NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t

FRESH AIR In March, Twitter will turn five years old. The microblogging service — which now has an estimated 200 million users worldwide — has been used by heads of state, astronauts in outer space and protesters in Iran, Egypt and Tunisia trying to disseminate information after news media crackdowns in their respective countries. Twitter co-founder Biz Stone joins Fresh Air’s Terry Gross on Wednesday for a wide-ranging discussion about the service, including how it was used recently in Egypt to help organize the revolution and how it has been used to spread democracy movements in other countries. “How a […]

KITCHEN BITCH: Greatest Pot Roast Ever Made

BY MAVIS LINNEMANN Ah, the ubiquitous pot roast, the bane of American children everywhere. Leathery meat, thin, drippy sauce, soggy vegetables—a nasty meal I’ve met many times in my life. Luckily, my mom asked me to make a pot roast for the family a few weeks ago when I was home, or I never would have learned how wonderful a pot roast can be if done right. Thanks for putting me to work, Ma! I decided I was going to put my extensive (read: expensive) culinary training to use to make the reviled pot roast not only edible, but also […]

WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN: You’re Next Gadhafi!

BBC: Hundreds of people have clashed with police and pro-government supporters in the Libyan city of Benghazi, reports say. Eyewitnesses told the BBC the overnight unrest followed the arrest of an outspoken critic of the government. The lawyer was later said to have been released but the protests continued. Pro-democracy protests have swept through several Arab countries in recent weeks, forcing the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt from power. A call has been put out on the internet for protests across Libya on Thursday. There is no independent confirmation of the overnight protests in Benghazi, but eyewitnesses say that at […]

MADOFF: The Banks ‘Had To Know’

NEW YORK TIMES: But during a private two-hour interview in a visitor room here on Tuesday, and in earlier e-mail exchanges, he asserted that unidentified banks and hedge funds were somehow “complicit” in his elaborate fraud, an about-face from earlier claims that he was the only person involved. Mr. Madoff, who is serving a 150-year sentence, seemed frail and a bit agitated compared with the stoic calm he maintained before his incarceration in 2009, perhaps burdened by sadness over the suicide of his son Mark in December. Besides that loss, his family also has faced stacks of lawsuits, the potential […]

WTF: Your Daily Dose Of ‘I Can’t Believe It’s News’

— Nazi-esque anti-multiculturalism screed from Pat Buchanan tweeted approvingly by Domelights —John Boehner says too f*cking bad if people lose jobs from budget cuts –South Dakota bill would legalize killing of abortion providers –TUMBLR page collecting tweets of people bragging about their total ignorance of Arcade Fire in the wake of Album Of the Year Grammy win. (Rosie O’Donnell is on here a page or two in)

Freedom Just Another Word For Nothing Left To Lose

BOSTON GLOBE: The possible heirs of Egypt’s uprising took to the streets yesterday in several parts of the Mideast: Iran’s beleaguered opposition stormed back to central Tehran. Demonstrators demanded more freedom in Bahrain. And protesters in Yemen pressed for the ouster of their ruler.  The protests — all with important implications for Washington — offer an important lesson about how groups across the Middle East are absorbing the message from Cairo and tailoring it to their own aspirations. The heady themes of democracy, justice, and empowerment remain intact as the protest wave works it way through the Arab world and […]

All-Star Cast To Perform Big Star’s Sister Lovers Live

Big Star’s third album, Third/Sister Lovers, has long been revered by artists and critics as one of the most influential albums ever produced. Written and recorded when the legendary 70s band was primarily a studio project consisting of Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens, the third album was never been performed in public with the original string and wind orchestrations. That changed in December 2010, when an all-star band unearthed the original scores, assembled an orchestra and performed Big Star’s Third at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC. Performers that night included Jody Stephens (Big Star), Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Mitch Easter (Let’s […]

Priest Sex Abuse Lawsuit Filed Against Cardinals Rigali And Bevilacqua For Covering Up Child Rape

NBC PHILADELPHIA: Only days after three Philly priests and a teacher were charged with raping boys, a new lawsuit popped up against the archdiocese, accusing top church staff of conspiracy. A national advocacy group alleges that high-ranking Roman Catholic clergy in the Philadelphia Archdiocese conspired to cover up criminal acts by two priests who the group says sexually assaulted the same boy in the 1990s. Barbara Blaine of the group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said a lawsuit will be filed Monday naming archdiocesan officials and staffers, including Cardinal Justin Rigali and retired Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua. The group […]

THEATER REVIEW: Big Love At Temple

BY LAURA WESTERMAN On Friday evening, Temple University’s Tomlinson Theater saw the opening of Big Love, the Obie award-winning romantic comedy written by contemporary American playwright Charles Mee.  Written in 2000, Big Love adheres to Mee’s collage-like style of writing and represents a re-imagining of Aeschylus’ The Suppliant Women for a contemporary audience.  Directed by New Yorker Jill Harrison, the play will be running at Tomlinson Theater until February 20th. The play tells the story of 50 Greek sisters who flee to Italy in the hope of escaping their fate as soon-to-be wives.  With a cast of seven, Harrison focuses […]

FYI Radiohead To Release New Album On Saturday

NASTY LITTLE MAN: Radiohead announce the imminent release of their eighth studio album, The King Of Limbs. The band have begun taking pre-orders for The King Of Limbs exclusively from their website, www.radiohead.com; fans will be able to digitally download the album from as early as the end of this week, Saturday 19th February. For the next few weeks, the album will be exclusively available from the band’s site in two versions – digital download (either MP3 or WAV) and a special, made to order deluxe edition featuring 2 clear 10″ vinyl records, a CD, a digital download and exclusive […]

Philly Man Ends Knife-Wielding Maniac’s Crime Spree

[Photo viaNEW YORK POST] CNN: Authorities said Saturday that Gelman allegedly stabbed three people to death, hit and killed a man with a car, slashed at least five other people and carjacked two vehicles before he was wrestled to the ground early Saturday while attempting to break into the cab of a subway car. Gelman, 23, who is unemployed and known to authorities mostly as a graffiti artist, was arrested about 9 a.m. Saturday, about 28 hours after he allegedly began the spree spanning three New York boroughs, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said. “It’s so horrendous and bizarre,” Kelly told […]