LAS VEGAS (AP) — Investigators questioned O.J. Simpson and named him a suspect Friday in a confrontation at a casino hotel room involving sports memorabilia. The former football star said he went to the room to retrieve property that was stolen from him but denied breaking in. Las Vegas Metro Police Capt. James Dillon said the confrontation was reported as an armed robbery. “We have reported from the victim that there were weapons involved,” Dillon said, but he added that no weapons had been recovered and stressed that the investigation was in its “infancy.” Simpson told the AP he was […]
FRINGE DWELLER: Recommended
Trad by Mark Doherty Inis Nua Theatre Company Theater, 70 minutes An Irish fable about tradition in a mad place, Trad is the hilarious tale of hundred-year old Thomas and his improbably ancient Da. When Thomas reveals that he once fathered a son in a long ago fling, the pair sets off across the Irish countryside to find the unknown child, with nothing more than a hobble and a limp to help them. Written by Mark Doherty and directed by Tom Reing, Trad continues Inis Nua’s tradition of bringing gritty contemporary work from Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales to the […]
JUSTICE: Feds Bust Go Internet For Massive Fraud
In telemarketing, it’s called “cramming” ? slipping a charge onto a monthly bill without the customer knowing it. And today, federal prosecutors charged three operators of an Old City Internet company with cramming about $75 million in bogus fees from 350,000 small businesses across the country. In a 26-count indictment, prosecutors allege that Neal D. Saferstein and two partners “picked the pockets” of small businesses, charging them each $29.95 a month for Internet services they didn’t want or know about. Telemarketers would dupe customers into receiving a “welcome package” that looked like junk mail and triggered monthly charges unless customers […]
FRINGE: Q&A With ‘The Man Without Any Will’
“Starting at City Hall at 9:00 AM, I will wander around Philadelphia for eight hours. Everything after the initial starting spot is undetermined, as I will use a Magic 8-Ball to make all my decisions during that time period. Essentially, I will give up my free will.” — Chad Wanzek, aka The Man Without Any Will * Over the course of four days Wanzek abandoned his free will and put all decisions in the hands of a Magic 8 Ball as he wandered around Philadelphia. On his first day, the ball was kind, and led Wanzek to Reading Terminal’s Little […]
NPR 4 THE DEAF: Giving Public Radio Edge Since 2006
FRESH AIR British rocker Elvis Costello made his debut with the album My Aim is True 30 years ago. He got his start with the band The Attractions before going solo; he’s since performed, recorded or collaborated with artists as diverse as The Brodsky Quartet, jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, and Burt Bacharach. An anniversary edition of My Aim is True was released this week. This interview was first broadcast on Feb. 28, 1989. Singer-songwriter Joe Henry has worked with everybody from soul great Allen Toussaint to jazz giant Ornette Coleman to Madonna (his sister-in-law, who recorded his “Don’t Tell Me” […]
HEAR YE: Starvation Under The Orange Trees
NOW PLAYING ON PHAWKER RADIO: RAY’S VAST BASEMENT BY DAN BUSKIRK I am willing to wager double nickels on the dime that you have never even heard of what is quite simply the Best Album of 2007: Ray’s Vast Basement‘s Starvation Under The Orange Trees. Well, now you have. Starvation is the San Francisco band’s third release and it’s their most fully-realized disc to date. Their name stems from their highly theatrical past: The band’s early shows were mixtures of staged scenes and musical performance, conjuring the fictionalized history of a tiny corner of the rocky coast of Northern California […]
WORTH REPEATING: It’s Always Sunny In NY Mag
NEW YORK MAGAZINE: Your characters smoke crack, go “jihad,” crash abortion rallies? Was there ever a subject you wanted to tackle but decided was just too much? ROB MCELHENNY: Our feeling is that there’s a lighter side to everything. Looking at a baby being thrown in the trash is tragic and very, very sad, and yet when you read those newspaper reports or see it on the news, it’s so sad and so tragic that it becomes almost ludicrous. It’s almost to the point where it’s so unbelievable that this is the point that our culture has come to, there […]
FUNNY PAPERS: The Secret History Of Meth
[via MARRIED TO THE SEA]
KILLADELPHIA: Blessed Are The Peacekeepers
The official call is going out — 10,000 African-American men are being called to become community peacekeepers. Recording mogul Kenny Gamble has met with Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson and other business leaders to organize the movement, called in part “It’s a New Day.” “The number one priority of our community now is the safety of our women, our children and our elderly. So it’s a call to action for African-American men to take the responsibility of bringing a different quality of life to our community.” The effort will begin October 21st with a gathering of volunteers at Temple’s Liacouras Center. […]
MAILBAG: Why WHYY Needs To Unionize
Dear Phawker, It is shameful that the employees of WHYY are forced to anonymously submit their cry for fairness and justice. It’s clear that employees at WHYY need a voice. At New Jersey Network, employees — camerapeople, editors, graphic artists, IT folks, producer/directors, master control staff, reporters, professionals and engineering staff — all have a voice through our union. The Communications Workers of America which repesents employees at other public broadcasting stations throughout the US and Canada including WBGH and the CBC to mention a few. Certainly, no CWA represented public broadcast employees would fear for their job for speaking […]
DAILY AFFIRMATION: Monkey + Pigeon = BFF
They’re an odd couple in every sense but a monkey and a pigeon have become inseparable at an animal sanctuary in China. The 12-week-old macaque — who was abandoned by his mother — was close to death when it was rescued on Neilingding Island, in Goangdong Province. After being taken to an animal hospital his health began to improve but he seemed spiritless – until he developed a friendship with a white pigeon. The blossoming relationship helped to revive the macaque who has developed a new lease of life, say staff at the sanctuary. Now the unlikely duo are never […]