How could we let this happen? I had no idea that when I called the Liberty Bell overrated it would lead to something like this. I can’t believe they gave the damn thing to Bono. I mean, give it to like, Jimmy Rollins, sure, I can live with that. But Bono? (CNN actually had posted this headline last night at about 7:30 p.m.)

Just joined the lovely Ginger for a little lunch at Dock Street Brewery (50th and Baltimore) and like whoa, the pizza there is off the chain. Get the BBQ chicken pizza, I’m telling you, peoples. The Pumpkin beer was pretty good too (No, I won’t be sloppy at quizzo tonight, I only had one.) Then, because I was hanging with beer royalty (Ginger) I got to go back to the brewery and try out their coffee stoudt which they haven’t put on tap yet. Delicious. I know the pizza hunt fizzled, but I still know my pizza, and trust me, this wood oven pizza is top notch.

-Apparently in an effort to escape reality, Philly fans have taken to huffing nitrous in the parking lot. I did a nitrous balloon once in college, then went to a Phish show, because hey, there’s no way you can watch that boring ass band without the help of illegal drugs. But the buzz wears off in like 30 seconds, and then you’re just stuck watching a Phish show with less brain cells and all the boredom.

-When the Mets were up 6-2, I said, “If they blow this game, the Phils are gonna win the division.” The Mets blew it, and I stand by my statement. I really think we could be seeing a 1964 type meltdown. I think there is a chance the Mets don’t make the playoffs. Here’s a little gem from Paul Lo Duca: “It seems to me we’re all waiting to lose. It better change quick or in five days we’re all going to be home for the winter. You can’t play the game that way. It’s like a broken record every game.”

–If you missed the video I posted yesterday, then be sure to watch before tonight’s game to get fired up.

–Trivia Art in today’s Metro.

-Me (briefly) in the Metro sports section today.

-Congrats Vesuvio! Their Cheesesteak BLT was named the best sandwich in America!

-This from Dan Gross’s column: Atlanta Braves hurler John Smoltz and a pal lunched at City Tavern (138 S. 2nd) yesterday on artichoke and smoked chicken salad and a turkey pot pie. Hahaha! Smoltz ordered the Martha Washington Turkey Pot Pie, the biggest ripoff on the menu! I know, because I used to…um, uh, nevermind.

–I missed this the when it was on ESPN a while back, but saw it yesterday and it is awesome. An absolute must see for Philly sports fans. (The first minute is kind of slow, but after that it is awesome.)

Today is the 111th birthday of one the true masters of the English language, F. Scott Fitzgerald. His short stories about the jazz age are, to me, as close as one can get to an actual time machine, and the skill he showed while crafting his first novel at age 24, This Side of Paradise, is astounding. And as far as I’m concerned, The Great Gatsby has only to compete with Huckleberry Finn as The Great American Novel. His real life was every bit as exciting and heartbreaking as the lives of the characters in his books. Here’s some good places to go to read and learn more about this great writer:

–Here’s a brief biography of F. Scott.

-One of his wonderful short stories, The Offshore Pirate.

–A fascinating look at F. Scott’s wife, Zelda, who was the first lady of the Jazz Age, but who slipped slowly into insanity as she got older, and died in a mental institution.

–An interesting look at the rivalry that formed between Fitzgerald and Hemingway, as Hemingway became jealous of Fitzgerald’s success, and blasted him repeatedly in print.

–A recent review of The Great Gatsby by Washington Post book critic Jonathon Yardley.

Damn, not only is Biz Markie DJing tomorrow night at Fluid, but Reef the Lost Cauze is gonna be opening for Pharaoh Monch at the Troc. Slammin’! On top of that, several quizzo legends are celebrating birthdays this weekend. Rakim from the Axis of Evil Knieval and Chill Rob A from MAGMA both celebrate b-days. And Bob T.’s dream girl, the femme fatale known in quizzo circles as Smackdown (above,), turns the big 3-0. Happy birthday, all!

–The history of the soft pretzel in Philly. (Skip the first paragraph, since the 2nd one just repeates it.)

-This one is more Pennsylvania history than Philly history, but still. It was on this day in 1737 that the Lenape Indians were swindled out of lots of land in Eastern Pennsylvania. Here’s how they got hosed.

-A short write up about the Click Club, which was located at Palumbo’s, the legendary South Philly club at 824 Catherine that burned down in 1994.

-Staying in South Philly, here’s a little column on Ralph’s, the 100+ year old Italian restaurant on 9th and Fitzwater.

Oh, and can someone explain the above photo to me? I’ve had a bit of a cold the last few days, so I might be a little groggy, but looks to me like their are two city halls in the photo, one with Billy Penn and one without. What am I missing here?

I never would have agreed to the formulation of the Central Intelligence Agency back in forty-seven, if I had known it would become the American Gestapo.
~ Harry S Truman, 1961

I start off with this quote because this column is about the CIA’s war on us, the American people. It all started, some say, with Operation Paperclip, a US government program to liberate scientists from Nazi Germany. These are the same Nazi scientists that worked in camps like Auschwitz, experimenting on prisoners as if they were lab animals. The official line on the project says it involved mostly specialists in rocketry, engineering, and physics, but the truth is more sinister. Mind control involving hypnosis and radiation have been proven techniques used by Nazi scientists, and MK-Ultra has its roots with these German scientists.
MK-Ultra was (is?) a top secret CIA program begun sometime in the late 1940’s or early 1950’s. The exact dates vary depending on the source. It evolved from an earlier project called Bluebird, that was started as a reaction to Russian brainwashing techniques. However, MK-Ultra went far beyond psychological warfare with our enemies. Sometime in the early 1950’s, the experimental focus shifted to the unwitting American public.

Continue reading “The Donspiracist Presents: CIA Mind Control” →

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. I highly suggest pirate team names tonight at quizzo. In the meantime, find out what your pirate name is. Mine is Mad Tom Vane. And so you know what your working with, I highly recommend that you watch the Pirate convention.

I’ve gotten some interesting feedback on the overrated/underrated column I did last week for the Metro. Almost immediately, I got an email from the Rangers at the Independence Park: As park rangers at Independence National Historical Park, we feel you are mistaken in under rating the Liberty Bell. While we acknowledge that the bell does not work, a few months ago you stated the bell brought you to tears. What happened to those sentiments? The bell is not important because it is old and cracked. Rather, the bell is important because it has been used throughout history to make society better for everyone. It is okay the bell does not ring, because what you hear you forget. What you see you remember. What you experience, you understand! OK, I have to admit that it is pretty awesome that the guys who look over the bell are this passionate about it. That is extremely kool.

My grandmom also wasn’t real happy about my treatment of the bell: Sweetheart, The Liberty Bell is not supposed to work; you know it is a reminder FOR THE TIME WHEN IT DID WORK…I thought you liked History. What happened between you and the Liberty Bell?

The Metro also got a letter from a reader who said this: How can anything that stands for the struggle of freedom and liberty in our nation and across the world ever be overrated? I don’t think you truly understand the meaning behind this symbol…Anyone that would think of this symbol of the struggle for liberty and freedom, (from slavery to womens suffrage to WWI, WWII, the Civil Rights Movement and beyond), is underrated obviously takes for granted the hard work of generations before us.

OK, in my defense: underrating the Liberty Bell because it doesn’t work was a joke. As many of you know from my earlier column, I am a big fan of the Liberty Bell. Me and the Liberty bell are totally kool. In fact, who is this calling me now? Why, it’s my good friend the Liberty Bell!

To see JGT get ripped by Holly of Hollyeats, click below.

Continue reading “Feedback on Overrated/Underrated Column” →