Wikipedia Blasted For Its Accuracy

The always worthwhile Catherine Lucey chimes in with a little nugget from some anti-assault weapons press conference today:

The pols grew angry when an Inquirer reporter questioned whether the SKS Carbine was a true assault weapon, noting that the National Rifle Association disagreed with the classification and that a search on wikipedia.com would bring up information saying it was not.

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey then got into the mix. “I don’t care about wikipedia or any other kind of pedias,” he said. “It it’s not an assault weapon by definition, then add it to the freaking list.”

Rendell added, “if there’s any ambiguity, we will clear it up.”

It’s good to see the top police officer in Philadelphia has finally come out against the strong anti-’pedia lobby.

Nutter and Rendell rage about assault weapons [Clout]

Tool Library Solves Philly’s Problems

KYW 1060 did an upbeat little report on the West Philly Tool Library and didn’t even make any good Penn kid jokes.

Sadness! While the tool library sounds like an incredibly useful idea (until idiots ruin it, I’m sure), it’s not just the ability to cheaply get a tool you need without having to buy it that makes it useful. Check out what volunteer Stacey Hendricks says the tool library does:

“Philly’s had some down times. It’s time to get ourselves up by our bootstraps. It’s a lot harder to commit a violent crime against somebody who has helped you out.”

You all know the saying: Lend a man a tool, and he’ll bring it back in a week. Don’t lend a man a tool, and he’ll stab you on a streetcorner.

West Philadelphia Gets a Lending Library — For Shop Tools [KYW 1060]

Deaf Woman Scammed, Defamed

Recently in Bucks County, 41-year-old Nancy Hellyer was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for stealing $100,000 from a deaf couple in Upper Southampton.

Hellyer also convinced Heather Goldstein to quit her job with the IRS and come work for her. Her first paycheck bounced. The con artist clearly doesn’t deserve much pity, but I don’t think we need to make her any worse than she actually is and make all deaf people seem like incompetent rubes at the same time. Right?

The victims gave the judge a letter that was not read in open court, but [Judge Albert] Cepparulo noted that Heather Goldstein said in the letter that Hellyer convinced her to quit her job at the Internal Revenue Service to come work for her, but that her first paycheck bounced.

“Now, she can’t find a job because she is deaf. Think about that,” Cepparulo told Hellyer.

Our little con artist friend Nancy didn’t, um, make Goldstein deaf. Right?

And it seems to me that she’s been able to get at least two jobs: The one at the IRS, and the fake one that didn’t pay.

Woman gets up to 10 years for defrauding deaf couple [Bucks County Courier Times]

John Street A Serial Wheelchair Pretender

On Friday, John Street’s legs were kinda tired so he decided to spend the entire day in a wheelchair.

Okay, no, actually, Street wanted to see what it was like to be disabled, and he said he learned a lot about accessibility issues in City Hall from it. However, much like anything else Street does — say, waiting in line for an iPhone to show how in touch with technology this city is — instead of making him look concerned or sensitive, it just makes him look like an idiot.

“I’m having today a sensitivity experience. I’m going to be in this wheelchair all day. This is not the first time I’ve done this, but every time you do it, you really have a renewed appreciation for the problems associated with disability,” Street said. “Even though I’m voluntarily exposing myself to this limitation for the day, already it has been interesting.”

His quote is essentiually: “Even though I’m only doing this for a day, already it’s been interesting.” What, you have to do things for more than one day in order for them to be neat?

Mayor Street Spends The Day In A Wheelchair [CBS 3]
June 29: This Kind Of Sums Up Eight Years Of John Street

‘You May Sleep On A Bench, But I’m At 8 Percent!’

Everyone likes to complain about their financial situation. Even Bill Gates probably chews Warren Buffet’s ear off about how he’s only been able to buy three jets this week instead of his usual four. But Bill Gates wouldn’t complain to me about his Microsoft stock, and I wouldn’t complain to, oh, I don’t know, a homeless person.

And so, I present, Al Taubenberger’s quote to a group of homeless people at yesterday’s homeless rally.

“Wanna hear the title of a sad book? My check book.”

Al Taubenberger’s check book is probably not as big as Michael Nutter’s. But, hey, he has a check book.

