April 29, 2006
Reason #28,283 I Love Philadelphia
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One of our post-game analysts wears an orange Flyers helmet. Thanks, Coatesy. Let's go Flyers.
On an even keel [Inquirer]
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April 28, 2006
Let's Go Flyers! The Other Team's Medical Conditions Will Surely Lead You To Victory!
Oh, yeah, I almost forgot: the Flyers play the Sabres tonight in Game 4 of the playoffs. The Flyers are down, 2-1, in the series, but won the last game, 4-2.
Sabres defenseman Teppo Numminen -- who has been guarding Peter Forsberg -- is out. He has an irregular heartbeat. And to NBC 10's John Clark, that's...
... good news! Yay, a possibly serious medical condition! Obviously that's not what he meant, but he could've chosen a better way to phrase it, I suppose. Then again, Clark is the happiest man in Philadelphia; he can put a positive spin on anything.
Oh well. Let's go, Flyers! Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
Numminen Has Irregular Heartbeat; Primeau Out [WGR 550]
Flyers ready to rally [Yahoo! Sports]
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Top 5 Will Do
Hoo-ray! It's time for the weekend, which means even more drinking than usual for all of us. Or, in my case, I'll be able to catch up on the 40 or so hours of sleep I need.
- Funniest news story of the week: The deliveryman who hauled both pizza and dead bodies or the guy who stole the newsstands? You could debate this for hours and still not have a clear answer.
- Overlooked news story of the week: The man who left his job to become Managing Director Pedro Ramos. Science!
- Russian comedian Yakov Smirnoff is getting a degree from Penn. Gallagher is expected to enroll in Cornell any day now.
- Oh, yeah, Rick Mariano resigned and he went out with a wimper, not a bang.
- Gas prices are high, and everyone's turning to mass transit. Well, everyone except Philadelphians.
Enjoy your weekend. Remember, Monday is Dick Cheney Day!
Posted by D-Mac at 04:20 PM
Leftovers: 7 IP, 0 R, 14 K
• Phillies pitching prospect Cole Hamels (at left, with some sort of Mega Man-like arm cannon) tossed seven innings of shutout ball yesterday at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He also struck out seven in his first game at the Phils' AAA affiliate. Uhm, can you come up here quick? Or, rather, now? [Inquirer]
• Sirius satellite radio offers devices that transmit the sound to a nearby radio. All you have to do is tune in to 88.1 FM. Unfortunately, this sometimes interferes with real radio stations operating on that band in, say, passing cars. And Christian radio and NPR enthusiasts are pissed. [AP/Philly.com]
• A long day at the baseball park is proven worthwhile due to a Cecil Martin jersey spotting. And not even on Cecil Martin himself! [Dils]
• President Bush has taken time out from important things like war and running the country to tell us that we should only sing the national anthem in English. Because if you sing the anthem in Spanish, Russian, Gaelic or Pig Latin, the terrorists have won. [AP/CNN.com]
• A top Vatican official urged all good Catholics to boycott the upcoming Da Vinci Code movie. Also being asked to boycott it? Those of us with good taste. [AP/Yahoo!]
Posted by D-Mac at 04:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
The Week In Comments (And Caption Contest 'Winners')
Okay, you don't get anything for winning the caption contest. I didn't even really think of it as much of a contest, but there were a few people who came up with something clever anyway. I fact, all the entries -- all four of 'em or whatever -- were much better than the one I had in there. Which, of course, shows how great of a job I do. So I'm never holding a contest again. Well, maybe. It does make for easy content.
But first, a look as some of our other stars of the "Preview/Submit" world of commenting. I can't link to individual comments with the software I use, but none of the entries have a huge amount of comments anyway.
• Obviously, the biggest comment-getter of the week was the clip of possible profanity on CNN. And besides people writing in to me to tell me it'd been linked on Gawker, there was this comment, posted at 5:54 a.m.: sorry, but he said "yuck" ... hence: no major response. I never really thought about him saying "yuck" -- perhaps because I don't think I've said that word since I was about eight, and the profanity that rhymes with it is something more likely for someone on TV to say. But, the comment came from someone saying her name was "soledad o'brien," and while I don't know if that's true -- although, if it is, I'm like super-duper happy -- it looks like American Morning ATM-gate is over. Alas. (Well, if you believe that it's really "Yuck" since it really sounds like an 'F.')
• Yikes. That was way too long. Let's do something much shorter. Dan on the Good Day Philadelphia mascot video: Um, did she say "Hi, loverpants?
• Kate on the new Monopoly edition: Have you looked at any of the other cities? Every time a stadium or ballpark is among the choices, it's in the lead. Which makes sense, since most of the people voting have never been to any of those places, and just pick the only thing they recognize. They should just call it Stadiumopoly. And in other news, I apparently care waaaaay too much about this... Hey, me too.
