An Apt Description Of England

In today’s New York Times: “[A] country that delights in lavatory humor.”

No Snickering [NYT]

‘Inquirer’ Just Short Of ‘Times’

Oh, we feel for Chris Krewson, the Inquirer’s online editor. For reasons like the above, from his Twitter. [via]

Doug Glanville, A Hall Of Famer Somewhere

A nice piece of science fiction from former Penn star/Phillies centerfielder Doug Glanville was in his column in, um, The New York Times.

Imagine, for instance, if they eliminated the fences and made the distance between bases 75 feet instead of 90 feet. Home run hitters would be marginalized and speed would become a dominant force. Who knows? If I had played under those modifications, I might have been able to call this column “Reflections of a Hall of Fame Legend.”

Hmm. Before this column I had never thought of an alternate universe where Doug Glanville is a Hall of Famer, up is down, green is red and night is day. I wonder if it would be the anarcho-capitalist utopia I’m imagining it to be.

Doubleday and Darwin [NYT]

Other ‘PW’ Blogger One-Ups Me

It appears both current Philadelphia Weekly bloggers were in the news over the weekend as Liz Spikol was written up in the New York Times over the weekend.

Geeze, you’d think it’s 2006 with all these stories on bloggers. What’s next, another racehorse who breaks his leg in the Triple Crown? Er.

And, yes, if you haven’t seen it, here’s my clip on the Friday 10 o’clock news.

‘PW’ In The ‘NYT’!

Well, kinda.

Pennsylvanians go to the polls [New York Times]

Black Man Supports Hillary Clinton

Hey, did you know that both Barack Obama and Michael Nutter are black? Yes, I know, now that racism no longer exists it’s hard to remember who’s black and who’s white nowadays, but both the frontrunner for the presidential election and the current mayor of Philadelphia have a high melanin count.

And, what do you know, Nutter is supporting Hillary Clinton, who is not only not male but is white!

Vivian McCabe, a grandmother, neighborhood block captain and supporter of both Mr. Nutter and Mr. Obama, expressed the frustration in a sidewalk interview the other day. “I was shocked,” she said, referring to Mr. Nutter’s endorsement of Mrs. Clinton. “Not because he’s black, but — I was just looking at him to…” She paused. “What words should I use?” she said. She could not come up with any.

How do we describe why people are surprised at the black mayor supporting a white candidate without mentioning race? Damn, I don’t think we can! And when will Bob Brady support Hillary Clinton (his fellow white person) like he’s supposed to!

A Mayor in the Obama Mold, but Backing Clinton [NYT]

What Are These So-Called ‘Cheese’ Fries?

PW’s Alli Katz noticed the strange culinary taste of a New York Times reporter, who is apparently mystified by these “pizza pies” as well:

Question to our Keystone State readers: What is it with this Pennsylvania fetish for bizarre world food combinations? In Johnstown, this New Yorker encountered the artery-clogging prospect of cheese-fries.

Cheese fries! I’m about the pickiest eater there is (natch) and even I don’t think cheese fries are all that strange of a food. Does the NYT’s Michael Powell know that some people eat cow tongue?

Update: Wait a sec. “And in Philadelphia, my college son Nick tells me they serve up a sandwich called the Roethlisberger, named after the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback[.]” That doesn’t make any sense. Where do they serve the Roethlisberger in Philadelphia?

NYT Reporter Mystified By Cheese Fries [Independence Brawl]

Dead Dogs, Bad Cops & Thieving City Workers

Obligatory first sentence about media attention paid to Alycia Lane followed by a segue into a bullet-point list of recent people committing funny crimes. KYW 1060 does the same thing but sums it up with a headline: 3 Area High Schools Affected by Unrelated Incidents.

• Philadelphia police officer Malik Snell was arrested for allegedly being the getaway man for a home invasion. See, here’s who shoulda been punched! [Daily News]

• An assistant to Donna Reed Miller was arrested for extortion. Theresa Pinkett allegedly extorted $5,000 and a cell phone in exchange for providing assistance on real estate issues while providing constituent services for Miller. So… Theresa Pinkett is basically “taxes.” [Philadelphia Business Journal]

• The Turnpike Authority dropped a lawsuit against a pair of dead motorists it sued for damage to the roadway. Blah blah outrage blah blah blah. Whatever. I want to be able to sue Barbaro and he’s dead. [Phillyburbs]

• Iraq security firm Blackwater murdered the New York Times‘ dog. OMFG now the people will finally be pissed at Blackwater, not like when they killed humans. [Wonkette]

‘NYT’ Combines Cute Puppies, Strong Narrative Journalism Into One Amazing Mashup Of Awesomeness

This calls for an ‘aww’ and a ‘yay.’

Aww! Yay! In Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, Jon Mooallem wrote about the new “designer dog” trend, i.e. the crossbreeding of two breeds in attempt to create a better dog and/or scam the public out of money. It’s quite good, and I figured I’d bring it to your attention.

It has good reporting, good writing and photos — like that cute cockapoo — and descriptions of doggies. Almost perfect.

The Modern Kennel Conundrum [NYT]

‘NYT’ Just As Stupid As That Woman Who Canceled Her Honeymoon Because Of Barbaro

New York Times website, top story, smack dab in the center:

Headlines directly below Barbaro story: “Insurgents Battle Somali Forces in Capital,” “President of Paramount to Leave After Brief Term,” “Coughlin to Return as Giants Coach,” “Starting New Term, Chávez Defends Recent Moves,” “Spitzer Office Finds E-Mail Can Be Revealing,” “Trade Deficit Improves for Third Straight Month,” “‘Munsters’ Star Yvonne De Carlo Dies.”

Okay, maybe Barbaro is the biggest story.

Barbaro Suffers ‘Significant Setback’ [NYT]