[by THUNDERLOAF] BRENDAN SKWIRE: One would think that the Democrats, who now control both houses of Congress and the White House, would be taking the bull by the horns and ramming their agenda through despite the objections of the defeated and humiliated Republican Party. […] So you’d think the Democrats would be eager to reverse all that. You’d also think the Democrats would be eager to fulfill some of their own promises, like that universal health care thing we’ve heard so much about, or making it easier for unions to organize. Instead, we get bullshit like Chaka Fattah selling out […]
NOPE: Is That All There Is To A Maverick?
NEW YORK TIMES: Had she refused John McCain, Palin would still be a popular female governor in a Republican Party starved for future stars. Her scandals would be the stuff of local politics, her daughter’s pregnancy a minor story in the Lower 48, her son Trig’s parentage a nonissue even for conspiracy theorists. There would still be plenty of time to ease into the national spotlight, to bone up on the issues, and to craft a persona more appealing than the Mrs. Spiro Agnew role the McCain campaign assigned to her. Most important, nobody would have realized yet how much […]
HOT DOC: We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America:When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are […]
ARTSY: Hard Luck Woman
Sarah Gamble is from North Carolina. In the past year her house was struck by lightning, set aflame, and then broken into. Her car was nearly destroyed by vandals after it was involved in two separate hit and runs. She went to the hospital with bronchitis, lost her job and won the Pew. She hopes to see you at her exhibition. Opening reception Friday, July 3rd 6:00 to 10:00pm 1001-1013 N. 2nd St/Ste.7 The Piazza
HOT DOCUMENT: Last Will And Testament
[DOWNLOAD AS PDF]
THE PIXIES: Bone Machine
Live at the Minotaur release party in London, June 15. RELATED: How To Grow Up To Be A Debaser RELATED: Burying The Hatchet With Black Francis
BOOKS: Scream, Dracula, Scream!
BY SYDNEY SCOTT Our obsession with vampires seems to be as deathless as the undead. Images of pasty-faced bloodsucking sophisticates with miles and miles of style epitomize our notions of the vampires thanks to the lurid prose of Bram Stoker and Ann Rice. But with the sudden and, arguably, undeserved success of her ‘tween hit Twilight, Stephanie Meyer has flipped the script for a new generation. I managed to avoid reading the book for a while, but eventually I succumbed to the hype when my old roommate kept urging me to read it. It took me two months to finish […]
UNEXPECTED: PPA Kills Meter Rate Hike
INQUIRER: Another proposed hike in parking meter rates in downtown Philadelphia has been canceled because the first increase worked better than expected. A day before rates were to increase to $3 per hour, Philadelphia Parking Authority officials said Wednesday that rates will stay at $2 , and some will even be reduced by 50 cents. The parking authority already doubled the downtown rate from $1 to $2 on Jan. 1 to discourage all-day parking. The plan worked. The parking space vacancy rate went from 2 percent to 17 percent, making it easier to find a spot. MORE
PAPERBOY: Slow-Jamming The Alt-Weeklies
BY DAVE ALLEN Like time, news waits for no man. Keeping up with the funny papers has always been an all-day job, even in the pre-Internets era. These days, however, it’s a two-man job. That’s right, these days you need someone to do your reading for you, or risk falling hopelessly behind and, as a result, increasing your chances of dying lonely and somewhat bitter. That’s why every week, PAPERBOY does your alt-weekly reading for you. We pore over those time-consuming cover stories and give you the takeaway, suss out the cover art, warn you off the ink-wasters and steer […]
NO NEVERLAND: Fam Pulls Plug On Ranch Memorial
[Click to enlarge] UPDATE: Police sources tell KTLA that they’re making preparations for a massive public memorial for Michael Jackson Tuesday morning at Staples Center. CNN: Many of his fans had hoped they’d get a chance to pay last respects at Neverland Ranch, which Jackson purchased in 1987, filled with animals and amusement rides, and named after the fictional world in J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan.” Gregory Son, a 31-year-old musician, was among many fans who had planned to ride to the ranch to say goodbye to Jackson. “I think he was a modern-day prophet,” Son said outside Grauman’s. “We kind […]
COMING ATTRACTION: Q&A With Tom Moon
Former Inquirer Pop Music Critic & Rolling Stone contributor, current NPR commentator and author of 1000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die. We talk about the death of the music industry, the death of newspapers, the death of criticism and how he picked the songs you simply must hear before your own death. More fun than it sounds. Look for it Friday.
BREAKING: Cop Beatdown Victims Acquitted
INQUIRER: Three men who were filmed being beaten and kicked by Philadelphia police last year were found not guilty today on charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and conspiracy. Dwayne Dyches, 26; Brian Hall, 24; and Pete Hopkins, 20, were charged in a May 5, 2008, shoot-out in the city’s Feltonville section in which three people were wounded. The three men allegedly led police on a 21/2-mile chase that ended when police yanked them from Hall’s Mercury Grand Marquis near Second and Pike Streets, then beat and kicked them as a Fox29 helicopter captured the scene on tape. MORE