Vandalism Of The Moment

Apropos of nothing, but check out Air Bud’s Wikipedia page:

Come on: You know you’d see this movie, too.

Air Bud [Wikipedia]

Send In The Clowns

The Inquirer’s Marcia Gelbart writes today about, uh, about how someone edited John Street’s Wikipedia page to say he once played Bozo the Clown.

No, really. That’s the story. Here, read it for yourself:

Another reason not to trust Wikipedia, and this one’s a doozy.

According to the online encyclopedia - which has a well-earned checkered reputation as both an everyman’s Britannica and a site where bias, slander and outright untruths reign - Mayor Street once played Bozo the Clown.

Wikipedia’s bio on the mayor included: “At the same time that Street practiced law, he also began a media career in Philadelphia. Street worked for television station WPSG-TV and, for a four-year period, he played the character Bozo the Clown on Philadelphia’s Bozo the Clown children’s television show. When Street ran for Philadelphia City Council, he ceased his media career.”

“I’m sure that isn’t true,” said Joe Grace, Street’s spokesman. “Wikipedia has had many problems with people sabotaging other people’s Web sites.”

Another reason not to read the Inquirer, and this one’s a doozy.

Some clown breaks into Street’s Wikipedia page [Inquirer]
John F. Street [Wikipedia]

Leftovers: Keeping You Cool

• We’ll note this again tomorrow, but for now a brief update on the Jim Gardner/Wikipedia snafu: The NYPD has no record of any arrests. So, uh, who the hell would do that? Like, Photoshop an image of Jim Gardner being arrested, then insert a fake line about an arrest on Wikipedia. And why would a local blog pick it up? (Oh, wait, I know the answer to that one.) It’s kind of too strange. These Internets are dangerous things.

• Now that the Inquirer and Daily News are under local ownership, it’s time to take a look at the tale of The Santa Barbara News-Press, which was acquired by a local owner in 2000. And, the results: “Staffers have been marching out the door, accusing her of interfering with their editorial independence. When she published her explanation of the departures as an expression of bias in the reporting staff on Thursday, even more quit. On Friday, her staff — or what remained of it — held a rally outside the newspaper building, where some 30 reporters and editors, dressed in black, put duct tape over their mouths, to represent the owner’s gag order issued last week.” Oh. Brian Tierney suddenly looks awesome. [New York Times]

• The Philadelphia Business Journal has news of a tour of Philadelphia. Of course, by “Philadelphia” here, we mean “A Small Stretch Of The North End of the Boulevard.” Here’s the itinerary: Best Western Hotel (on the Boulevard), Palace Roller Skating Rink (right next to Best Western), Franklin Mills (off Woodhaven) and Dave and Buster’s (at Franklin Mills). And, of course, no Liberty Bell. [Philebrity/PBJ]

• A Rehobeth man braved Jellyfish and cold water temperatures (?) and swam across the Delaware Bay today, claiming to be the first man to ever swim across the entire bay. [AP/Philly.com]

• And, finally, Bobby Abreu is hustling. This might be stranger than that Jim Gardner thing. [Daily News]