Turns out that the guy's actually an eBay vendor, so the picture was not "for [his] family" after all.......

The CNN Election Express Bus awaits action near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Photo by author, SkyscraperSunset.com, March 31, 2008.......

As frequent Southwest Airlines fliers, we are shocked to hear that in the past two years, 60,000 flights were operated in old planes with long overdue inspections. In response to this neglect, the FAA is threatening to slap the airline with its largest-ever fine: $10.2 million. Southwest’s blog tells anxious customers: “We assure you that this issue never compromised the safety of our fleet. Southwest has an excellent maintenance program, with more Boeing 737......

Most estimates put the number of illegal immigrants in this country at around 5 million. Some view this fact as evidence that illegal immigration is a struggle akin to the civil rights movement of the 1950s. That may sound a bit far-fetched, but in many ways the struggle is similar. We face a public that is in many parts of the nation exceptionally hostile to any illegal immigrants, regardless of their plight. Additionally, the federal......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. TCM 31 Days of Oscar (All week) TCM is celebrating the Oscars by playing Oscar-winning films pretty much all day, every day this month. It's a great way to catch up on some classic films you've never gotten around to watching. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Mon, 9PM-10PM, Fox) John becomes separated from his mother and Cameron, and discovers the future may be even more bleak than......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. What Would Jesus Really Do? (Mon, 8PM-9PM, CNN) - A discussion of how Jesus might respond to various contemporary issues, like the war in Iraq, global warming, and the divide between rich and poor. Includes commentary from various "experts," including Jerry Falwell. Christmas Specials (Mon, 8PM-9PM, ABC; Mon, 8PM-11PM, NBC; Mon, 8PM-10PM, AMC; Mon, 10PM-11:30PM, WHYY) - Some of these have already played this month, and we......

In Los Angeles, LAist most definitely celebrated Thanksgiving like no other. After all, one has to keep up all the energy to keep on walking the line at the Writers Strike and fighting the unfortunate return of the wildfires in Malibu, which single handedly destroyed over fifty homes within the first 24 hours. National outlets may be covering the fires, but CNN also found it is easier to buy a gun than fruit and......

I will admit that I am a faster walker than most. This fact can probably be attributed to two reasons: 1) the faithful consumption of four cans of Dr. Pepper per day and 2) a clear aversion to doing anything on my lunch break other than surfing the Internet and staining my khakis horrifically from my work desk. So maybe I am more inclined to see some Philadelphians’ funeral dirge-ian way of moving through the......

We didn't know "dreary" was an officially recognized weather designation. But hey, we talk that way, so the meteorologists might as well too. (We're looking forward to when "thunderstorms" are designated as "torrential f'n downpours" on CNN.com.) Screencap via CNN.com......

CNN has an article about a disturbing racist incident at Warwick High School in Lititz, PA. Just before midnight last night a speeding SUV crashed into a parked police patrol car on I-76 near the Conshohocken interchange. The highway was closed for five hours while the five injured people (including two troopers) were taken to the hospital and the wreckage was cleared. "KYW radio (1060 AM) reported that some trapped motorists fell asleep in......

...Great Parenting: Raise your hand if this one surprises you. (Via The Superficial.) ...Good Ideas: After seeing the above link, this obviously makes a lot of sense. (Via People.com.) ...Ummm... There are no words. Just click. (Via What Would Tyler Durden Do?) ...Naked: We like meat, but this is still hot. (Via E! Online.) ...No Fair! Ummm... We've known sea urchins who were more deserving of their own television shows. (Via TV Blend.) ...Fatwah: That's......

...Faux Pas: Jerry Lewis? You, of all people? (Via Actress Archives.) ...Interventions: We're not sure if it's really fair to blame someone for another person's drug relapse, unless that person was the one who brought the coke. But it's happening anyway. (Via The Superficial.) ...Explanations: Honestly, even if Bill Murray was drunk, it was an effing golf cart. And here we thought the Scandinavians were supposed to be nice... (Via Yahoo.) ...Ewww: For a good......

...Accidents: Well, as long as nobody famous was involved in the accident, it's all good, right? (Via CNN.) ...Technology: Well, that's one use for a Blackberry that we never really thought of. (Via The Superficial.) ...Good Decisions: Britney knows how to make them. This is just another in a long string. (Via What Would Tyler Durden Do?) ...WTF? How, how, how can you find cocaine on somebody's person and not charge her with possession? Oh,......

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you. Wow. MyDeathSpace.com archives the MySpace pages of deceased users. That sure is... something. (Via CNN, Via Jill) Although the entire purpose of Wii Fit is to keep you moving and thus make you fit, it is possible to sabotage this noble aim - by sitting on the balance board. Perrier now has a set of four sites that......

...Why? The Spice Girls have reunited. For what reason, we can't tell you. (Via People.) ...Over It: Us Weekly has done what everyone should have done a long time ago and decided to stop covering Paris Hilton. (We just mock her. That's okay.) (Via Yahoo!) ...Overstatement: About to die? We somehow doubt it. (Via The Superficial.) ...Cheating: Suspicion confirmed: Britney is no better than Milli Vanilli. (Via What Would Tyler Durden Do?) ...Artwork: Paris Hilton......

...Jail: Paris is there, but as far as we're concerned, it's not for long enough. (Via CNN.) ...Jail, UPDATE: Three days? Three days and they let her out? WTF?! (Via NYDailyNews.com. NOTE: People is reporting "medical reasons." Yeah. Friggin. Right.) ...Heroism: We knew there was a reason why we still loved Cuba Gooding, Jr., even though he hasn't made a good movie since Jerry Maguire! (Via The Superficial.) ...Great Behavior: Oh, Akon! Will you ever......