• Andy on the on the very angry Northeast Times editorial that said people would be able to fill jobs at 7-Elevens if we kicked all illegal immigrants out: Such an awesome argument they make. 7-Eleven and McDonald's will have all these new jobs available. Those big companies are so strict with their immigration rules, they NEVER have an illegal working there.
And, finally, the Caption Contest Winners! We'll do a first place and a runner-up.
• Runner-up: Is this one of those new waterless urinals? (by Jim)
And, the winner...
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• Give me a "T"! What's that spell? "Mayor Street!" (by Joe)
You too can comment! Simply click on "Comments" at the bottom of every post and type type type to your heart's content. You could be featured in this weekly comment wrap-up and win a prize! (Note: You won't win a prize.)
Posted by D-Mac at 03:18 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Always Pick Your Bank Based On What Morning Talk-Show Hosts Endorse It
From an ad on the front page of today's Metro, Commerce Bank is now...
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... the official bank of Regis & Kelly! Yahoo!
Posted by D-Mac at 02:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
From The 'Holy Crap, How'd I Miss This Before' Dept.
Via The Illadelph, comes this amazing, amazing t-shirt drawn by local artist Thom Lessner (of Space 1026):
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Okay, it might not look all that much like Iverson. But, c'mon, do you remember those A.I. bobbleheads? They looked more like me than Alley I.
The Answer T-Shirt [Urban Arts]
Further evidence that Allen Iverson should never, ever be traded [The Illadelph]
Posted by D-Mac at 01:40 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Gentlemen, Begin Your Puppet-Making: Cheney Hits Town Monday
Everyone's favorite cyborg-in-vice-chief, Dick Cheney, will be in Center City Monday for a World Affairs Council of Philadelphia luncheon honoring Bernard Lewis. The event's going to be at the Bellevue at Broad and Walnut.
Lewis, you may know is a professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton, and is a respected scholar in his field. He does share President Bush's wish for secular, Western-style democracies in the Middle East. He has been criticized of being orientalist; i.e. taking a negative view of those not like the West. And his idea of a Western-style democracy in the Middle East isn't quite working out everywhere now, is it? (And he delivered lectures to Cheney before the war.)
Anyway, Cheney's getting in at the airport at 11, speaking at 12:10 at the Bellevue and leaving at 12:50. Say what you want about Dick Cheney and his handlers, but that's running a pretty tight ship, y'know? Assumedly, there will be "protest areas" across the street from the 'vue like there were when Bush spoke there back in December.
It'll be a little warmer this time, so let's get some good chants and signs going -- it makes for good TV and easy blog entries for alt-weekly writers. Plus, it's Dick Cheney, who has an approval rating lower than church. Who doesn't like bashin' that dude?
Bernard Lewis Revisited [Washington Monthly]
Dec. 15, 2005: Stop the war! Zzzzzz....
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Ark. Gov. Limiting Press Access To Alt-Weekly
To get to Arkansas from Philadelphia, you take 95 south to... you know what? I have no idea how you get to Arkansas from Philadelphia. I'd probably take a plane or just travel diagonally southwest until I got there.
But, if I somehow managed to hitchhike to Arkansas and was magically elected governor -- hey, Bill Clinton did! -- I would probably send out my press releases to any news organization who wanted to be on the email list. Since it wouldn't be a big deal to simply add an email address to the list, I would more than happily to have my press staff add any newspaper, website, TV station or random dude who runs a blog to the list of my press releases.
Like, for example, I'd gladly have the Arkansas alt-weekly the Arkansas Times on my press office's email list.
Then again, I'm not current Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who has refused to add the alt-weekly to the email list because they don't consider it a legitimate news organization. According to the Arkansas Times' Arkansas Blog, the governor's press spokeswoman, Alice Stewart, released this statement:
We don't consider the Arkansas Times a news organization. By your own definition, you are a journal of politics and culture. As you said, there are hundreds of news outlets in the state and we don't attempt to notify every one of them. The major news organizations are on our e-mail list and that's the way it will continue.
Now, not being on an email list isn't quite the biggest deal in the world. They could get the press releases off the website, although the blog says they're not always posted in a timely fashion. Plus, the paper says it's not being told when public press availabilities are going to happen. It's unfortunate than an alt-weekly newspaper is being held off of it when adding it to an email list costs the state government of Arkansas nothing. And when it's an actual newspaper with reporters and editors and people that cover state politics.
It just spikes of an unwillingness to give free and open information to those who want it. The Times has been filing Freedom of Information Act requests and all of them have been denied.
Gov. Huckabee's office is being childish, amateurish and petty. Part of being a politician is dealing with sour coverage. Events that are free and open to the press should be free and open to all press, not just the ones that politicians feel they can deal with. Gov. Huckabee is quite a chickenshit. Now there's some alt-weekly writing for you.
