Last night as the Pittsburgh Steelers managed to defeat the mighty Bengals, the NFL Network showed an interview of Terrell Owens by noted journalist Deion Sanders. And T.O. was wearing a shirt with an Eagle on it! Anybody else I’d chalk it up to coincidence, but there is no way it was not a direct, intentional move by Terrell Owens. We’ve been through this before, no?
Ladies and gentlemen, rejoice! The one thing Philadelphia needs more than anything — another lifestyle magazine — is finally coming to town! And (even better) this one is owned by the Inquirer!
The Philadelphia Inquirer will launch a glossy lifestyle magazine insert that will appear six times a year, the newspaper’s owner said Wednesday.
The magazine, which will be known as “I,” will launch Thursday and be distributed free with newspapers to 115,000 households and newsstands in affluent areas. Sandra M. Clarke, now arts-and-features editor at the Inquirer, will serve as editor of the publication.
The publication will cover fashion, home décor, food and dining, entertainment and social events. Stories in the 56-page debut issue will include interviews with restaurateur Stephen Starr and an inside look at Eagles’ tackle Jon Runyan’s New Jersey home.
If you were to ask me to come up with the two most cliched local lifestyle magazine features, I would look at you funny. And, anyway, why would you need me to: I could not come up with anything better than “Stephen Starr interview and “tour of Jon Runyan’s home.” What, no Gervase interview?!
But no matter. Now the real fun begins: What sections of the city will get the insert? Just Center City and the rest is out on the Main Line? Help me out here, kids, drop me a line if you do or don’t see I in the Inquirer at your newsstand. (I have to imagine the percentage of readers who get the Inky delivered is “my parents,” but you can tell me about that, too.)
Philly.com has celebrated the launch of I with a photo gallery, as is its wont.
Earlier this year, a bunch of college presidents got together to form the Amethyst Initiative, which asked for a dialogue on our de facto national drinking age.
It turns out — and I know this is going to shock you — that lots of kids on college campuses drink. I know, I’m surprised too. Don’t these kids know the law? Anyway: College campuses have developed a dangerous drinking culture, perhaps in part due to the 21-plus drinking age, and these college presidents were all wondering if the federal government could reconsider its policy.
The reaction to this from nearly all political and media quarters was that of horror. The New Jersey Senate held a hearing yesterday and decided the solution is just a little more law enforcement. “We’ve got to tighten these laws up to deal with this unfortunate problem,” said said the committee chairwoman.
There is currently no law forbidding underage drinking, said Miller. Instead, under state statute, underage drinking outdoors is against the law, but underage alcohol consumption behind closed doors is not illegal.
“I think we should refine the statute to make it an actual violation to drink underage,” said Miller, who also called for harsher punishments for those who buy alcohol for underage adults.
“We are dealing with a population of young adults aged 18 to 22 and they are learning, most for the first time, how to live as a responsible member of the community. Students will make mistakes — however, when a community member does not learn from their mistake or refuses to accept the mistake they have made, enforcement needs to be taken.”
Let’s say you’re a 19-year-old at Stockton College, and you drink on the weekends like everybody else at school. You’re breaking the law, sure, but you don’t throw up like when you were 16 and you don’t get really hammered much anymore. You’ve somehow managed to become a responsible drinker. There is nothing you need more than enforcement.
I guess what I’m trying to say here is this: Yesterday, a Moorestown policeman pled not guilty to charges of having sex with girls and cows. While this was going on, the Senate was debating how to best fail at the impossible task of preventing all underage drinking.
Talk about fiddling while Rome burns. Or, I guess, fiddling while someone is diddling cows? Something like that.
It sure has been a while we’ve had a ridiculous crime in Bucks County (official motto: “The world’s fattest boot.”). Those things used to come like clockwork. And… oh! Here we go!
Buckingham police are looking for a man in a bizarre assault that occurred Monday shortly before 1 p.m. on New Hope Road. Police said a woman jogging on the road between Route 413 and Holicong Road was attacked from behind by a naked man. Police are investigating the incident as a sexual assault.
The woman said her attacker got her in a bear hug and lifted her upright. He then released her and ran to Holicong Road where he got into a silver sport utility vehicle… The incident sounds similar to one that occurred in Middletown [Levittown -- ed.] last week.
