NEW YORK TIMES: It was hailed as Internet for the masses when Philadelphia officials announced plans in 2005 to erect the largest municipal Wi-Fi grid in the country, stretching wireless access over 135 square miles with the hope of bringing free or low-cost service to all residents, especially the poor. Municipal officials in Chicago, Houston, San Francisco and 10 other major cities, as well as dozens of smaller towns, quickly said they would match Philadelphia’s plans. But the excited momentum has sputtered to a standstill, tripped up by unrealistic ambitions and technological glitches. The conclusion that such ventures would not […]
DAN GROSS: Wake Up White People!
This ran on PhillyGossip yesterday: We thought we heard this, but we wanted to go back and listen to the clip of Sen. Barack Obama on 610 WIP this morning to be sure. 610 WIP host Angelo Cataldi asked Obama about his Tuesday morning speech on race at the National Constitution Center in which he referenced his own white grandmother and her prejudice. Obama told Cataldi that “The point I was making was not that my grandmother harbors any racial animosity, but that she is a typical white person. If she sees somebody on the street that she doesn’t know […]
FREE TIBET: An Open Letter To Hu Jintao
[Illustration by ALEX FINE] Here’s the deal: We have it on good authority that just one or two more signatures (one million so far!) on this petition will totally push this thing over, China will free Tibet and everyone will live happily ever after! But, no pressure. It’s up to you. After decades of repression, Tibetans are crying out to the world for change. China’s leaders are right now making a crucial choice between escalating brutality or dialogue that could determine the future of Tibet, and China. We can affect this historic choice — China does care about its international […]
RAT FUCKING: State Department Fires Two For Unauthorized Snooping On Obama’s Passport File
MSNBC: Two contract employees of the State Department were fired and a third person was disciplined for inappropriately looking at Democratic Sen. Barack Obama’s passport file. Spokesman Sean McCormack Thursday night confirmed instances of what he called “imprudent curiosity” by the State Department employees. McCormack said the department itself detected the breaches, which occurred which occurred separately on Jan. 9, Feb. 21 and March 14. The three people who had access to Obama’s passport records were contract employees of the department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, NBC News reported. A senior official told NBC News there was “no political motivation” to […]
I, POLLSTER: Phawker’s Hilariously Un-Scientific Pennsyltucky Primary Keystoned Cell Phone Poll
BY JONATHAN VALANIA A long time ago, in a Clinton campaign far, far away, James Carville famously declared that Pennsylvania is Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and Alabama in between. Aw, yeah: Pennsyltucky. We know thee well. It’s sort of like watching the Dukes Of Hazzard after smoking too much kielbasa. Like sweat socks with a Sunday suit. Like the Deer Hunter costumed by Wal-Mart. It’s the long dark Chicken Dance of the national soul. Lord help us all. Anyway, with the national press are already converging on the Keystone state to get some local color on their laptops, we feel an […]
RASMUSSEN POLL: No Country For Old Men?
RASMUSSEN: The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows John McCain’s lead growing against both potential Democratic opponents. McCain currently leads Barack Obama 49% to 42% and Hillary Clinton 51% to 41% margin (see recent daily results). African-American support for Clinton has collapsed, falling to 55% in the general election match-up. Obama, on the other hand, earns solid support from African-American voters but attracts only 36% of white voters in a match-up with McCain. Over the past month, McCain has gained ground in Ohio, Michigan, Colorado, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. Both Democrats continue to lead in New York, […]
NEW YORK TIMES: With Florida And Michigan Off The Table, Clinton Nomination Becomes ‘A Longshot’ At Best
NEW YORK TIMES: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton needs three breaks to wrest the Democratic presidential nomination from Senator Barack Obama in the view of her advisers. She has to defeat Mr. Obama soundly in Pennsylvania next month to buttress her argument that she holds an advantage in big general election states. She needs to lead in the total popular vote after the primaries end in June. And Mrs. Clinton is looking for some development to shake confidence in Mr. Obama so that superdelegates, Democratic Party leaders and elected officials who are free to decide which candidate to support overturn his […]
FREE TIBET: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
At least not in China. This footage is AMAZING. Never in my lifetime have I had cause to use the words “cathartic” and “orgy of destruction” in the same sentence. Until now. BUSINESS WEEK: Since riots broke out in Tibet last week, authorities have imposed martial law and tried to control the flow of information into and out of the region. The government has banned journalists and tourists from entering Tibet. And officials have imposed strict controls over the Internet in an effort to spin what happened in Tibet and neighboring provinces to conform with Beijing’s version of events.That’s resulted […]
VADER: Cheney Celebrates Five Long Years Of Making Beautiful War Fishing Off Sultan Of Oman’s Yacht
ASSOCIATED PRESS: The vice president’s visit to Oman, part of a 10-day trip to the Mideast, fueled speculation that the United States was ratcheting up military pressure on Iran over its nuclear program. As a quiet U.S. military ally, Oman allows the United States to use four air bases — including one just 50 miles from Iran — for refueling, logistics and storage of pre-positioned military supplies. Cheney denied that he’d stepped up his opposition to Iran’s nuclear policy. “I’ve been pretty consistent over time about Iran,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ratcheted up the rhetoric. I felt strongly […]
ZOGBY POLL: The Clintons Have Successfully Damaged The Obama Candidacy & Given John McCain The Lead
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrat Barack Obama‘s big national lead over Hillary Clinton has all but evaporated in the U.S. presidential race, and both Democrats trail Republican John McCain, according a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday. The poll showed Obama had only a statistically insignificant lead of 47 percent to 44 percent over Clinton, down sharply from a 14 point edge he held over her in February when he was riding the tide of 10 straight victories.Illinois Sen. Obama, who would be America’s first black president, has been buffeted by attacks in recent weeks from New York Sen. Clinton over his […]
iRAQ: Pissing In The Wind
This is really funny as far as wartime potty humor goes. And, of course, as wartime potty humor goes, so goes the nation. Or something like that.
ANNIVERSARY: The Cakewalk Turns Five
GENEVA (AFP) — Five years after the US-led invasion, Iraq faces a major humanitarian crisis, with law and order and economic recovery a distant prospect, international aid and human rights groups said Monday. The International Committee of the Red Cross highlighted the plight of millions of Iraqis who still have little or no access to clean water, sanitation or health care. “The humanitarian situation in most of the country is among the most critical in the world,” the Swiss-based agency said in a report. A recent World Health Organisation and Iraqi health ministry report estimated that 151,000 people were killed […]
HOT DOC: Nero Fiddles While Rome Burns
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement on the state of the economy. “The news coming from Wall Street today has confirmed our fears that the financial fallout from the mortgage crisis would spillover into the wider economy. Months ago, I went to Wall Street and said that our capital markets could not function without the confidence and trust of the public. I said that Wall Street could not succeed while the rest of America struggled. Now, as the Federal Reserve does its best to bring stability to the market, we must focus on what we […]