL CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT Obama addressed the AFL-CIO at a Center City Sheraton this morning, and judging by the roaring cheers and Holy Ghost shrieks, one would have thought that Barack Obama had already saved our sagging economy, brought the boys home from Iraq and ended racism as we know it. Speaking to a major pow-wow of union workers, the effervescent U.S. Senator fired up his base, dissed his own bowling skills, discussed the Rocky comparisons, and drew a line in […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR In 2005, The New York Times revealed that the National Security Agency had initiated wiretaps and other forms of surveillance without court orders. It was a story the Bush administration hoped to keep under wraps, says Eric Lichtblau, one of the two reporters who pushed for the publication of the story. Lichtblau’s new book, Bush’s Law: The Remaking of American Justice, details how the administration used the “war on terror” to push for controversial surveillance programs. Lichtblau is a Washington correspondent for The New York Times. In 2006, he won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of domestic […]
Stranger Than Pulp Fiction, Funnier Than Borat
INQUIRER: A 20-year-old Philadelphia man was attacked and forced to put on handcuffs in a room at the upscale Chestnut Hill Hotel, then got free and fought with his assailant down an elevator and into the lobby of the historic inn last night, police said. Akiva Israel, 24, of Middletown, N.J., was arrested after the bizarre incident and is expected to be charged with aggravated assault, false imprisonment and related offenses, police said this morning. The two men have known each other for several months, police said, and met at or went together to the hotel, which is popular with […]
THE EARLY WORD: Keep Dreaming
Worship service to commemorate the 40 year anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s death (and in resolution to continue the struggle for civil rights and economic justice). Security guards throughout the city face the problem of low wages and insufficient benefits. AlliedBarton is the largest security company in our city and employs 87% of the guards in Philadelphia. 97% of the private security guards in Philadelphia are African American. Like the black workers in Memphis in 1968, security guards face systemic oppression. Like the black workers in Memphis in 1968, we want to unite and stand up for our families.
IRAQI VICE: Freedom From Choice
Ever wonder what life would be like under Sharia Law? No, me neither. But check it out: There wouldn’t be no TV commercials with funny black dudes goin’ Wasssssuuuuuuuuuuup on the phone. No beer pong, no beer goggles, no kegstands, no keggers period. Which is a shame if you ask us, but be that as it may this is really quite fascinating and worth the five minutes of your time. It’s a super-short documentary on how Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mehdi Army cracks down on alcohol sellers in Basra. Under Sharia Law alcohol is forbidden, of course. It opens with an Imam […]
We Know It’s Only Rock N’ Roll But We Like It
WINTER BEARD BLUES: Adam Acuragi, Silk City, Last Night Adam Acuragi could have been more popular than Jesus, if he’d shaved his dog’s ass and taught it to walk backwards, burned all his money in a trash can and jumped out the window, gave all his clothes to poor and all his blood to the Red Cross, and walked from here to California with the oversized cross of confessional folk on his back, wearing nothing but man-sandals and a beard. All told, I am guessing he likes his girlfriend, his house, not being naked and possibly even his day job, […]
THE STYLISTICS: Join The Switch
1982 promo for channel 10 news featuring …wait for it… Larry Kane! From the look of it, the band got paid in Members Only jackets. Seems like a fair trade.
TRAGI-COMIC: Velvet Revolver Splits As STP Reunites
BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I COCK N’ ROLLED: Velvet Revolver, Camden, Aug. 2007 [pictures by JONATHAN VALANIA/CLICK FOR SLIDE SHOW] LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Four founding members of the rock band Velvet Revolver said Tuesday they were splitting with the group’s troubled singer, Scott Weiland, citing his “increasingly erratic” behavior. The announcement came in a terse statement from the group’s management company as Weiland, 40, and his recently reunited original band, Stone Temple Pilots, were set next week to announce plans for a highly anticipated summer tour.The Pilots, also known by their acronym, STP, already have confirmed a handful […]
THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW: 52nd & Larchwood
[photos by JUSTIN ROMAN] EDITOR’S NOTE: The Valley of the Shadow is an ongoing series documenting how those in Philadelphia’s poorest and most violent neighborhoods publicly mourn and commemorate their dead. Jeff Deeney knows these neighborhoods well from his days as a social worker. The object is to cast Philadelphia’s disadvantaged in a new light, brighten the darkest corners and gather-and-share compelling personal stories of loss, grief and remembrance. BY JEFF DEENEY On the corner of 52nd and Larchwood, across from West Philadelphia’s vibrant and thriving Malcolm X Park, on the south facing wall of the Food Plus corner store, […]
HEAR YE: The Pink Floyd Amsterdam 1969
Now playing on Phawker Radio! Why? Because we love you, ya big dummy! Finding their feet: 1968–1970: This period was one of musical experimentation for the band. Gilmour, Waters and Wright each contributed material that had its own voice and sound, giving this material less consistency than the Barrett-dominated early years or the more polished, collaborative sound of later years. As Barrett had been the lead singer during his era, Gilmour, Waters and Wright now split both songwriting and lead vocal duties. Waters mostly wrote low-key, jazzy melodies with dominant bass lines and complex, symbolic lyrics, Gilmour focused on guitar-driven […]
APRIL’S FOOL: Larry Kane Will Make Obama Bigger Than Jesus, The Beatles & Frank Rizzo Combined
Humbly submitted for your approval, dismissal or snickers and chortles of derision, is the following HOT DOCUMENT. It’s an email from Larry King Kane to the Obama Pa. campaign — mistakenly sent out to the press — wherein Larry makes a full-court press for the ultimate Philly ‘get’: A one on one with Senator Barack Obama. It would get ‘super wide play because I am involved,’ he assures the Obama folks. Larry Kane the great and powerful Philly Media Oz? Maybe once upon a time, but these days? At a certain point we all gotta look in the mirror and […]
THE EARLY WORD: White Snake Moan
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. — Mark 16:17-18, King James Bible. WIKIPEDIA: Church Of God With Signs Following MYSPACE: What Is Adam Acuragi? MYSPACE: What Is Dame Satan? MYSPACE: What Is Serpents Of Wisdom?