The governor's office goes silent [Arkansas Blog]
National eyes on Huck's action [Arkansas Blog]
Posted by D-Mac at 12:45 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
More Pain At The Pump: New Jersey To Make You - Gasp! - Pump Own Gas?
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The highlight of this so far was a this report by Dana Milbank in the Washington Post, that compared how the Senators who wanted to be tough on big oil also, for the most part, drove gas guzzlers. (Also, they left several cars idling in the parking lot for periods of time. But of course.)
A little closer to home, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine is threatening to change the only thing that really made the Dirty Jerz different for all these years: You might have to pump your own gas. Or, at least, you'd be given the option to. Corzine says this proposal could save motorists about 5 to 6 cents on the gallon.
While the proposal is probably a good idea, you might be wondering how this is addressing the problem of high gas prices, when in fact it's simply addressing the problem of, uh, having to pay people to pump your gas. Still, it seems odd to make people pump your gas, when in fact gas-pumping is one of the easier tasks for able-bodied people, right up there with self-service soda and petting a dog.
Naturally, the proposal has opponents, who are attacking everything from the aforementioned statement to State Sen. Joseph F. Vitale, who said that "[s]elf-service gas is discriminatory." And, the move seems to actually supported by big oil companies, who would (assumedly) like to keep charging the same prices and pocket the extra pennies.
New Jersey is the only state besides Oregon that bans drivers from pumping their own gas. The chances of it joining the other 48 states in giving drivers the freedom to pump is about 1 in a million.
Corzine's other proposal is to lower the speed limit to 55 miles per hour, which will probably be implemented right around the time when they change to the metric system and everyone's driving hovercars.
Corzine pushes self-serve gasoline [Inky]
Going a Short Way to Make a Point [Washington Post]
Photo by Sister72
Posted by D-Mac at 11:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Quickies: Suing For A Pretty Penny
• A Penn student is suing the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity for injuries he said he sustained in a hazing incident. He allegedly was repeatedly punched repeatedly in the thighs. And, of course, the student's father brings up t"his: "For a black fraternal organization to treat black aspirants the way African-Americans were mistreated and abused during slavery, and to do it in the name of fraternity, is obscene." I see. [Daily News]
• The head of the Northwood Civic Association, Northeast Philly, began a recent meeting with this line: "We're part of Frankford, but we don't have to look at Frankford." Uhh, dude, you live in the Northeast. Nobody wants to look at you. [Northeast Times]
• Clearly, the Southampton Free Library is piggybacking off the popularity of The Real World's Svetlana Shusterman. They're going to be offering books in Russian. [Bucks County Courier Times]
• Forbes released its most expensive zip codes of the last year, and Stone Harbor clocks in at No. 48. Oh, Avalon's going to feel even more second-rate now. [Forbes]
• In Columbus, Ohio, a half-dime was sold for $1.3 million. That better be some good shit. [AP/CNN.com]
Posted by D-Mac at 10:40 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
A Useless Letter
A letter in today's Daily News:
DRUGS ARE a plague on our society, and the people who use them are just as useless as the drugs themselves. So, a few useless people needed a fix so badly that they got a bad batch of heroin and overdosed and died.
I can't repeat this mantra enough: People choose to use drugs, the drugs don't come knocking at your door and say "take me." I certainly won't lose any sleep over their deaths.
Whoever these drug addicts are, they have caused their families enough heartache. Good riddance.
Cheryl Gilbert, Collingswood, N.J.
Ha ha! Isn't it fun when people die? Ho ho! Quite the knee-slapper!
Posted by D-Mac at 10:07 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Or, Possibly, The Birds Could Stay Put. Or Move Up Or Down. Maybe.
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The Eagles could move up, or possibly move down. Or they could stay where they are. Unless they move up or down. Or stay in place. Or maybe they'll forget to pick altogether.
No. 14: Call it no man's land [Daily News]
Posted by D-Mac at 09:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Abridged 'Daily News' Columnists
Elmer Smith: Wait. Martha Reeves -- of Martha and the Vandellas -- still performs despite being on Detroit City Council? Ha. Let's see Brian O'Neill or Frank Rizzo do that!
Jill Porter: Yeah, what this mayoral race needs is a bunch of nicknames. That way, it'll be easier for the Daily News to write headlines.
Posted by D-Mac at 09:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Wireless Internet Available Only To Short People
An article in Metro yesterday detailed the one tiny little problem with the city's wireless internet program: It won't go above three stories.
This makes sense, of course. Sometimes I have problems getting wifi in my room, and my laptop is only about 10 feet away from my router. (And I have a good router, a Linksys, not some CompUSA brand.) And so it'd make sense that with the wireless stations located on lightposts, there wouldn't be a way to get wireless if you weren't close enough to a lightpost. Which, in a high rise, you're not. (Earthlink says that's going to be "Phase 2" of the program, which is okay -- and it'd be better to finally get this thing off the ground, if City Council ever actually votes to sign the contract.)
