HOT FOR TEACHER: Mrs. Robinson Busted For Texting

WOODBRIDGE, N.J. (AP) – March 6, 2007 – A high school teacher was arrested Tuesday on charges that she sent several sexually explicit text messages to a 17-year-old student who attends the school where she teaches and a 16-year-old student whom she previously taught. Karen Binder, 42, of Manalapan, faces two counts of second-degree official misconduct. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in state prison on each count. The 17-year-old boy’s parents notified officials at Colonia High School in Woodbridge last month about the sexually explicit text messages on their son’s mobile phone, police told The Star-Ledger […]

NOW PLAYING ON PHAWKER RADIO

BY JONATHAN VALANIA God, it was almost 17 years ago that I first met her. It was at an art opening at Tyler — the exact who and the why of the occasion are both long lost but I distinctly remember hearing her laugh before I even saw her: It sounded like something that had long ago gone out of style. She laughed like a woman from an earlier time, dare I say it, her laugh sounded positively antebellum. Frankly Scarlett, I was giving a damn. And then the crowd parted and there she was: radiant, coquettish, from Texas. I […]

POP IN TAPE: Hot Wax In The 215

I OWN GROUND HOG DAY BY MICHAEL FICHMAN I have a sort of musical synesthesia — all the great albums I have enjoyed in the past are locked into my memory as the soundtrack to a particular time and place in my life. These associations transcend rhetorical constructions: Midnight Marauders is endless hours in the back of the family car on an epic roadtrip. Devin the Dude’s Just Tryin’ ta Live is the summer I drove a construction truck up and down the hills of Pittsburgh. Neil Armstrong’s epic Originals mixtapes are 2003’s kabob and box wine barbeques. And goddamn […]

HIZZONER ’07: Evans Gets Black Clergy Endorsement

BY MICHAEL MATZA INQUIRER STAFF WRITER With an amen chorus of supportive preachers responsively shouting, “He is the man!” Philadelphia mayoral candidate Dwight Evans last night received the endorsement of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, an influential group representing 300,000 parishioners in the politically active world of Philadelphia’s black churches. In a crowded field of candidates, including three African Americans, the group’s nod can provide a boost, particularly if the race is close. “We need a man with vision… and a passion to improve the whole city, not just the downtown, but the whole town. We need a […]

GUNCRAZY: Son In Kabul Safer Than Mom In Mantua?

Philadelphia was very much on Gregory’s mind before his mother’s death, even as bombs exploded and people died at the hands of the Taliban. He took a few moments to do what military people do when they’re far from loved ones. He got on the Internet and ordered his mother bubble bath and lotion for her birthday. He included a note: Mummy, happy birthday to the best mother and grandmother in the world. Hope you will live to see many, many healthy and happy birthdays. Gregory paid extra to get the gift delivered to his mother’s home in West Philadelphia […]

THE RONETTES: Be My Baby

Phil Spector has criticises The Ronettes’ induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame which will take place on March 12. Ronettes singer and ex-wife of the producer, Ronnie Spector, has said that Phil has attempted to play down the band’s contribution to music. Ronnie Spector said the producer sent a letter, obtained by her lawyers two years ago, addressed to the Rock Hall‘s nominating committee, dated July 11, 1994 detailing why The Ronettes are unworthy of induction. It says: “My first objection to The Ronettes is that they did not record! Of all the recordings they made, only the […]

REVIEW: Das Leben Der Anderen (The Lives Of Others)

(2006, Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 137 minutes, Germany) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC When the subject arises of the U.S. Patriot Act, which allows government increased powers of surveillance, there’s always someone who argues, “Why should anyone care, unless they’re hiding something?” For those without the imagination to conceive of how a Surveillance Society invites abuse, German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck has crafted a very patient and engrossing thriller that slowly turns the screws of tension on a character under complete scrutiny. It’s successful enough to make anyone’s inner paranoiac wiggle in his seat. The title crawl […]

GAMBLOR: Anti-Petition Craps Out In Kangaroo Court

But the quick, conclusive ruling by a Court of Common Pleas judge was a victory for the two casinos that have been awarded licenses for giant slots parlors along the Delaware River. The judge upheld a claim that the petition organizers, who submitted paperwork with 27,000 signatures, actually had collected fewer than 7,000 valid signatures of registered voters. “We’re pleased that the judge saw that the claim that there were 27,000 signatures was false,” said Richard Sprague, the Philadelphia lawyer and SugarHouse casino investor who handled the case. “It really was a bad play by those so desperate to knock […]

HIZZONER ’07: Who Bum Rushed The Show?

It seems that page after page of Milton Street’s petitions are in what looks like exactly the same handwriting. Could this mean that the mayoral brother’s circle of acquaintances includes people who share a unique penmanship style? Or could it be that they were…like…phony? Apparently the officials in the elections office have spent much of the past half-hour guffawing over the documents. More importantly as far as the election goes, judges have a tendency to frown upon such sorts of petitions–such as those submitted in 2004 by presidential candidate Ralph Nader, who was soon bounced from the ballot. MAYORPALOOZA: You […]

An Amendment To Be

The Amendment Song is a Memphis Soul style parody of the popular Schoolhouse Rock! song “I’m Just a Bill,” even going so far as using the original singer, Jack Sheldon. It is briefly shown as a replacement for Itchy & Scratchy on The Krusty the Clown Show in the episode “The Day the Violence Died.” MORE