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FRESH AIR Peggy Orenstein wrote in the July 16 edition of the New York Times Magazine about the use of donor eggs in vitro fertilization. It’s a topic she knows: Orenstein pursued six years of treatments, including egg donation, before giving birth to her daughter. Her memoir is Waiting for Daisy: A Tale of Two Continents, Three Religions, Five Infertility Doctors, an Oscar, an Atomic Bomb, a Romantic Night and One Woman’s Quest to Become a Mother. PLUS Kelly Willis‘ Translated From Love is the first release from the “new traditionalist” country singer since 2002’s widely acclaimed Easy. The 12-track […]

DEAR MISS NJ, Heard you got into a bit of a sticky wicket with ye olde drunken boobie-biting pix. To quote one of your best presidents: I feel your pain. (SEE ABOVE) I wanted to commend you on your courage in facing down your blackmailer. And to quote one of your worst presidents, let me say: Always remember others may hate you but those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself. That was Richard Nixon, and his secret White House taping system was sort of the Facebook of its day. In closing, let […]

From the Comments section: “I WAS SO SHOCKED 2 HEAR THAT 1 OF MY BESTFRIENDS COUSIN’S WOULD DO THIS 2 AN INNOCENT CHILD I WAS SO SHOCKED ND OVERWHELMED WHEN I HAD SAW HIS FACE ON THE NEWS AND I RAN 2 C MA BESTFRIEND ND HER MOTHER LATER ON THAT DAY 2 SHOW MY CONDOLENSES I LIVED WITH HIM EAT WITH HIM GREW UP WITH HIM BUT NEVA EXPECTED THIS DAY 2 COME THAT MY ALMOST LIKE BLOOD COUDIN WOULD BE PROFILED AS A KILLER!!!=( ND I KNO HOW IT FEELS 2 LOSE SUM 1 ND I’LL HOPE ND […]

Philadelphia police have uncovered a major marijuana farm inside a three-story row home in the city’s Spring Garden section, after a neighbor called police. The neighbor reported the sound of breaking glass at the home near 22nd and Wilcox Street on Monday, apparently as someone tried to break in. When police arrived they failed to find an intruder, but they did find a very sophisticated marijuana farm. Plants were found growing everywhere, from the basement to the third floor. The home was equipped with sophisticated growing lights and a rooftop ventilation system so people at street level couldn’t smell the […]

It will be one of the Street administration’s last acts: awarding a 20-year contract — likely the largest in Philadelphia history — that will change the look of city streets and pump millions into the city treasury. The subject is “street furniture” and no, it’s not the kitchen chairs Philadelphians put out after a snowstorm to save their parking spot. City officials are now weighing proposals from three companies to design, install and maintain — for the next two decades — hundreds of new bus shelters, newsstands, trash receptacles, public toilets and benches. In return, the winning contractor will get […]

THE BIG BAMBINO: Frank Rizzo, circa 1969. That night stick in his cummerbund came in handy for cracking the skulls of peace-creep hippies and uppity negroes keeping the peace. Rizzo loved peace, but even more he loved cracking the skulls of peace-creep hippies and uppity negroes the keeping of it. By cracking the skulls of peace-creep hippies and uppity negroes any means necessary. And no one can take that away from him. He died 16 years ago today.

A short bit from Todd Haynes’ Dylan movie I’m Not There has leaked online. The film, which features seven (six?) actors playing Bob — Christian Bale, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, and Cate Blanchett — is due in theaters in September (in time for the Ronson remix!). This clip imagines Cate’s Bob meeting Allen Ginsberg (David Cross) for the first time, circa 1966. (Thanks ScriptGirl for the tip.) [via STEREOGUM]

Dear Indy Music Lover, Thank you for signing our online petition in support of the Internet Radio Equality Act. You joined over 11,000 others in telling our Representatives in Washington how strongly the XPN community feels on this issue. We gave the petition to Senator Specter‘s office, and while he has expressed sympathy for our concerns, he has yet to commit to supporting the bill. The current situation is less than encouraging. Our request in court for a stay of the July 15 roll-out date for the new royalty rates (retroactive for 18 months) has been denied. It is highly […]

NEWSWEEK: CLINTON/OBAMA ’08? “He would have to decide he would be willing to coexist with a strong woman. But it seems as though he already does that at home. [Hillary] would have to be willing to let a charismatic man steal some of your thunder, but [she does] that at home, too. This would be a political marriage of convenience, sure, but one that could excite the country. The president has driven the nation into a ditch, and the American people are standing by the side of the road with their thumbs out. Everyone is poised for big change, big ideas. […]

Twenty-four percent of shooting victims last year had pending criminal court cases against them at the time they were shot, according to a report by researchers with the Philadelphia Adult Probation and Parole Department. In 2002, 18 percent of shooting victims had “open bills” against them. Thirty percent of gun-homicide victims last year had pending criminal cases at the time they were killed, up from 20 percent in 2003, according to the report.But the report reinforces other studies nationally that show that the demographic of people firing guns and those getting shot often overlap. And the data shows that in […]

BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY Philadelphians, be proud. The Phillies hit the 10,000 mark last night, the first franchise in any sport — in the ENTIRE recorded history of sport– to lose 10,000 games. To put this in some perspective, if Major League Baseball established an expansion team for next season, and that team lost every single game, every year, with no wins and no rain-outs, it wouldn’t get to 10,000 losses until 2069. And by that point the Phillies might be creeping up on 20,000. Other notable 10,000 Milestones fast approaching: 10,000 Pat Burrell strikeouts — ETA 2008 10,000 […]