Obviously, the patricians in Center City highrise condos and office buildings aren't hurting for the Internet. (Although the program is designed for all, let's just say that cheap Internet is going to -- in theory -- help the poorer people in the city. Right?) But there are lower-income high-rises as well. But, of course, if you do live above the third floor, you can buy a special wifi card from Earthlink in order to get service.
City Council didn't sign a contract yesterday, which means that, as time passes, the original awesome, amazing idea for the city covered in free wireless Internet has slowly become something that, like the extension of Woodhaven Road, feels like it's just not going to happen. Or, if and when it does, it'll be a lame-o, expensive program that won't work well, won't be available to many people and just will be another "oh well" thing in this city.
Hopefully, I'll be wrong. But, well, it is Philadelphia.
Wi-Fi's glass ceiling [Metro]
Photo by Manamanah
Posted by D-Mac at 09:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 27, 2006
Blogicized: Burkle-o's
• The real thing that possible new Daily News/Inquirer headman -- well, way up the chain of command -- Ron Burkle loves? His buddy P. Diddy. It really is all about the Benjamins. (Rimshot.) [Philebrity]
• Lower Merion -- original home of Kobe Bryant, Dan Gross, &c. -- is now subsidizing housing for families. Families who make up to $76,000 a year. Geeze, I can't believe they're finally letting in the upper middle-classers. [I've Made A Huge Tiny Mistake]
• Gavin Floyd -- who shares a birthday, day and year, with yours truly (but he makes a little more money than I do) -- has been flat-out sucking recently. What're the Phillies to do? [Phillyist]
• The most confusing political quote of the year so far: "I like to say that over 25 years I probably showed up one Saturday night and scrubbed your back when you were getting a bath." Uhh, Mike O'Brien? Stay out of my house. [Welcome to Phillyville]
Posted by D-Mac at 03:20 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
The Price Of Gas Keeps On Rising
Hey, remember back in 2001, when we all got that $300 tax rebate? Oh, yeah, not really, because it happened right before 9/11, and we forgot pretty much everything else when that happened. (We especially forgot to, oh, you know, check and see if we had plans for the post-Saddam era in Iraq. But I digress.)
Anyway, we're going to get another tax break, if some senators have their way: There's a proposal right now to give everyone $100 to spend on gas.
And not just drivers. Everyone who pays their taxes will get a $100 check. (Take that, illegal aliens!) So, even though I sold my car, I'd still get a Benjamin to spend on gas, although I don't have to spend it on gas. But since the price of everything is supposed to be going up due to the price of gas -- or so the pundits say -- I suppose giving the check to everyone makes some sense.
Not that the idea makes much sense, really -- I'm no economist, but just giving money out isn't the best way to spur the economy, is it? -- and not that it has much chance to pass.
Or, you know, maybe the senators just want to celebrate Ben Franklin's birthday in a very special way, eh? Eh?
Senators to push for $100 gas rebate checks [CNN.com]
Spending Your $300 Rebate [Suddenly Senior]
Photo by honan, and if you're wondering why I didn't pick a photo of a gas station in this area or even on the East Coast -- the photo's from San Fran -- well, uhh, shush. I was going for the '76.' Yeah, that's it.
Posted by D-Mac at 02:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
In Graduate School Of Psychology, Tests Psychoanalyze You!
The degrees of thousands of rich kids are about to get a little less valuable. Or at least a little funnier.
Yakov Smirnoff is graduating from Penn.
The 1980s Russian comedian, who's so funny he's built his own theater in Branson, Mo., isn't planning on opening up a practice or anything like that. No, he's planning on using his M.S. in psychology for good, according to the Inquirer:
Smirnoff has a mission: To use his act and his books to help launch what he Voltairishly calls the "Age of Enlaughterment," a family-friendly Age of Aquarius where love and laughter heal all our pyshic scars.
Sporting professorial garb and a neatly trimmed beard, grad student Smirnoff fits in beautifully with the academicos at the generic McCafe next to the Penn Bookstore. He's wired and animated, a brainier version of Dr. Phil, keen on discussing hormones, the nature of love, how to run a business.
"I find the quest I'm on allows me to reach different levels of intelligence and sophistication," multifaceted Smirnoff says. "I can take those global ideas [about love and laughter] and boil them down to simplicity.
"And I believe that I can make a difference."
I think we've entered into a new age of comedy and pleasure. I'm pumped. Thanks, Mr. Smirnoff. Thanks.
Yakov Smirnoff Gets Penn Degree [AP/6 ABC]
Yakov Smirnoff's back - philosophically speaking [Inky]
Posted by D-Mac at 02:18 PM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
Hipsters Begin Impersonating Cops
In Waterford, New Jersey, there's a police officer impersonator on the loose, and cops have released this sketch:
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So, if you see a hotter version of the unabomber or Danny Masterson, be sure to notify police.
