philly

World Press Photos 2006

La crème de la crème of photojournalists' photographs from the past year are selected for the World Press Photo Awards in ten different categories in groups of single shots and stories. World Press photo of the year belongs to this shot by Finbarr O'Reilly, Canada, Reuters of a mother and child at emergency feeding center, Tahoua, Niger, 1 August. It is just stunning. One of those you stop turning the pages methodically, stop clicking next with your mouse, pause the DVR or whatever. You stop what you're doing when you look at this photo. It completely grabs you. It captures a moment, it captures a story, it captures life.

And locally represented was David Maialetti, USA, Philadelphia Daily News for this shot of The Philly Roller Girls which nabbed second prize for Sports Features stories. And Michael Wirtz, USA, The Philadelphia Inquirer for this shot of the Dalí exhibit at the PMA which nabbed third prize in Arts and Entertainment singles. Eggcellent.

via Sir Oolius.

The Prophet Mohammad

I spotted this sticker last night and found it quite interesting. Posting stickers is just about as immediate a medium as blogging. You can grab a stack of blanks and scribble away with your marker. Walk outside, peel, stick.

I saw two of these on Broad St on the SE corner of Spruce St.

Tulin has a poll to vote on whether or not the Philadelphia Inquirer should have or should not have published the editorial cartoon of the prophet Mohammad. I think that here in the U.S., the press should be providing coverage of a news story. If that news story is on a drawing, we need to see that drawing.

If the drawing was of something blatantly offensive to Koreans, I'd want to see it. I'd make my own assessment of the drawing. But that's me and that hypothetical is not about religion, a highly volatile subject. Either way, I don't see rioting as a solution. I've never understood using religion as a starting point for violence.

Attytood points to an editorial by the Inquirer's Daily News' award-winning cartoonist Signe Wilkinson:

I’m guessing the Danish cartoonists were trying to do the same thing. The cartoons were criticizing violence and suicide bombing in the name of Islam. The cartoonists have the right to publish. And, in a free society, Muslims have a right to protest and publish their own cartoons in response. This is not a right granted to cartoonists or protesters in some Muslim countries.

It's a good read.

DuctapeFatwa has a good diary up on Booman Tribune about this.

In the MSM via NYT, BBC News, WaPo.

On South America

Law school blogger, world traveller, college roommate and friend AK has posted a year in review on South America. Stuff he's learned through the years simply being politically aware and sharpened in his seven or so months in South America last year. It's a nice crib sheet to read. Me, I don't pretend to sound like I know what the fuck I'm talking about when it comes to matters in South America, but now, after reading his post, I can.

So who wants to discuss El Chino's jailterm and the possible consequences it will have on Argentina's Copa Mundial chances?

Santorum: Flip Flopper

The last paragraph of this Inky article on the flip floppiness of Dick $antorum on the issue of Intelligent Design is just too much:

"I'm a little disappointed," said [Jim] Cashman, one of eight pro-intelligent design board members who were ousted in the November election. "He's trying to come to the center more, and that bothers me. He used to be more conservative."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. He used to be more conservative.

On a side note, the Democratic party used to have balls.

Rape Victim Stabs Attacker

Yesterday afternoon a man shoved his way into a woman's home and raped her at knifepoint and was subsequently stabbed, with a different knife, by the woman he raped reports the Inky. This Germantown crime happened on the block where my best friends here in Philly live.

The fifty-one year old man was apparently going up and down the block asking people if they wanted their leaves raked. The woman said no and the man asked for a glass of water and then pushed his way into her home. My friends tell me that people come to knock on their door all the time to sell things, ask for money...

The woman stabbed the rapist after she convinced her assailant to let her put her toddler upstairs. She came back down with a knife and stabbed the man. He tried to run away, but collapsed a couple of houses down the block. He's in critical condition at Albert Einstein.

If the information in the story is all correct, I hope this fucker makes a full recovery and then gets thrown into jail with the general population. I hear rapists and child molesters are at the bottom of the food chain in there.

Letters to the Editor

They're all read by someone on staff. An intern, a low-level staffer, even actual editors. I just saw a Letter to the Editor in the Centre Daily Times [from State College] that caught my eye:

* * * * *

Democratic alternative to Casey

A recent Centre Daily Times story reported on Bob Casey's campaign appearance in State College to woo Democrats' support for his run for Rick Santorum's Senate seat in 2006.

The reporter correctly observed that listeners found Casey's position on Iraq too weak.

When I asked him, Casey said it was necessary to "ask the hard questions." In his talk, he advocated body armor for our troops and training for Iraqis, but never did he call for withdrawing the troops or ending the war.

A member of the audience from the business community said of the speech, "More of the same -- see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." The audience member pointed out that every American household pays, so far, $1,800 per year for this war.

Casey may be the pick of the Democratic Party bosses, but unless he can advocate an end to the war, unless he can transcend the national Democratic Party's mealy-mouthed blither about lowering health-care costs and advocate affordable health insurance for all, unless he can support the rights of workers, he's just another hack. His party doesn't matter.

