Headline of the day

Unsurprisingly, this school is not in Northeast Philadelphia.

School gets gay-themed books [Trenton Times]
Yesterday: Open closemindedness

The truth about cats and dogs

Over in Pennsauken — which apparently does have life outside the Pennsauken Auto-Mart (Who knew?) — there’s an animal shelter that must have 90 animals adopted by the end of the year. (It’s because the facility must be renovated due to criminal and administrative charges brought against it, but that kind of ruins the story, so let’s just move on.)

Anywho, there’s a really cute kitty photo at the start of the story, and there’s also an online gallery of some of the doggies that need to be adopted. Naturally I clicked through, only to be disappointed at photo after photo of ugly, ugly dogs. (Maybe you like Terrier/Bulldog mixes. Maybe you are an idiot.) I’m sure they’re all nice and loving slobbery dogs, and I hope they get adopted, but come on — where are the beagles, the cavaliers, the golden retrievers and the mutts that are actually cute! (They exist. I’ve seen them before.)

Anyway, there was one really intriguing photo that I’ll reproduce here:

Yeah. That’s a dalmation/American bulldog mix. Weird.

Wanted: Loving homes [Camden Courier Post]
Pets up for adoption [Camden Courier Post]

The truth about the Daily News

Yesterday evening, the charges against the Penn student who took the photo of the two students having sex against their dorm window were dropped by the University.

The Penn student newspaper, the Daily Pennsylvanian says that the media attention brought to the case was instrumental in having the charges against the student dropped, especially the cover of the Daily News yesterday.

The DP even talked to Daily News reporter Regina Medina, who wrote the story, and she clued us all in on how things work over there:

“When there’s nude photos and free speech involved,” Medina said, “the Daily News is there, up front and personal.”

Yep. The ol’ combo of nude photos and free speech. Rock on, Daily News. Keep the hits coming.

Photographer escapes charges [DP]
Media attention pressured officials to dismiss charges [DP]
Yesterday: Forgotten sex photo suddenly front page news

I think you all knew this joke was coming

The news came out yesterday that Comcast is raising rates to an average of $47 a month for basic cable, which means everyone’s going to be paying at least $100 for cable/internet when everything is factored in:

Comcast Corp. is raising the rate on its most popular cable package by an average of 6 percent next year in all markets, the most aggressive hike among the nation’s largest cable operators.

The cost for Comcast’s expanded basic package will rise to an average of about $47.70 as early as Jan. 1, the company has confirmed. Nearly all the company’s 21.4 million cable subscribers nationwide will see an increase, since the expanded basic plan is the building block upon which digital services are added.

Time Warner Cable, the nation’s second largest cable operator, is raising rates by an average 3.1 percent on its expanded basic package and 1.9 percent on its limited basic plan. Time Warner Cable, owned by New York-based Time Warner Inc., serves nearly 11 million subscribers in 27 states.

All together now: Cable rate increases — they’re Comcastic!

Comcast Enacting Nation’s Biggest Cable Rate Hike [NBC 10]

Blogicized: Speading rumors is more fun than getting angry

• Manny to the Phillies? If you don’t know who “Manny” is, it’s okay. If you do, don’t matter: He’s not going to Philadelphia. [Beerleaguer]

• Whose day isn’t improved by some unsubstantiated gossip about Laguna Beach? Nobody’s, that’s who. [Tinapopo]

• No, whose day is improved by a rant against said “reality” television and TV in general? Eh, maybe a few of you. [Fables of the Reconstruction]

• And, speaking of angry, the title to this post: City Hall - Painted Whore of Babylon. Okay. [Blankbaby]

Tom Green returns!

I don’t know what the meaning of bum is in this headline, but I don’t think I wanna learn.

‘Bum Hunting’ Lands Three Teens In Court [CBS 3]

Mariano returns, votes for Ethics bill, nobody laughs

So City Council convened today and passed a whopping five ethics bills, which means that now they can be perhaps signed by John Street — that’s where the bills go post-Council — and then ignored by everyone. But, hey, it’s something.

Returning to Council today was Rick Mariano, who didn’t speak to reporters (natch), but made a statement on the floor — which unsurprisingly wasn’t “I resign”:

“Thank you, madam president. I have one bill and two resolutions, and I just want to say it’s nice to be back on part of the legislative process.”

Whoo! Rick Mariano, back with a vengeance! Or not.

First Day Back In Council, Mariano Votes on Ethics Reform [KYW 1060]

Philly Zoo ups cuteness level

Courtesy of Action News, we have a photo of the new cute baby pumas that they just received:

Aw. It’s no puppy or red panda, but it’ll do.

Update: Thanks to commenter Dan — and, honestly, I can’t believe I missed it — a line from the Action News story: “Action News got the only glimpse of the 4-month-old playful pussies (felines) that were orphaned in South Dakota’s Black Hills.” Me-OW!

Puma Cubs Pounce Into Zoo [6 ABC]

If I ever get fired, I’m starting a blog about it

When we last left Donald True Van Deusen — contributing editor of the Weekly Press — he was waxing esoteric about alt-weeklies in the city, saying that they (we?) routinely “pour forth scatological terminology in headlines and body copy,” which I’m pretty sure is just, uhm, not true. As far as I know.

He hadn’t really done a shitty column until this week’s Weekly Press, where he unleashed this fury on us (it’s not online, so you can thank me for the transcription, and all bolding is mine):

There have been countless editorials singing the praises of jazz — many of them in newspapers that no longer report or feature the music. Every time some new pop music takes hold — from rock & roll to hip hop — much of the news media tends to play it up as not only the new music for America, but the only form worth devoting space to for their readers.

Philadelphia’s Metro, for example, just a few months ago, dropped its jazz column. As it happens, I wrote the column, but this is not a question of dropping me as a writer, but dropping any jazz column as a feature regardless of who wrote it.

He then goes on to quote an e-mail from his Metro editor, write about why jazz is loved by all young people in America and that — oh, ho — jazz will stand defiant against the Metro and survive without it!

I agree. But somehow I think the Metro will survive without Donald’s jazz columns. Just a scatalogical hunch.

Sept. 29: The Weekly Press, bastion of journalism

To be honest, I’m jealous

Despite my qualms, letters like this are what make Northeast Philadelphia great (all emphasis mine):

I’m sick of politicians who do nothing for the good of the country unless it’s for the good of their party.

I’m sick of the money spent arguing about whose fault it was that caused the debacle after Katrina. Why not do what needs to be done and forget about blame? It’s all about which party to blame.

I’m sick of felons being treated like celebrities after spending time in jail, even being offered a TV show. Doesn’t that teach our children that crime pays?

I’m sick of TV. Every time I turn it on, someone’s boobs hit me in the face. Now, even newscasters are showing theirs, especially Channel 6.

Last but not least, I am sick of listening to people trying to take God out of schools and the Pledge of Allegiance. Perhaps it’s God that we need in our lives. It would certainly make it a better world to live in.
Bonnie Long
Fox Chase

I want to know what kind of television she has, so I can go buy one.

Here’s what makes her sick and tired [Northeast Times]