Police Impersonator Wanted in Waterford, NJ [6 ABC]
Posted by D-Mac at 01:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
So, It's Not Really A Search Anymore, Is It?
Guys, in case you're wondering, I'm available.
Temple search for president down to one candidate [Inky]
Posted by D-Mac at 12:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Five-Year-Olds Already Snitchin'
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If you said "Well, I wouldn't hide my weed in my son's schoolbag before school, and I wouldn't come to the party possibly high," you win the prize! I'm not sure what that prize is, but it doesn't involve being arrested, as Serena Gills is after her five-year-old son went up to a teacher and said, "Mommy's weed is in my bag."
The teacher notified police, who confronted Gills when she got to the party. They said she smelled of marijuana and they found a half-smoked blunt in her purse.
Gills, you may remember, is the mother of Erica Pratt, the then-seven-year-old girl who was kidnapped in 2002 and then managed to escape her bumbling captors, immediately becoming one of the coolest seven-year-olds ever.
Here's what we're thinking, though: Although what the mom did was really effing stupid, her son was the one who told on her. Clearly, she needs to get him a "Snitch and Die" t-shirt, pronto.
Mom Arrested at Son's School Party [6 ABC]
Posted by D-Mac at 12:19 PM | Comments (71) | TrackBack
Finally, Something On TV More Boring Than An Hour Of Howie Mandel Opening Briefcases
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Come to think of it, no, this probably isn't as boring as Deal or No Deal. I could really go for an Amy Freeze briefcase, though.
Posted by D-Mac at 11:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Profanity, Live On CNN?
From CNN this morning:
Seriously, does he say "fuck"? (The guy off-screen, I think, is the guy who says it. He does the morning financial report.) I mean, I doubt he'd be saying that, but I cannot think of anything else that the noise could be. Help me out here?
Posted by D-Mac at 10:49 AM | Comments (12) | TrackBack
Quickies: Trash, Trash, Everywhere
• A garbage truck overturned in Bucks County, spilling trash all over the Route 1. So, there's garbage all over. How does this make it any different than usual in Buxco? [CBS 3]
• Temple's search for a new president is down to two candidates after former Penn CEO John Fry dropped out. Now we just have to find out what a university president actually does. [Inky]
• How did I miss this living stuffed toy-like Cavalier King Charles Spaniel before? [Cute Overload]
• The oil spill in the Delaware Bay is still being cleaned up. And -- what a surprise! -- they don't know who or what caused the spill. [Inky]
Posted by D-Mac at 10:21 AM | Comments (66) | TrackBack
Abridged 'Daily News' Columnists
Stu Bykofsky: Get rid of those illegal immigrants, bitches! How would we do it? Why, we'd come up with a national worker ID card. Yes, this will go over real well and will surely work perfectly.
Ronnie Polaneczky: Welll-let's-auction-off-MCP-to-the-highest-bidder, do-I-hear-one-dollar-two-dollar-three-dollars...
John Baer: Tom Ridge says you should go see Flight 93. So go do it!
Michael Smerconish: United 93 won't rally the terrorists! Phew!
Posted by D-Mac at 10:05 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
An Historic Merger
I didn't notice this until a fellow PW staffer alerted me to it yesterday. It's from the current issue of the Philadelphia Gay News. The first two paragraphs of the story (emphasis mine):
The number-two executive at the Free Library of Philadelphia is the new right hand of the city's chief taskmaster, the official announced this week.Kevin Vaughan is leaving his position as Free Library associate director to become Managing Director Pedro Ramos, according to Ramos's chief of staff.
Holy shit! He's taking over his body? They should say "according to scientists!"
With slur out, official heads to City Hall [Philadelphia Gay News]
Posted by D-Mac at 09:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A Milestone To End All Milestones
Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth's home run record. Man walks on the moon. Et cetera. And now...
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This milestone tops them all.
Action News Delivers 2000th Morning Mug! [6 ABC]
Posted by D-Mac at 09:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 26, 2006
Leftovers: Snitchin' Ain't Bitchin'
• Ex-Rick Mariano lawyer Nino Tinari is now a consultant with Philip Chartock's defense team, who are now saying Mariano was simply a thief and not someone who could have been bribed. There are so many stories that you just can't make up today. It's been too much. [Inky]
• Despite all this, here's the headline of the day: "NFL Great's Relative Admits Having Sex With Student." Yes, and it's George Halas' great-nephew. That's a bit of a stretch. [NBC 10]
• How do you publicize next month's Phillymag issue? Why, you publish the article about Donald Trump online, because what we really need is to read more about him! The kicker, though: The article's effing detailed, well-sourced and actually just tremendously interesting. One of the better things I've read in a while. Yes, I know. Black is white, and down is up. I can't figure out what the hell's going on, either. [Phillymag]
• Ex-MTV jock Chris Booker is headed to Q102, and the straight ladies and the gay men scream. Meanwhile, everyone else is like, "Holy shit! Q102 still exists?" [Inky]
• This story has everything: A ridiculous interpretation of spelling bee rules, a lot of angry parents, a lot of angry parent backlash and a newspaper editor accusing another newspaper of doing hack jobs on the spelling bee his paper sponsored. It's the scandal of the century in the Lehigh Valley! [A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago]
• A woman in Bucks County has topped that whole newsstand stealing thing: She stole a whole house. She didn't get a crane to pick it up or anything, though -- check fraud is not nearly as cool. [AP/Inky]
Posted by D-Mac at 04:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Blogging Panel Brouhaha
Oh, boo.
