Wednesday, December 5th was the 75th anniversary of the end of Prohibition. KYW’s John McDevitt spoke with the owner of the nation’s oldest brewery, in nearby Montgomery County, Pa., and what his family did to stay in business during the ban on alcohol.Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville went into business 178 years ago. They were established for about 90 years before Prohibition. Dick Yuengling is the fifth generation running the brewery. He says that during Prohibition his family brewed “near” beer: “Less than one-half of one percent alcohol in (the) product. We called it a ‘cereal beverage.’ There were a couple […]
TMI TV: Kidnap Victim To Host Chat Show
(CNN) — Natascha Kampusch, the Austrian teenager who was held prisoner for eight years in a basement, will have her own television chat show, her media adviser confirmed to CNN Thursday. Natascha Kampusch gives an interview in August 2007, a year after she escaped from her captor. The 19-year-old made headlines around the world after she escaped from a subterranean bunker below the house of Wolfgang Priklopil in a suburb of Vienna 16 months ago. Her captor killed himself by throwing himself under a train only hours after she fled. Kampusch will be hosting a show on the Austrian television […]
SERGE GAINSBOURG & BRIDGITTE BARDOT
“Bonnie & Clyde” RELATED: The young Center City Philadelphia couple charged with stealing many identities and tens of thousands of dollars to live a lavish lifestyle (see related story) has been arraigned on additional charges that they burglarized neighbors’ apartments as part of the alleged scheme. Bail for Jocelyn Kirsch was increased to $105,000, and bail for Edward Anderton was raised to $130,000, based on the new charges. Parents of the two defendants were in the courtroom and looking distraught on Thursday morning. Both families were expected to post bail, after which Kirsch was expected to return to her family’s […]
THE TAO OF MITT: The Book Of Mormon
VIA WIKIPEDIA: The Book of Mormon[1] is one of the sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement, regarded by Latter Day Saints as divinely revealed, and named after the prophet?historian Mormon who, according to the text, compiled most of the book. It was published by the founder of the movement, Joseph Smith Jr., in March 1830 in Palmyra, New York, USA. Its purpose, as stated on its title page, “is to show the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord has done for their fathers” and to convince “Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the […]
Suicidal Gunman Kills 8 In X-Mas Mall Massacre
(CNN) — A gunman killed eight people and wounded five others Wednesday at the popular Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, before apparently turning the gun on himself, police said. “We do not believe that we have any other shooter,” said Sgt. Teresa Negron. Seven people died at the scene, and two — a man and a woman — died after reaching Creighton University Medical Center. Three of the wounded are in critical condition. The shootings began just before 2 p.m. at the Von Maur store inside the shopping complex.The gunman [NOT pictured, above] had a rifle, Negron said. After the […]
WORTH REPEATING: The Devil’s Playthings
NEWSWEEK: After years of humiliating sexual-abuse scandals, Roman Catholic Church officials are trying harder than ever to convince parishioners that they’re doing everything they can to prevent such tragedies from happening again. That means public education, training programs and — in the New York Archdiocese — a surprisingly direct, abuse-themed coloring book for kids that’s being sent to parishioners across the area. At first glance, “Being Friends, Being Safe, Being Catholic” is what you’d expect from a Christian handout: lessons in loving thy neighbor and knowing we’re all special in God’s eyes, plus a fun word search with names of […]
FORECAST: Positively Himalayan
[Hat tip to reader ANSEL ADAMS for this snap of Sixth & Passyunk taken moments ago] Light snow developing by midday could hamper the afternoon rush hour. Snow showers have already hit Harrisburg and Lancaster, as a storm system moves eastward, having already blanketed the Midwest. The snow could become steady this afternoon in the Philadelphia area, before ending late tonight, according to a National Weather Service snow advisory. Accumulations of 1 to 2 inches of snow are expected. MORE
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR David Wilcove, one of world’s leading experts on endangered species, discusses his new book, No Way Home, which chronicles the decline of the world’s animal migrations. Wilcove is professor of ecology, evolutionary biology and public affairs at Princeton University. PLUS, primatologist duo Dorothy Cheney and Robert Seyfarth discuss their new book, Baboon Metaphysics: The Evolution of a Social Mind. The husband-and-wife team spent years studying a group of baboons in Botswana, observing their behavior, vocalizations — and even their feces — to better understand the primates’ complex social structure. RADIO TIMES Hour 1 The polarization of American Politics. […]
Ever Get The Feeling Stephen A. Smith Is Mad At You?
“And when you look at the internet business, what’s dangerous about it is that people who are clearly unqualified get to disseminate their piece to the masses. I respect the journalism industry, and the fact of the matter is …someone with no training should not be allowed to have any kind of format whatsoever to disseminate to the masses to the level which they can. They are not trained. Not experts. More important are the level of ethics and integrity that comes along with the quote-unquote profession hasn’t been firmly established and entrenched in the minds of those who’ve been […]
Teacher Arrested For Pro-Columbine Blog Comment
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Bloggers and free speech advocates are calling on prosecutors not to file charges against a teacher arrested for allegedly posting an anonymous comment online praising the Columbine shooters. Some were disturbed by the post police say James Buss left on a conservative blog, but other observers said it was a sarcastic attempt to discredit critics of education spending. The suburban Milwaukee high school chemistry teacher was arrested last week for the Nov. 16 comment left on http://www.bootsandsabers.com, a blog on Wisconsin politics. The comment, left under the name “Observer,” came during a discussion over teacher salaries […]
LAWNCARE GATE: Romney Shitcans Mexican Mowers
NEW YORK TIMES: Mitt Romney, who has relentlessly wielded the issue of illegal immigration against his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination in the past few months, is facing an embarrassing new revelation that the landscaping company at his home in Massachusetts was found for a second time to be employing illegal immigrants.Mr. Romney announced yesterday that he had fired the company, Community Lawn Service of Chelsea, Mass. The announcement came just before The Boston Globe published on its Web site the results of an inquiry it had been conducting over the last two months on the firm. The Globe […]
AMY MADHOUSE: Still Crazy After All These This Year
If Amy Winehouse’s fans were hoping she might be trying to get her act together, these pictures will not provide much reassurance. Barefoot, and clad only in her bra and jeans, the troubled singer emerged from a friend’s house in Bow at 5.45 am on Sunday looking distressed and agitated — as her mother-in-law says she taking more drugs than ever. [via the DAILY MAIL]