AltWeeklies Wire
As 2010 Senate Race Draws Near, the Health Care Debate Reminds Us Why Primaries Matternew
Joe Lieberman might have veto power over health reform. Establishment Democrats might remember that when they support Arlen Specter over progressive challenger Joe Sestak in 2010.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Brendan Skwire |
10-19-2009 |
Commentary
A Snitch in Time: A Philly Gunshot Victim Defies the Inner-City Code of Silencenew
It's been five months since Maurice Ragland testified against the man he says shot him. In doing so, he broke the cardinal rule of the Philadelphia streets -- Do Not Snitch. That he survived his wounds is amazing enough, but that he testified is just as amazing.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Mike Newall |
10-19-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Philly's Journalists Won't Return to 1989new
It wasn't difficult to see this coming: Brian Tierney's "Keep It Local" campaign to retain control of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News apparently applies only to ownership -- not to the employees of those newspapers.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Joel Mathis |
10-05-2009 |
Media
Michael Moore's Latest Doc Sticks it to 'the Rich' ... Sort Ofnew
Capitalism filled me with a sensation that's previously been foreign to the Michael Moore viewing experience: boredom. It's longer, sloppier and less interesting than his usual demagoguery.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
10-05-2009 |
Reviews
The Media Sucks: Sometimes, There Aren't Two Sides to a Debatenew
Isn't it the responsibility of the news to point out that one side is clearly out of their gourds, or at the very least trafficking in misinformation? When a news reporter tells me "we let you the listener decide," isn't that reporter pretty much abdicating his or her responsibility to educate and inform?
Philadelphia Weekly |
Brendan Skwire |
09-28-2009 |
Media
If You're Not a Diehard David Cross Fan, 'I Drink' Will Likely Disappointnew
There are a few brilliant moments ("A Free List of Quirks for Aspiring Independent Filmmakers," "Ask a Rabbi," "Heaven," "Things to Do When You Are Bored"), but I Drink for a Reason is kind of underwhelming.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Liz Spikol |
09-28-2009 |
Nonfiction
'The Informant!' Feels like Michael Mann's 'The Insider' Remade as a Blake Edwards Farcenew
One could conceivably see this story being played straight in other hands -- or even in Soderbergh's hands, for that matter. But the insanely prolific filmmaker is on his fourth movie in the past 10 months, and he obviously just felt like goofing around this week.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Sean Burns |
09-21-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: The Informant!, Steven Soderbergh
David Dingwall Stuffs His Leopard-Skin Shorts and Shoots for the Starsnew
After a lifetime of starts and stalls, after all his preparation for a comeback, it's ironic that it's the brilliant comedy video White Boy that could transform this old-school Catskills crooner into a 21st century Internet star.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tara Murtha |
09-21-2009 |
Performance
Elementary School Dropout: Why I Am Giving Up Teachingnew
Many teachers overcome the numerous challenges and serve the children of Philadelphia for decades. But I won't be.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Brenden Beck |
09-21-2009 |
Education
Budget Impasse Threatens Philly's Iconic Mural Arts Programnew
The city's tightening belt has already trickled down to MAP -- which has spent recent decades making Philadelphia the "mural capital of the world" -- and the doomsday budget proposed by Mayor Nutter could bring even more pain.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tara Moore |
09-14-2009 |
Art
'The September Issue' Mostly Lobs Softballs at Anna Wintournew
When face time is scored, it's not far from Chris Wallace's recent fawning Dick Cheney interview. Softballs are lobbed, and Wintour gets to look, alas, vaguely human. She remains, basically, unchallenged, her devil boss status unchanged but herself all the more lovable.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Matt Prigge |
09-14-2009 |
Reviews
The Birther Theory: Welcome to the Bizarro Nationnew
A recent survey indicates that nearly 60 percent of registered Republicans openly question whether or not the President of the United States is a natural born citizen. Pennsylvania attorney Phil Berg, a lifelong Democrat, joins them.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Jonathan Valania |
08-24-2009 |
Politics
Peggy Reber: Cold Casenew
A grand jury looks for a killer but only finds more villains in the 1968 Peggy Reber murder.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Kevin Uhrich and Martha Shaak |
08-19-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: Peggy Reber, cold cases
A Small Town Revisits the Grisly Torture and Slaying Case of a Teenage Girlnew
Cliff Roland, who was chief of detectives with the Lebanon Police Department in 1968, believes Morris Purcell may have been involved in the Peggy Reber slaying. But if he was involved, Roland says, he wasn't the only one.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Martha Shaak and Kevin Uhrich |
08-19-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Stupid Triumphs Again at a Town Hall on Health Care Reformnew
This is what worries me: time and time again, the needs of the stupid and disingenuous are not only treated as valid concerns, but as the greatest concerns.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Brendan Skwire |
08-17-2009 |
Politics