There was going to be a panel at Equality Forum, which begins next week, highlighting issues in LGBT blogging/new media, and the guest list was fairly impressive: an Annenberg prof, the ME of the Inquirer, and three bloggers - Pam Spaulding, John Aravosis and Jeff Gannon.
This was going to be a trip, since Aravosis has been one of Gannon's biggest critics, and Gannon has replied in turn in his column in the Washington Blade. Gannon, you may remember, was the "reporter," who, with no experience, got himself a White House press pass. His organization, Talon News, wasn't, uh, a real news organization. And Aravosis happened to expose him as a male escort in February of last year.
And, so, Gannon and Aravosis were both going to speak on the same panel, and presumably it would come up. But, unfortunately (for those of us who love this kind of shit), Aravosis and Spaulding have cancelled their appearances on the panel.
They did so because, according to their blog posts, the Gannon issue wasn't going to be one of the focal points of the panel. You might ask why, then, bother? And since Aravosis and Spaulding didn't wish to be on a panel where the "conservative gay blogger" was represented by Gannon, they pulled out. (Me, I'd be on a panel with Captain Crunch, despite his lack of journalistic credentials, if only to get to meet the Cap'n. But I understand their reasons for pulling out.)
So there won't be an almost certainly hilariously awkward (and informative) discussion of Gannon's roles as a faux journalist and a gay prostitute. But, y'know, if you really want to meet Inquirer Managing Editor Anne Gordon, the event is free.
Update, 6:30 p.m.: Equality Forum has responded with a press release, which you can see over at All Spin Zone. More on this tomorrow. Unless I forget.
Media Panel: Blogs [Equality Forum]
A Man called Jeff [AMERICAblog]
I canceled my appearance on the upcoming panel with Gannon/Guckert, the homophobic White House Republican prostitute accused of plagiarism [AMERICAblog]
Why I won't be on panel in Philly [Pam's House Blend]
Posted by D-Mac at 03:36 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
NBC 10 Asks The Important Questions
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I'm a little wary of a poll that doesn't distinguish between coulrophobics and recovering coulrophobics
NBC 10
Coulrophobia [Answers.com]
Posted by D-Mac at 01:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Don't Buy That TransPass Just Yet
Oh, those blasted high gas prices. With gas now approximately $45 a gallon (and rising), more and more people are turning to public transit.
In Washington, D.C., last Thursday was the sixth-busiest day in the history of the Metrorail service. In Salt Lake City, ridership on a light rail service is up 50 percent. In Tulsa, trips are up 28 percent since the start of the year. And in San Franscisco, ridership are up since the fiscal year's beginning.
And, in Philadelphia...
SEPTA is not experiencing a rush of new commuters trying to escape high gas prices, nor does it expect to.
The transit agency has been down this route before, says spokesman Richard Maloney, including during the gas lines of the '70s. And the long-term lesson is that a lot of people will simply bear the cost to drive.
Gee. I wonder why people aren't flocking to the system. I wonder...
Commuters Staying in Their Cars Despite Fuel Prices, Says SEPTA [KYW 1060]
Drivers switch to public transit [USA Today]
Photo via dalig.blog
Posted by D-Mac at 01:22 PM | Comments (64) | TrackBack
Special Delivery!
There are no state laws against delivering pizza and dead bodies in the same vehicle.
And why should there be? Who's going to... Oh, right. Okay, so a Philadelphia man (naturally) was fired from his pizza delivery job in Feasterville, Bucks County (naturally) because, when he wasn't delivering pizzas, he was delivering dead bodies.
He didn't tell his boss this, but he happened to be pulled over by a police officer for an expired inspection sticker. The cop noticed the trash and gurney in the back -- no, he wasn't delivering both pizza and bodies at the same time -- and asked him what he was doing:
Lower Southampton Officer Robert Freedman stopped the Buick for an expired inspection sticker about 3 p.m. Friday, while Bethel was in the middle of his third or fourth Domino's delivery. According to his report, Freedman ran a check of the vehicle and found out that Bethel was driving with a suspended license.
Noticing the gurney and a bag of trash and wet clothing in the same area in the front where the pizzas had been placed, Freedman questioned Bethel about the items, the report said.