Middletown police said that on Nov. 11 a man wearing only a pair of socks was seen on Red Berry Road. Police said the man was described as a white male with a medium build and balding. He was last seen in a small silver SUV.
Ahh, there we go. Be on the lookout for a balding naked man next time you’re in Buxco! And in case you’re wondering, Red Berry Road is not in the Red Cedar Hill Section of Levittown. Confusing, isn’t it?
Who’s up for some good homicide jokes (as opposed to good Homicide jokes) at 8 in the morning?
Not me. (I’ve been up all night telling them.) That’s why this story’s getting the <blockquote> treatment:
Homicides accounted for 29 percent of workplace deaths in the Philadelphia area last year, the highest percentage of the country’s 12 largest metropolitan areas, according to government figures.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said Monday that there were 93 workplace fatalities in the area last year, with 27 of those being homicides. Other causes included falls to a lower level (14) and highway crashes (12). [...]
“The construction industry sector accounted for almost one-quarter of Philadelphia’s fatal workplace injuries with 22 deaths; 14 of these were from falls,” the bureau said. Another 17 deaths occurred in the transportation and material moving sectors.
I’m going to be on optimist for once: At least workplace fatalities are so now low that homicides make up a large percentage. Plus, this is actually everywhere:
Philadelphia was not alone in having homicide as the number one cause of workplace fatalities last year. That also occurred in Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Miami, and San Francisco, the bureau said.
Still, though, that won’t stop some lazy sports columnists (sorry, redundant) from writing a column about “the time Philadelphians killed Santa Claus with snowballs back in 1868″ sometime soon enough.
Even if their jerseys are still ugly, the 76ers are white hot right now with three straight wins.
Considering nobody showed up for Game 6 of the first round of the playoffs last year, it’s doubtful people are going to start coming in droves to the Center anytime soon. But maybe there’s another reason: Turns out the human slinky halftime show was way more entertaining than any “basket ball” game could ever be.
The booing starts about halfway through. It’s not as loud as the booing of Destiny’s Child back in 2001, but then again this is a much more entertaining performance.
KYW 1060 asks in an ominous headline: Weak Economy Affecting Local Christmas Tree Sales? Oh, no! Fewer Christmas trees means fewer ornaments and garland sales, fewer garland sales means more dollar stores close, fewer dollar stores means certain doom for the U.S. economy. What will we do?!
But, oh, wait, should probably read the story:
Gary Hague has been selling trees out of his Hatfield farm for a quarter century now. Growing them for 35. And one thing he’s learned over that time:
“People are going to have a Christmas tree no matter what. If that’s their tradition, they will get a Christmas tree.” Then again, it’s not like they can just stop on a dime. It takes about 10 years to grow a tree for holiday harvest. Still, Hague’s been doing some informal checking around with neighbors and friends, and they’ve told him they’ll be buying when the time comes, starting just after Thanksgiving.
And so the story’s thesis is already broken. Whoops! To be fair, “checking around with neighbors and friends” is a better kind of evidence than “none.” It’s good to know that Christmas trees are such an American addiction this economy won’t be stopping anyone from purchasing one.
You know, the event doesn’t seem so fake or anything, but that flier! Jesus it’s like it was done in Microsoft Paintbrush in Windows 1.0, if such a program existed. (At least Windows for Workgroups 3.11.) I’d guess that’s a Signe Wilkinson cartoon, but with extra word bubbles, and, uhm, what is with that font? Ooh, I need to lay down.
So, yeah, this event’s real, of course, but the flier has intrigued me so much I think I need to go just to make sure. Also it’s, like, 2 blocks away from my place, and the Atwater Kent has that awesome giant map of Philadelphia.
Earlier this year, a bunch of college presidents got together to form the 
It sure has been a while we’ve had a ridiculous crime in Bucks County (official motto: “The world’s fattest boot.”). Those things used to come like clockwork. And… oh! Here we go!
Who’s up for some good homicide jokes (as opposed to good 
Even if their jerseys are still ugly, the 76ers are white hot right now with 
KYW 1060 asks in an ominous headline: 
