POLITICO: POLITICO learned today that the Washington Post has terminated its relationship with liberal columnist/blogger Dan Froomkin. Froomkin authored the “White House Watch” blog and was told today that the blog had essentially run its course. MORE PAUL KRUGMAN: OK, I have no idea about the actual decision process. But I have a theory about the general mindset of the people who made this decision. Here’s how I see things: many people in the news media, especially at the managerial level, decided a long time ago that movement conservatism was The Future — and that the sensible thing, whether or […]
BLOOD BATH: Iran Gov Forces Thwart Mass Rally
WARNING: VERY GRAPHIC FACEBOOK: Basij shots to death a young woman in Tehran’s Saturday June 20th protests At 19:05 June 20th Place: Karekar Ave., at the corner crossing Khosravi St. and Salehi st. A young woman who was standing aside with her father watching the protests was shot by a basij member hiding on the rooftop of a civilian house. He had clear shot at the girl and could not miss her. However, he aimed straight her heart. I am a doctor, so I rushed to try to save her. But the impact of the gunshot was so fierce that […]
QUALITY OF MERCY: Dems Unveil Health Care For All
TRIBUNE WASHINGTON BUREAU: Senior House Democrats on Friday presented a sweeping plan to reshape the nation’s health care system that represented the fullest presentation yet of congressional liberals’ vision for improving medical care — including a promise to provide health insurance to nearly 50 million uninsured Americans without adding to the nation’s deepening debt. The full price tag is expected to top $1 trillion. MORE NEW YORK TIMES: Americans overwhelmingly support substantial changes to the health care system and are strongly behind one of the most contentious proposals Congress is considering, a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers, […]
The First Time I Got High…
[Illustration by ALEX FINE] BY STEPHANIE SAYES Considering the fact that I was blazed out of my MIND the first time I got high, it’s a wonder I remember anything at all. But I remember the details with crystal clarity. Probably because at the age of 17, I thought I was partaking in something so bad, so out of the realm of my sheltered world, that my first experience with marijuana, or any drug for that matter, has always lived in my mind as a magical memory. I was visiting Philly for the first time. My then-boyfriend was a freshmen […]
WEEKEND UPDATE: The Good News Flower Hour
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AYATOLLAH: Shut Up, Sit Down!
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: Iran’s supreme religious leader threw his weight behind the disputed landslide victory of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday, calling the vote “God’s blessing,” ruling out any fraud, and ordering an end to massive street protests. In what may prove a pivotal point in the post-election crisis that has shaken Iran for nearly a week, Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei took an uncompromising stand at Friday prayers. “If there is any bloodshed, leaders of the protests will be held directly responsible,” declared Ayatollah Khomeini, speaking to an overflowing crowd of tens of thousands at Tehran University that was bolstered […]
SEPTA GIRL: Public Transit Is For Lovers
BY PHILLYGRRL SEPTA and dating do not always mix well. In fact, if you’re a female SEPTA rider, you may as well write off dating entirely. For one thing, waiting for the bus is not as glamorous as catching a cab. When you’re hailing a cab at the end of a date gone well, there’s a certain Carrie Bradshaw-like pose that is struck. A one-hand-on-your-hip, other hand showing-off-your-manicure pose. There’s the shifting of weight, to highlight the stilettos. A toss of the hair, or two. Whereas if you’re a SEPTA bus taker, you have that whole exhaust-in-your-face thing. Not always […]
CINEMA: You Are What You Eat
FOOD INC. (2008, directed by Robet Kenner, 94 minutes, U.S.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FOOD CRITIC As investigative reporting has dried up in TV newsrooms, the investigative documentary feature film has enjoyed a golden age over the last decade. Health care, defense policy, globalization and the financial industry have all been taken to task over the last few years, with facts, figures and foreboding drones giving gravitas to the warnings of expert talking heads. The analysis they provide is valuable, the problems they uncover serious and well-documented yet it is easy to write many of them off as problems that we […]
U.S. To Bomb Moon; North Korea To Bomb Hawaii
THE TELEGRAPH: There are no aliens up there, as far as we know, but NASA is preparing to bomb the moon. A space mission blasted off from Cape Canaveral today carrying a missile that will fire a hole deep in the lunar surface. The unmanned Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission (LCROSS) will fire a Centaur rocket into the surface at twice the speed of a bullet. The aim is to see whether any traces of water will be revealed by the disruption caused to the surface. Nasa will analyse the space cloud caused by the explosion for any […]
IT WAS 45 YEARS AGO TODAY: Macca To Rock D.C.
NASTY LITTLE MAN: Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Paul McCartney will perform at FedExField — the home of the Washington Redskins — on Saturday, August 1. This concert event at FedExField marks the latest in a series of landmark performances that link the beloved Beatle with Washington D.C., beginning with The Beatles’ first concert on American soil in 1964 at the Washington Coliseum, and continuing with McCartney’s critically acclaimed appearances in the District over the past forty-five years. Full press release and ticket purchasing info after the jump…
URBAN PLANNING: The Future Of Pier 11
[Photo courtesy of PHILLYSKYLINE] BY NICK POWELL METRO CORRESPONDENT Cantankerous pundits and enthusiastic pols shared the stage last night at the Festival Pier where the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation hosted a public presentation showcasing the design finalists for the Pier 11 project, an endeavor that, depending whom you ask, will either re-introduce Philadelphians to the beauty of the waterfront, or will drift away into limbo just like other ambitious developments such as the re-design of Penn’s Landing that never happened. Pier 11, an eighty by five hundred forty foot structure that jets out onto the river next to the Ben […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR Chip Berlet has studied extremism, conspiracy theories and hate groups for more than 25 years. In a recent report for PublicEye.org, he says that the murders of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller and Holocaust Museum guard Stephen T. Johns exemplify the potential for violence that often lurks within extremist groups. Berlet argues that right-wing pundits share some of the moral responsibility for the actions of their followers. He summarizes the analysis in his report in a June 10 Huffington Post article about Johns’ murder: “Apocalyptic aggression is fueled by right-wing pundits who demonize scapegoated groups and individuals in […]
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 […]