DAILY NEWS: Home-invasion robberies, besides leading to lost possessions or physical injury, also take a psychological toll on victims and neighborhoods, experts say. And the residential robberies happen more often than you might think. There have been more than 700 in the city every year since 2005, and less than half have resulted in arrests. “When your main base of safety is taken away from you, it feels like no place is safe,” said psychologist Robin Lowey, who has worked with crime victims for 20 years. “It’s a normal reaction to abnormal circumstances.” […] According to police, intruders usually know […]
LIT: Don’t Hate James Franco Because He’s Beautiful
SALON: Envy, then, is a prime consideration in confronting Franco the Writer. It’s not enough that he should be Salon’s Sexiest Man Living of 2009. Or an artist with a solo exhibition in Tribeca. Or an extremely well-compensated and (when occasion demands) competent movie actor. Nooo, James Franco is now making a play for the New York Times Book Review and the monthly Book Sense list and the Barnes & Noble 100 and all those places where homely, unsocialized men and women once held sway. Snark is the default response but not, I am sad to say, the honest one. […]
CONCERT REVIEW: Dead Kennedys At The TLA
BY ARTHUR SHKOLNIK After a stop at South Street’s Lorenzo’s Pizza for one of their renowned mammoth slices, I walked into the TLA and almost immediately my ears perked up to the sound of 80’s hardcore bands including Bad Brains and Minor Threat blaring on the house speakers. It might have been a good idea to hit a bar beforehand, because a seven dollar cup of beer from the TLA couldn’t possibly taste anything but bitter. I put my money to better use, instead buying a Dirty Tactics CD. Philly punk trio Dirty Tactics had just recently come back from […]
WANTED MEN: In Connection With The Beatdown And Attempted Robbery Of A Sugarhouse Winner
INQUIRER: Cinnaminson police are looking for the public’s help in identifying two men suspected of trying to rob a man who won about $2,000 at Philadelphia’s SugarHouse Casino on Saturday. After a taxi dropped off the 26-year-old victim about a block from his Burlington County home at 6:30 a.m., he was struck in the head and fell to the ground, according to a police statement. The streets were dark at the time, and gusty winds apparently kept the victim from hearing his attackers sneak up behind him, according to Det. Sgt. William K. Covert. At first, the victim thought he’d […]
KHYBER PAST: Two Of David Coleman Headley’s Three Wives Tried To Warn Officials Of Mumbai Attack
PRO PUBLICA: In three interviews with federal agents, Headley’s wife said that he was an active militant in the terrorist group Lashkar-i-Taiba, had trained extensively in its Pakistani camps, and had shopped for night vision goggles and other equipment, according to officials and sources close to the case. The wife, whom ProPublica is not identifying to protect her safety, also told agents that Headley had bragged of working as a paid U.S. informant while he trained with the terrorists in Pakistan, according to a person close to the case. Federal officials say the FBI “looked into” the tip, but they […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR Comedian Mike Birbiglia was on tour in Washington state when he had a dream that a guided missile was heading toward his hotel room. In his dream — and in real life — Birbiglia decided to jump out the window of his hotel room. He was staying on the second floor. Birbiglia survived, receiving 33 stitches for gashes in his legs. When he returned home to New York, he was sent to a sleep physician for overnight observation. “They put the electrodes all over my body and observed my sleep and I was diagnosed with REM behavior disorder, […]
REISSUE: T. Rex’s The Slider
Oxford, MS label Fat Possum has announced a series of reissues of classic T. Rex albums, beginning with The Slider, which will be available on CD and digital formats on Oct. 26 and newly remastered vinyl on Nov. 23. The Slider, along with most T. Rex titles, has been out of print on all formats in the US since 2003. The Slider is the definitive soundtrack to Bolanmania that swept most corners of the globe during 1972. It was boom-time for manufacturers of lipstick-sized phials of glitter. The music press had a field day, too, seizing the opportunity to debate […]
OP-ED: The NRA Took My First Amendment Away
BY REP. TIM BRIGGS Harrisburg is not for the weak of heart. During my first term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, I have seen things that have made me think twice about running for re-election. If you are a wide-eyed idealist like me who believes in unicorns and reforming the Pennsylvania legislature, you need to be able to turn frustration and disbelief into passion for action. For the better part of the last two years I have been able to take many things in stride: bitter partisanship, entrenched colleagues, a legislative process that moves slower than a catcher […]
FATHER & SON SPACE PROGRAM: iPhone + Balloon = High Earth Orbit Awesomeness
Homemade Spacecraft from Luke Geissbuhler on Vimeo. NEW YORK MAGAZINE: In a burst of science-is-fun educational invention, a Brooklyn dad built a carrier for an iPhone (the current model) and an HD video camera, out of a takeout box, tied it to a weather balloon, and let it go with the camera running. It reached a height of nineteen miles, or about 100,000 feet, which is high enough to show the earth’s curvature and a black sky above the atmosphere. MORE
FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: Legalize It
CNN: Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders told CNN Sunday she supports legalizing marijuana. The trend-setting state of California is voting next month on a ballot initiative to legalize pot, also known as Proposition 19. The measure would legalize recreational use in the state, though federal officials have said they would continue to enforce drug laws in California if the initiative is approved. “What I think is horrible about all of this, is that we criminalize young people. And we use so many of our excellent resources … for things that aren’t really causing any problems,” said Elders. “It’s not […]
SPORTO: From The Great Pumpkin Patch
BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY Despite two kids, I’ve been able to maintain a pretty aggressive sports watching schedule. But some things are just unavoidable. That’s why I found myself at a 3-year-old’s birthday party as the Eagles game kicked off Sunday. It was a solid gig – pizza, pretzels, pumpkin painting and hayrides. The farm we were at was packed. I was blown away by all the Eagles jerseys I saw (two Nick Cole’s?). If you are such a big fan that you have bought a jersey AND you are wearing it out on gameday, then what the hell […]
THIS JUST IN: Candy Store Robbed
Authorities have released this photo of the suspects. They are considered unarmed and harmless. [via TWITTER] RELATED: My heart belongs to Pee-wee Herman. For years, people would look aslant at me, when I would make that statement. Didn’t I know about “The Incident?” Of course I did. I didn’t care. I loved Paul Reubens, the man behind the bowtie, and I knew he would find redemption. It may have been 20 years in the making, but he has worked his way back into the public’s heart. First with roles in “Blow” and “30 Rock,” and finally by embracing the role […]
SIDEWALKING: Logan’s Run
One Logan Circle, 17th Floor, 1:05:59 PM by JEFF FUSCO