Obama To Make All Gas Free

Hey, let’s post some more political ads. Look, it’s some union PAC (or whatever) sponsoring an ad where people tell you gas prices are high and that Barack Obama will magically make them lower. So it’s essentially the same thing as that other Barack Obama ad, except this one is from an independent group.

Yes, he doesn’t take money from oil companies! We know that already! Now will you people just tell us if he hates America or not?

I Read Phillyblog So You Don’t Have To: A Chicken In Every Pot And A Dunkin Donuts On Every Corner

Ahh, Phillyblog. As Mark B. Cohen might write, Phillyblog is “one of the most important media in Philadelphia today.” Oh, wait, he did write that.

Yes, indeedy, the last time I mentioned Phillyblog — and State Rep. Mark B. Cohen’s wish to have a “Phillyblog Day” — the faithful AOL For Dummies reader responded via comment, saying that Phillyblog members “are a major news source that professional journalists ignore at their peril.”

If there’s one thing I absolutely do not want, it is to be put in perilous situation simply by ignoring an Internet messageboard. But I care about you, dear reader, I really do. And I don’t want you — professional journalist or otherwise — to be put in said perilous situation. With that in mind, today Philadelphia Will Do launches “I Read Phillyblog So You Don’t Have To,” a weekly look at one of the most important mediums in Philadelphia today. If you see an excellent Phillyblog thread (excellent for whatever reason) and think it’d fit in IRPSYDHT (prounounced “eye-rock-paper-scissors-why-D-hat”), simply send an email to dmac@philadelphiawilldo.com.

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Leftovers: Sex, Lies & Videotape

• Story of, perhaps, the year, courtesy of Dan Gross: NBC 10 traffic reporter John Ogden was handcuffed and it was caught on video. (He ended up not being charged with anything — “wrong place, wrong time” it seems.) But the actual best part of it was that CBS 3 bought the video without knowing Ogden was in it. They say they’re not going to air it, which is good for the contest-winning traffic reporter, but bad for the other 1.4 million Philadelphians. [DN]

• I’m going to try to link this story about “city girl” speak without, like, writing some sort of city girl speak. Wait… d’oh! [New York Observer]

• An update: The meeting between John Street and James Kenney was not just them, it was a four-way with Bob Brady and Frank DiCicco. Ew, that’s nasty. [DN]

• Rumor of the Day: Judy Miller is going to be writing for Atlantic Monthly. And Steve Glass has the cover in the next issue of, uh, N+1. [Gawker]

• This article in Slate about how drug testing doesn’t deter students from drug usage is good, but I love the caption on the stock photograph even better: “A student smokes a joint.” [Slate]

• People are so scared of peak oil — the idea that, essentially, we’re going to run out — they’re acquiring land in the desert to start new lives when the shit hits the fan. Uh, I’ll continue being not stupid, thank you very much. [Salon]

• The prostitute/”real estate agent” who was allegedly murdered by a bouncer was dismembered after her death, according to testimony. And then a 17-year-old allegedly shot the bouncer. Wow. [NBC 10]

No blood for oil

Okay, I touched on this last week, but I don’t think I really expressed the sheer awesomeness of it: Low-income families are getting cheap oil from a crazy man who hates President Bush. (Is it a rule that all dissent-stifling leaders have to be borderline insane? I’m including Our Fearless Leader in this question, too.)

A discussion of how power corrupts aside, socialist Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and his state-controlled oil company have shipped five million gallons of heating oil and lowered the price by 40 percent, in a deal brokered by a non-profit and Rep. Chaka Fattah.

A strange PR move for Chávez, especially since I’m not quite sure when Philadelphians will be voting in elections in South America, but hey, what do I know. Some on the right are angry about Joe Kennedy’s involvement, which makes sense — it’s like George P. Bush handing out pro-life signs at a rally.

But, come on, you can’t help but think this is so Philadelphia. It’s as if Police Commish Sylvester Johnson bought guns from the Iranians to combat the city’s rising murder rate. Come to think of it, that might not be so bad of an idea…

Venezuela’s discounted oil starts rolling into region [Inky]
Bridge over troubled oil? [Classical Values]
Jan. 27: Quickies: Captain Planet to the rescue!