Some depressing news: the first eagle's nest in Philadelphia in two centuries, which was located in the Navy Yard, has failed. Wildlife officials believe the eaglet or eaglets were eaten by predators soon after the eggs hatched. To cheer us up, how about some news of a hometown hero getting honored? "Rabbi Philip Warmflash, executive director of the Jewish Outreach Partnership in Philadelphia, is one of three Jewish educators nationwide selected to receive a......

...Exits: After all the guff with The Don, we're not exactly surprised. (Via People.) ...Fatherhood: What? You mean that your father never left you a voicemail like that? (Via The Superficial.) ...Stepford Wives: Joey Potter, where are you? (Via What Would Tyler Durden Do?) ...Smart Career Moves: Well, at least it'll be slightly less skeevy when he asks photographers to focus on her breasts. (Via New York Daily News.) ...Maturity: We hope that someday, our......

...WTF: There are no words... (Via The Superficial. It was in Whiz earlier this week, but it bears repeating. And seriously, if you only click on one link in this week's round-up, make this the one.) ...Whew! We still kinda believe it. (Via People.) ...Sweetness: We can't think of a better place for Paris Hilton. (Via Yahoo!) ...Love-Making: Umm... Halle? That's the sidewalk. (Via Fox News.) ...Truth Is Stranger than Country: We think we......

As we mentioned a while back, a couple of bald eagles have set up shop in South Philly. According to CNN, A pair of bald eagles, a species that has recovered from the brink of extinction in the last 40 years, has built a nest in a former Navy yard on the south side of Philadelphia, the sixth-largest U.S. city and where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were written. While we find bald eagles......

...Cry-Baby: Umm... They ain't your personal belongings if they don't belong to you! (Via The Superficial.) ...That's Hot: Paris Hilton has no place on this planet. Also, this video proves that she's not really singing on her album. And nobody looks good in night vision. (Via What Would Tyler Durden Do?) ...Mourning: Our opinion of Angelina Jolie goes back and forth, but we are sad to hear this. (Via CNN.) ...Snub: Well... it at least......

Every so often I might wander over to CNN. But just to glance the top headlines. To catch up if I've been out of touch - I don't own a TV. Mostly though, even that duty has been relegated to MSN and even, the BBC. Besides CNN.com's systematic dumbing down in the last year - continued reporting on all things inane, ranging from Suri Cruise to Lindsay Lohan, as well as the introduction of Cliff's......

You've heard the statistic: every eight seconds, men think about sex. But that doesn't automatically make them perverts. In fact, a new study conducted at Harvard and reported by CNN reveals that it's perfectly normal, if not to be thinking about sex, to be thinking about something. Anything. If a person is given a job to do, he will usually turn his full attention to it. But when left without tasks or deadlines, "the......

...Cartoons: The wonderful thing about tiggers is most definitely not their propensities for violence. (Via Local6.com.) ...Lame: Wax on... Wax off... (Via The Superficial.) ...Aww: We like celebrity babies. Because when they're babies, they're not yet corrupted by Hollywood decadence and seeing Britney Spears' cooter. (Via San Jose Mercury News.) ...Precautionary Tales: And this is why Phillyist wants to be done with the baby-havin' by forty. (Via People.) ...Maternal Instincts: And suddenly, much of......

...Rejection: If he read the blogs, he'd know that she's not a firecrotch. Her esthetician makes sure of that. (Via The Superficial.) ...Holy Crap! He's a scrawny guy, but we still wouldn't be happy if this happened to us. (Via Popsugar.) ...Reconciliation: Hell, as a heterosexual female, this Phillyist would want her back, too. (Via Hollywood Rag. ...Coverage: That is the sound of a thousand erections vanishing. (Via Popoholic.) ...Rude: Another category Paris Hilton......

...Stupid: This is why children shouldn't make movies. Movies should only have characters over the age of sixteen in them. (Via What Would Tyler Durden Do?) ...Awesome: One more reason to love Tina Fey. (Via Us Weekly.) ...Fidelity: Oh, KFed! This probably isn't going to help you in your quest to overturn the prenup! (Via The Superficial.) ...Overreaction: Yeah, we'd divorce him too. (But then, we probably wouldn't have married him in the first......

...You Go, Girl! Well that sure took long enough. (Via What Would Tyler Durden Do?) ...Ew: Of course, she might have tried to do it before this video came out. (Warning: very, very NSFW. Via FleshBot.) ...Bad Ideas: So we know who's not the smart Baldwin. (Via Canada.com.) ...Salt-and-pepper: We think it makes him look distinguished. (Via DListed.) ...Reasons for Eating Disorders: Kirstie Alley really doesn't look that bad, but bloggers are going to......

This afternoon the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue will be the site of a conference hosted by the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia and entitled Islam and the West. It's being held in honor of the 90th birthday of Professor Bernard Lewis, a noted scholar of the Middle East and currently Princeton's Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies. Showing up for the birthday party/deep political discussion will be plenty of other......

- Phillywriters give the heads up about an upcoming silent auction to support Philadelphia Stories magazine. - Philadelphia Will Do notes some profanity on, of all places, CNN! Is this the sort of journalistic integrity that's got Michelle Malkin's site advertising those troublesome t-shirts? - The Philadelphia Craig's List Missed Connections section has gotten strangely stalkerish this week. Well, more strangely stalkerish than usual. Image via MDA Carnival......

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you. The Japanese cartoon show known as "Star Blazers" in America (its original title was "Space Battleship Yamato") is supposedly to be the latest victim/lucky recipient of a live-action film adaptation. This Phillyist writer doesn't remember the show very well, but is pretty sure we did watch and enjoy it as a kid. In case you have a similar......