Yo, Philly in the News

• You know what news is, and you're obviously familiar with blogs, but have you heard of Norg? It's an "unconference" that met at the Annenberg School of Communication right here in our own little city this past weekend. The purpose? To discuss the future of the news. What format will it be in? How will it be delivered? Can newspapers survive? Interesting stuff. Aren't you glad Philly (and Phillyist - we are part of the new media, after all) is at the forefront?
• That "body-parts scandal" is getting bigger and more disgusting all the time. If you haven't heard the story, it turns out a NJ company (now closed) harvested unscreened tissue from thousands of dead bodies, providing it to patients in need of transplants all over the country, and making huge profits. Many Philly patients have been affected; the Philadelphia Inquirer's most recent article on the subject tells the harrowing story of a mother of two from Northeast Philadelphia, who was told there was a recall related to her spinal surgery - which is right off something you never want to hear. Then she learned the bone and marrow she got were illegally harvested from a cadaver; and were not screened for infectious disease; and that she contracted hepatitis C from them. Ugh. Ick. Agh.
• Governor Rendell is saying "no" to puppy mills. Yay, Rendell!
• Mr. Lucidonio Jr, co-owner of Tony Luke's, has executive produced "The Cheese Steak Song," a little rock ditty about our town and its favorite sandwich. It is, as one might expect, quite cheesy (we know, we know, but we just couldn't resist), as you can hear for yourself by listening to the sample at the Philadelphia Inquirer page. But before you Pat's and Geno's fans get all upset, no, the song does not say anything about Tony Luke's making the best cheesesteak in town - it simply promotes the city and the sandwich in general. In fact, Mr. Lucidonio is hoping his competitors will help sell the CD. Perhaps a truce can be called in the great cheesesteak war?

Image Credit: Mike Bechtol