From To Every Thing a Season: Shibe Park and Urban Philadelphia, 1909-1976 By Bruce Kuklick:
DOPE: Finding A New Thrill On Pill Hill
BY JEFF DEENEY FOR THE DAILY BEAST If you want to know which prescription drugs are trading on the black market, take a ride up to 17th and Jefferson in North Philadelphia, aka “Pill Hill,” a corner dedicated to the sale of diverted pharmaceuticals. These days on Pill Hill, there’s a good chance you’ll get sold some Seroquels, also known on the street as ’Quells or Suzie-Qs. A powerful antipsychotic intended to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, Seroquel can have serious side effects including diabetes, a permanent Parkinson’s-like palsy called tardive dyskinesia, and sudden cardiac death. Despite this, it’s increasingly […]
RANT: A Pox Upon The House Of Yankees!
BY HEWHOCANNOTBENAMED Be it hereby announced. A pox upon all of your houses for your Yankee fandom. While I am ordinarily a Yankee-hater, John has fueled a new level of hate and vitriol in me because he called me last night and said “Man, it’s been soooo long since the Yankees have been in the World Series.” To me. A Cubs fan. And didn’t see a hint of irony in it. I hope A-Rod’s arm falls off and Cashman quits to be replaced by Steve Phillips. I hope senile old George Steinbrenner breaks out of the nursing home bed he’s strapped […]
State Department Official/Ex-Marine Resigns Over Afghanistan Policy, Says War Is Over If You Want It
[Artwork by SHEPARD FAIREY] WASHINGTON POST: Hoh’s journey — from Marine, reconstruction expert and diplomat to war protester — was not an easy one. Over the weeks he spent thinking about and drafting his resignation letter, he said, “I felt physically nauseous at times.” His first ambition in life was to become a firefighter, like his father. Instead, after graduation from Tufts University and a desk job at a publishing firm, he joined the Marines in 1998. After five years in Japan and at the Pentagon — and at a point early in the Iraq war when it appeared to […]
AUDIT BUREAU: Newspaper Circulations In Free Fall
EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Circulation at many of the country’s largest newspapers continued a steep slide as the Audit Bureau of Circulations Monday morning released the latest figures for the six months ending September 2009 — proving yet again that the industry can’t shake the dramatic declines that have taken hold over the past several years. On a comparable basis, ABC reported that for the 379 newspapers filing with the organization, average daily circulation plunged 10.6% to 30,395,652 — one of the most severe drops in overall circulation. The Philadelphia Inquirer currently ranks 10th nationwide with a daily circulation of 361,480. […]
EARLY WORD: Making Time Thriller 3000
Saturday night with Simian Mobile Disco. Details HERE.
IT’S IN THERE: Public Option Added To Senate Bill
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Fueling momentum behind the push for a new government insurance plan, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Monday that his healthcare bill will include a compromise that would create a nationwide “public option,” while giving states the option to “opt out” of such a plan. “The public option is not a silver bullet, (but) I believe it’s an important way to ensure competition and to level the playing field for patients with the insurance industry,” Reid told reporters. “Under this concept, states will be able to decide what works for them.” Reid sent the proposal to […]
STYLE COUNCIL: Michelle Ma Belle
[Photos by ASHLEY MYERS] Michelle Garrett, 23, Temple University Student, works at Bella Boutique On her personal style: “I mostly shop at thrift stores — Super Thrift (Port Richmond Shopping Center on Aramingo Ave.), Circle Thrift, Madewell, and Zara — but I like mixing new accent pieces into my wardrobe.” Favorite Accessories: Necklace from Anthropologie. Chloé Bag, bought second hand at Bella Boutique, 4th and South Current Look She’s Likin’: Oversized blazers with boyfriend jeans and neon accents you can find them at J. Crew and Madewell
TONIGHT: Phillies Lose, Eagles Win!
BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY Phils Lose! Sort of. It would have been nice for the Phillies if the Angels could have found a way to beat the Yankees in Game 6 last night. This would have set up a Game 7 tonight in which each team would have turned to their ace pitcher. Then C.C.Sabathia (or John Lackey, had the Angels won) would get one less turn against the Phillies in the World Series. As it is, Sabathia may start against the Phils in Games 1, 4 and 7 (if necessary). Tough task against one of the most dominant […]
Those Who Forget History Are Already Repeating It
The 1930s collection examines America’s response to the unprecedented economic crisis that threatened the nation during one of history’s most tumultuous decades — a decade that is increasingly a touchstone for our own. In a series of five films, this AMERICAN EXPERIENCE explores politics and culture during the Great Depression through eyewitness accounts and rare archival footage. The 1930s (which will air locally on WHYY TV starting tonight at 9 PM and runs for the next five Monday nights) touches on themes straight from the 2009 news headlines — beginning with the problems with banking security, stock market manipulation, and […]
ROKY ERICKSON: I Walked With A Zombie
WIKIPEDIA: Roky Erickson (born Roger Kynard Erickson on July 15, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, harmonica player and guitarist from Texas. He was a founding member of the 13th Floor Elevators and pioneer of the psychedelic rock genre.[1] The Elevators were vocal proponents of mescaline (peyote), LSD, and marijuana use, and were subject to extra attention from police. In 1969, Erickson was arrested for possession of one marijuana joint in Austin. Facing a ten-year prison term, Erickson pled not guilty by reason of insanity. He was first sent to the Austin State Hospital. After several escapes, he was sent […]
WORLD SERIES: Yankees Hotel Foxtrot
NEW YORK TIMES: When they were new stars at an old park, the baseball season rarely ended until they were done playing. Now the Yankees’ core is older, the park is new and the World Series is no longer a birthright. But the stage is theirs again. After a six-year wait, Derek Jeter and the Yankees are back in the World Series, vanquishing the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, 5-2, to win the American League Championship Series, four games to two.It is the 40th pennant for the Yankees, who will host the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of […]
DEENEY: Did DHS Let Charlenni Ferreira Die?
BY JEFF DEENEY Some clarifying details are emerging in the Charlenni Ferreira case, changing the picture slightly from initial reports but still not providing enough information to determine if DHS bares some culpability in the 10 year old girl’s horrific death. It appears now that two school nurses at two different schools picked up on Charlenni’s abuse history and took interventive measures that were ineffectual, as both times Charlenni was seen by doctors who were ambivalent about whether the girl was currently being abused. The first nurse to encounter the girl in 2006 followed standard reporting procedures and contacted DHS. […]