Bethel said that when he wasn't delivering pizzas for Domino's, he was transporting bodies in the same vehicle, Freedman's report said.
Police impounded the Buick and left the pizzas and sodas alone.
Wait, it gets better. If being fired wasn't bad enough for William Bethel, he then gets made fun of by his mom at the end of the article:
Bethel's mom, Toni Kijak, who used to transport live people for her own limousine service, burst out laughing as she read the police report about her son.
“This whole thing is ludicrous,” she said. “You were wrong, Billy, driving a car with no inspection.”
“Go ahead, Mom, laugh it up,” he responded.
Bethel, of course, wants to be a mortician.
I give up. I can't write any jokes that can top this actual story. Well, okay, a reader sent in this one: What if he got the deliveries mixed up? Well, kids, let's just open our pizza and AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!
Double deliveries draw attention [Bucks County Courier Times]
Photo by B.J. Winslow Props, which rents this thing. Awesome.
Posted by D-Mac at 12:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Another Circus Coming To South Philly
Ringling Brothers isn't the only circus that's taking place at the sports complex in South Philly. On May 12-13, a Christian music rally called Battlecry will be at the Wachovia Spectrum.
Now, a Christian music rally is scary for two reasons: One, of course, is that it's Christian music. When you're trying to think of good Christian music and you're only coming up with a couple Christmas songs and that cool song we sung at my Confirmation, it's a pretty frightening event. (Although, of course, this is still a million times better than the circus.)
The group is run by a bunch of evangelical Christians who have the usual strange "War on Christians" fears, when in fact the entire country is pretty danged Christian -- see: "The War on Christmas" -- and they also (2) attack the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. So color me a little skeptical, although the motives behind the event are probably good and chaste.
Oh, and, uhh, it's called "Battle Cry." That's very Christian, I suppose.
Battlecry [via Can't Stop The Bleeding]
Stu Bykofsky | Wouldn't be a circus without elephants... would it? [DN]
Posted by D-Mac at 12:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
John Street Caption Contest
Scanned in from today's Metro, a photo by Rikard Larma:
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The balls Mayor Street was juggling are just out of the picture here. Still, that's quite a way to get a crowd's attention.
Posted by D-Mac at 11:31 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Quickies: Long Beautiful Hair
• Noted bald Phillymag editor Larry Platt and PW's own Steve Volk now have bald guy synergy! Yeah, yeah. Me and the city's long-haired female reporters talk about how many times -- 100, each side -- we should brush our hair every night all the time. [Daily News, fourth item]
• Phew. Just when you thought the Phillies might actually put together an honest-to-goodness winning streak, they go and lose, 7-6, last night. [AP/Yahoo!]
• The gas crisis finally hits home: Pizza places might start charging more for delivery. Ooh, now you've hit me where it hurts, oil companies! [Bucks County Courier Times]
Posted by D-Mac at 11:17 AM | Comments (57) | TrackBack
Abridged 'Daily News' Columnists
Jill Porter: Oooh, that tipster may finally be getting her reward, but spelling John Apeldorn's name wrong will not soon be forgotten... or forgiven!
Posted by D-Mac at 09:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Talk About Hot News
In what is most certainly be the best crime ever so far this year, on Sunday a man stole six newsstands.
The man, Ofatai King, hired a crane to take six newstands that weren't his and move them to locations where he had applied for newsstand permits but hadn't gotten approval.
And it's not just that: In addition to just stealing newsstands from hard-working people, he didn't even move them in any way that made sense: A stand from Cottman and Bustleton was moved to 52nd and Chestnut, while a stand from 13th and Market went to Bridge and Pratt.
He actually had hired the crane company to do it to additional newsstands on Monday night, but it was stopped before more stands were moved.
You don't even need to write any jokes about this. It's just too confusing. And already funny enough.
Extra! Extra! Stands stolen! [Daily News]
Posted by D-Mac at 09:28 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Breaking: Radio Station Pulls Stunt
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"Oh my God! A radio station selling gas for the same price as their number on the dial! This has never happened before! Better make it the lead story!"
Gas Sold For 93 Cents In Radio Promotion [NBC 10]
Posted by D-Mac at 09:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 25, 2006
Leftovers: More Gas Pains
• Did You Know: An average PGW customer pays $357 to pay for gas for people who can't pay for it. Well, that and deadbeats. Eh. We'd just waste it all on pot and strippers anyway. [Daily News]
• Speaking of pot, the recent FDA report on medical marijuana is, of course, bogus -- but that's not the real issue. Marijuana may very well be useless medically, but the government won't let any research take place to find out. (Hmm.) The real issue is, if political decisions trump medical ones at the FDA once, could it happen again, and again, and then what Tom Cruise wins the White House? We'll all be relying on releasing our thetans to get healed. [Slate]
• Since it was Unofficial Schadenfreude Day, here's an article that mentions the term. Everybody's doin' it! [Salon]
• A little ditty on loopholes and why they're good for society. Indeed! [The Morning News]
Posted by D-Mac at 04:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Canadians, Yucaipas And Robot Cars, Oh My!