Another audience member mentioned Chuck Pennacchio, who is also running for the Democratic nomination and does advocate ending the war and universal health insurance.

Anyone who advocates these two measures has my vote. Anyone who does not does not deserve to be nominated as a Democrat and does not deserve to ask for our support.

Paul Durrenberger
State College

* * * * *

Right on. Although I believe that Chuck Pennacchio is for single payer healthcare and not universal health insurance. From the wiki on universal healthcare, single payer entails

... where basic services are provided by private doctors, with the entire fee paid for by the government (a single payer) at the same rate. Other areas of health care, such as dentistry and optometry, are wholly private. [Canada]

And universal healthcare being one that the government picks up the tab for everything. Most industrialized nations have this, but at the cost of primarily higher taxes — I'm totally for this.

Dr. Pennacchio on the issues and specifically, healthcare. He's even prepared a one sheet on getting out of Iraq.

Reunification of Korea

This NY Times story on North and South Korea to put together a single team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics makes me happy. I've never been the biggest Korean nationalist, but I can't help a smile after reading it.

Yes, there is still the issue of exactly how to go about forming the teams, practice facilities and movement across the border to do so, but this is an incredible step. A step showing the world that North Korea is getting more serious about not being as isolationist a state as it has been.

Baby steps.

Early Word Rants

I normally don't read The Early Word, but I clicked over to this post acting as a rant board for the SEPTA - TWU strike.

About what I expected. Ad hominem attacks on people others don't know and complaining. But that's what this sounding board is for, right Peter?

I wonder how many people have taken the time to go through and understand just a little bit of what the TWU is asking for. A sliding scale of healthcare payment like anon/10.24am said. Those at the bottom of the payscale are paying the same amount as those at the top. People are angry that the TWU wants a raise. Everyone should ge raises. The cost of living goes up every single day, every single week, every single month, every single year. Salaries and wages should increase accordingly. If not, we are all just plunging towards the poverty line or worse, further below it. The TWU members do not all get free healthcare as many are claiming. The newbies [those with under three years of service] have to pay 100% of their dental and a nice chunk of normal medical costs from what I read. They are not paid for the first few days of a sickness. In the few salaried jobs I've had, I have always been paid for sick days, granted, they do run out at some point, but I've had them. We all get sick.

SEPTA's clogging of their office with managers whose ratio to workers is reported to be 1:1 is rediculous.

I am fortunate enough to be healthy enough and have enough money to have a bike and be able to bike to work right now. It still sucks. But it pales in comparison to what so many other SEPTA riders have to go through right now as it gets colder and colder.

I've been living in Philly for under 1.5 years and I love it here. SEPTA has been pretty good to me. It's no dreamride, but when is any public transit a joyride? I grew up in the 'burbs of NYC and worked there for five years. I went to school in DC and took the Metro for all three. Both of those systems have their problems, just as SEPTA does. But I know a little more about this situation since I've been more and more involved in the local politics here.

I hate seeing strikes. It means that there was a breakdown in a dialogue. I'm frustrated at both sides here. From what I hear, this is what happens every year or few years. They let contracts expire instead of really hashing it out in between the quick fix patches here and there just prolonging the inevitable.

It's not like the TWU members want to strike. Who the hell would want to say goodbye to a paycheck? It must really be fucked up to do that. I know that I'm in no position to start picketing my workplace. It sucks that many members of the union did not want to strike, but the majority did, so, they are in turn screwed when they didn't want to be, but I think that's a part of joining an organization like a union. In the comments, one wife of a TWU mechanic said that there is no strike fund. The TWU workers are not making money right now. Sure, the union bosses [who are also fat and rich just like the SEPTA honchos] will probably hand out some money here and there to try to keep up morale and keep the strike going, but for how long.

I hope that both sides can come to an agreement. I'm not going to scream and yell, yet. I am fortunate to be able to hold back those yells and screams and not be effected too bad by this strike. But what do I say to a person I pass on the street who is walking sixty blocks to go to the hospital for cancer treatment or see a group of high schoolers walking thirty blocks to get their education? What do the strikers say to them? What does management say to them? Well, I honestly don't think they really give a shit.

In 1998, it went for forty days. Forty days from now will be the second week of December. Gas heating prices are said to be the highest they've ever been, LIHEAP is gutted and SEPTA fares could increase on top of the $412M Rendell diverted to SEPTA to keep it running for the next two years. This is gonna get ugly. Philly's self-deprecating and just plain hating will shine through in the coming days and weeks. I may get in on it soon too. But not yet.

Craigslist Philly Rideshare

Sweet Bird Flu Preparedness

The U.S. is woefully prepared for a potential bird flu outbreak. Our buddies across the pond, are prepared.

Britain is one of the best prepared countries to deal with a human pandemic of bird flu should one occur, the health secretary has told MPs.

Maybe that's why they've got that new Bond coming out. They've got Q in some back room performing bird flu experiments.

Springer Predicts

Jerry Springer predicts that if things stay as they are right now up through 2008, Hillary Clinton will be the next President of the United States.

The only person who can stop her? Condoleezza Rice.