Tune in tomorrow, when Taubenberger addresses a group of wildfire victims in California who lost their house and complains about how he could really use a new bathroom.

Friday Morning Wake-Up [Metropolis]
Yesterday: Go Rally To Fight Rich Fat Cat Homeless People

N.J. Rep. To Lose Seat Next Election

New Jersey congressman Jim Saxton on the Democrats’ criticism of him for his planned vote to uphold President Bush’s veto on SCHIP:

Saxton added that he believes the American people are “too smart” to be fooled by the criticism directed against him.

Jim Saxton thinks the American people are “too smart” for something? Damn, he’s even stupider than your average American.

Saxton remains steadfast on SCHIP issue [Burlington County Times]

New Gang To Terrorize Military Impostors

Before ex-Atlantic City mayor Bob Levy went into hiding, he was under fire for claiming to be a Green Beret when he wasn’t, in fact, a Green Beret. Apparently people who actually earn roles in the Green Berets or certain medals get a little pissy when people who didn’t win the Medal of Honor or whatever claim they did.

Somehow, saying you won a military medal and didn’t can actually get you sent to prison! (Because it’s not like we have freedom of speech to lie in this country or anything, unless you’re in government. Levy, incidentally, is under investigation he received military benefits he wasn’t eligible for.) And, apparently, if you mess with the Green Berets, you’re going to get shot or something:

“I told him he would have been wiser to mess with the Bloods or the Crips. I told him he was messing with the baddest gang in all the world. Our colors are forest green and olive drab. We are the men of the U.S. Army’s Special Forces.”

Are you kidding me? The Green Berets are a badder gang than the Cavity Creeps? I mean, sure, they fight on the front lines of war or whatever, but do they make holes in your teeth?

On a side note, I bet if the Green Berets began trafficking drugs like other gangs, they’d have the best weed ever. I mean, they’re the Green Berets.

How mayor of A.C. was exposed [Inquirer]

Ridiculous Web Comments Proven Awesome, Legal

From your friend and mine, Anthony DiMeo:

“Without a doubt, Tucker Max has exploited my good name and image, and he and his following have published scurrilous lies about me on his Web site . . . I did not file the DiMeo v. Max lawsuit out of vengeance but to stop further damage to my good name, character and solid reputation.”

U.S. Court of Appeals Third Circuit dismissed DiMeo’s appeal of his lawsuit against Tucker Max for a hillion jillion dollars or whatever. You hear that, Mark B. Cohen and your penis? Inane, angry ridiculous commenters always win! Now somebody get me Alycia Lane in a bikini.

A break for bloggers [Daily News]

Camden County Town On Verge Of Boom

Mayor Gary Passanante will unveil Somerdale’s new town logo and position statement at noon Saturday. “This is a very exciting time for our community. With the redevelopment of CooperTowne Center (formerly Lions Head Plaza) beginning, Wal-Mart slated to come in to town and our new town logo, this will put us on the map,” Passanante said.

New logo to be unveiled during Somerdale Day [Camden Courier-Post]

SEPTA Owns Philadelphia Once Again

Hey, remember a few months ago, when SEPTA got all that cash from Harrisburg, and everything was going to move swimmingly for the transit agency for a while, especially since transfers would not be eliminated?

Well, right. You knew this was coming. Since SEPTA wasn’t allowed to eliminate transfers, it’s going to raise fares a bit. Tokens will go from $1.30 to $1.45 and transfers will go from 60 cents to 75.

Metro’s article about the rate hike contains this little back and forth between SEPTA and the city.

• “Our riders know what the best deals are,” Chief Ridership Officer John McGee Jr. said. “We’re getting e-mails from customers who said they won’t be buying passes.”
• “What do they believe are the majority and minority streets?” City Solicitor Romulo Diaz said. “I have never heard such a canard. The legal responsibility of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect routes. It protects people.”

Yes! The legal responsibility of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect routes! Take, that, Chief Ridership Officer! I still do want to know who are the people emailing SEPTA, sending snickering emails: “Hey jerks! I’m not going to buy any passes! I didn’t have time to do a ‘Leave Britney alone’ parody video, so here’s a LOLcat.”

Take a HIKE [Metro]