As the year continues, we're getting closer to having a new owner for the Inquirer and Daily News -- although no one really knows who's in the lead to buy those papers, the rest of the PNI assets and the other papers McClatchey will sell after acquiring them from Knight Ridder.
At the charge of all this (and doing a fine job) is Inquirer biz reporter Joseph DiStefano, who reported today that the Yucaipa/Newspaper Guild bid brought in some Wall Street backing if the deal were to go through. He also reported yesterday that, later this week, a group of Canadian newspaper investors will visit the two papers' offices at 400 N. Broad Street.
Pardon the pun, but: Canada, eh? Not bad. I'm not sure if it'd be good for the paper -- though it would certainly be nice for the Flyers beat guys -- but perhaps they could bring beavers or cold air masses or socialized health care. (Actually, the union's plan might as well be socialized health care. I long for a $5 co-pay.)
Canadians aside, PR Week recently asked DiStefano about what it's like to cover your own company's sale:
It is a little bit weird covering your own company when your own union is a player in trying to organize one of the several groups that's trying to buy the paper. That adds another level of weirdness onto it. But it's a lot of fun. I guess I'm the kind of person that, if I've got to go somewhere and it's a long trip, I'd rather be driving the car than [being] a passenger. You don't get there any sooner, but you have the illusion of control.
No control when you're the driver, hmm? DiStefano must have one of them robot cars. Those guys get all the perks over there.
Interview: Joseph DiStefano [PR Week]
Yucaipa brings Wall Street support for Inquirer-Daily News bid [Inky]
Canadian investors join Philly paper chase [Inky]
Posted by D-Mac at 03:52 PM | Comments (70) | TrackBack
Blogicized: It Is The East, And Craigslist Is The Sun
• Craigslist personals have gone poetic. And people say the Internet isn't the greatest invention ever. [Suburban Guerilla]
• Steve Martarano has returned to 610 WIP alongside The Cuz (sigh), and with him he brings this fact: Jon "Napoleon Dynamite" Heder is Via Sikahema's nephew. Awesome. [The 700 Level]
• Speaking sports, the Phillies jumped out to a 6-2 lead and held on by a run for their first two-game winning streak at home. Whoo! Start the parade down Broad right now, babeeee! [Phillies Nation]
Posted by D-Mac at 03:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Nothing To Say But... "Puppy!"
You have to watch until the part where he drops the frisbee off the pillow. It's adorable. If you can watch this and not go "Aww," you, sir or madam, must be a sadist. Or work for Phillymag. Not that they're mutually exclusive categories. Yeah, yeah.
Posted by D-Mac at 02:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A Solution To High Gas Price Woes
You've seen the endless news reports from all of the local stations: Gas is really, really expensive. Oil is over $70 a barrel, which reminds me of the time not so long ago when oil going over $50 was huge news. Eep.
And because of the ethanol switchover -- which is when you use corn as an additive to fuel, which I won't get in to so my head doesn't explode -- some gas stations are running out of gas altogether!
I sold my car a few months back, so I haven't had to purchase gas in a while, and the brouhaha is largely not something I have a huge concern about. My PGW and PECO bills, well, they're going up, also, and the price of energy on the whole seems to be on the rise altogether.
But there seems to be a solution: Just today a seven-mile oil sheen was seen in the Delaware Bay. It'll be cleaned up by the coast guard, but, man, seven miles -- why not package some of that up and sell it to the American consumer? That's how it works, right?
Bush Changes Oil Reserve Policy [CBS 3]
Seven-mile oil sheen spotted in Delaware Bay [Inky]
Posted by D-Mac at 02:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
One Simple Way To Save The 'Daily News'
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Don't burn $50 bills.
Posted by D-Mac at 12:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Dept. Of Bad Breaks
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A thug with a lengthy arrest record is again behind bars after he allegedly broke into Police Commissioner Sylvester John-son's car last week and stole his city-issued cell phone, police said. [...]"The commissioner knows it wasn't personal. It's just life in the city," said Sgt. Kimberly Byrd, Johnson's chief of staff.
Byrd described her boss' reaction to the crime as "even-keeled," noting that "no one escapes crime, not even the commissioner." [...]
Johnson keeps his car shiny and clean, "so it probably caught the kid's eye, and he tried to get something out of it," Byrd added.
So, basically, the way to avoid getting your car broken in to? Keep it nice and dirty. Thanks, commish.
Top cop victimized; man charges [Daily News]
Posted by D-Mac at 12:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
What's Today Good For?
From Good Day Philadelphia this morning:
Oh. It's a good day to eat lunch around noon. Thanks.
Posted by D-Mac at 11:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack