HUFFINGTON POST: Utah voters have reacted enthusiastically to Sen. Orrin Hatch’s legislation to drug test the unemployed and those receiving other forms of government cash assistance, the Utah Republican told the Huffington Post after introducing his measure last week. Hatch said the test would be paid for with money saved by not paying benefits. “Any monies left over would go to help the states with the drug testing and so forth, and if there’s any surplus it goes to pay off the deficit,” he said. The idea of drug testing those on public assistance is not a new one, though […]
CENSUS: Philadelphia Grew By 7,000 Residents Last Year, Sixth The Straight Year Of Population Growth
INQUIRER: While other northern cities saw population declines, Philadelphia’s population inched upward last year, rising by 7,000 to 1,547,297, according to 2009 U.S. Census figures released Tuesday. That was the sixth straight year of gains for the city, helping it remain the nation’s sixth most populous city, the report said. The Top 5, in decreasing order: New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix, which overtook Philadelphia in 2006. Projections from early in the decade showed Philadelphia with yearly population declines, but a turnaround began in 2004. The biggest jumps took place from 2006 to 2008, with yearly increases […]
LIGHTNING BOLT: Vile House
We have been asked by the promoters of Lightning Bolt‘s Philly show not to say anything about Lightning Bolt’s Philly show. So we won’t.
UPDATE: Soon-To-Publish Philly Mag Story Rumored To Dispel Talk Of Rendell Hanky Panky, Not Confirm It
As we reported last week, the new issue of Philadelphia Magazine, which comes out tomorrow, will feature a juicy story about governor Ed Rendell’s alleged extramarital affairs, but it may not be what you think. The latest buzz is that the story will actually quash rumors of infidelity, not foment them. PREVIOUSLY: We have been hearing talk that the July issue of Philadelphia Magazine, which hits newsstands next Friday, will feature a story about the extramarital affairs of Governor Ed Rendell. We called up Philly Mag Editor Larry Platt and asked him to confirm or deny and he said the […]
NOW PLAYING: The Roots Drop How I Got Over
WALL STREET JOURNAL: Hip-hop group the Roots hails from Philadelphia, but since becoming the house band on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” last year, its members have increasingly embraced New York. The Roots’ new album, “How I Got Over,” was recorded in Philadelphia and New York, and is the group’s first release since taking on the late-night TV gig. Members of the Roots are also working on a number of forthcoming projects, including collaborative albums by soul British soul siren Duffy and American singer John Legend. “Between all those records I’ve been living out of a hotel, like the lone […]
AFGHANISLAM: McChrystal In Dutch With The White House For Loose Cannon-isms In Rolling Stone Profile
[Illustration by ALEX FINE] FOX NEWS: The top U.S. war commander in Afghanistan apologized Tuesday for an interview in which he said he felt betrayed by the man the White House chose to be his diplomatic partner, Ambassador Karl Eikenberry. The article in this week’s issue of Rolling Stone depicts Gen. Stanley McChrystal as a lone wolf on the outs with many important figures in the Obama administration and unable to convince even some of his own soldiers that his strategy can win the war. In Kabul on Tuesday, McChrystal issued a statement saying: “I extend my sincerest apology for […]
TONITE: The New Pornography
New Pornographers play the Troc tonight.
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR When LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy attended live concerts, he says he always felt like there was something missing. “I’d start to see bands prioritize things wrong in my mind,” he tells Fresh Air‘s Terry Gross. “[They weren’t] prioritizing the momentness of a show or the physical experience of a show. Instead, they [were] prioritizing making sure they didn’t make mistakes or prioritiz[ing] trying to faithfully represent a prerecorded piece of material.” When Murphy hit his early 30s, he says he decided that he would stop complaining and instead make his argument for better live music by composing […]
DVD REVIEW: I Need That Record!
BY DAVID M. SNYDER Subtitling his documentary The Death (or Possible Survival) of the Independent Record Store, I Need That Record! director Brendan Toller imagines he’s telling some great conspiracy tale in his pursuit of an explanation for why more than 3,000 independent record stores have closed in the last decade. But in reality he presents a partial picture, picking and choosing the facts that will heighten his thesis. The movie itself is composed of an intertwining of interviews with a select number of independent record store proprietors from a couple of regions of the country, with a focus on […]
KITCHEN BITCH: Doing It Greek
[image via MANIFEST VEGAN] BY MAVIS LINNEMANN I was first exposed to Greek food many years ago when my best friend, Laura, and her parents, the Brokamps, took me to the Panegyri Greek Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Greeks have always known how to throw a party, and the festival is a barrage of fun activities: music, dancing, amusement rides, raffles, games, and, of course, food. The succulent smell of lamb wafts through the air at Greek festivals, but it’s the sweet and sticky Greek pastries that really win me over. There’s usually a host of Greek moms and grandmas […]
SIDEWALKING: The Chapel Of Love
Lisa & Steve Volk, Meadowbrook Inn, Tannersville, PA, Saturday 5:34 PM by JEFF FUSCO
SCRAPPLE TV NEWS: Puppy Of The Month
New feature on Scrapple TV News: once a month we will bring our pal Jamie from the SPCA on to talk about some swell new doggie with a hard-luck story and in need of a home. We start off with Mila, who came into the shelter as a stray on April 4, 2010. She was a sad sight, covered in tar and mud, and was immediately a staff favorite because of her amazing spirit and willingness to give us love, even though she clearly hadn’t had anyone to care for her for quite some time. This 2-3 year old pit […]
REST IN PEACE: Manute Bol — 76er, Philanthropist, Coiner Of The Phrase ‘My Bad’ — Dead At 47
[photo by JEFF FUSCO] NEW YORK TIMES: Manute Bol, a towering Dinka tribesman who left southern Sudan to become one of the best shot blockers in the history of American basketball, then returned to his homeland to try to heal the wounds of a long, bloody civil war, died Saturday at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, according to Sally Jones, a spokeswoman for the hospital. He was 47 and lived in Olathe, Kan. The cause was severe kidney trouble and complications of a rare skin disorder known as Stevens-Johnson syndrome, said Tom Prichard, who runs Sudan Sunrise, […]