Subway Assault Video Real Deal Or Hoax?

The Skinny is Keach Hagey's take on the top news of the day and the best of the Internet.

In the video, a group of teenage girls menace, scream at, insult, threaten and eventually pummel a seated lone man on the A train.

Considering that it's 2007, not 1977, it's a bit odd that such violence occurred, and even odder that it happened to be caught on tape - and immediately posted to YouTube on Nov. 7 by aspiring teenage Harlem filmmaker Kadejra Holmes.

It's so odd, in fact, that the Smoking Gun website questioned Holmes about it via an Internet chat. She said she just happened to be on the train when the assault occurred and didn't know the attackers.

However, "Minutes after being asked by TSG about the train video, Holmes, 17, deleted the footage (and her entire page) from YouTube," writes Smoking Gun editor William Bastone.

Several newspapers picked up the story, including the New York Post.

Police told the Daily News they were trying to identify the alleged culprits and victim.

The paper reported that police were also looking into the possibility that the whole film was no more of a documentary than "The Warriors."

One-Third Of Americans Would Deny Illegal Immigrants Social Services

What ever happened to "give us your tired, your poor"?

One-third of Americans want to deny social services, including public schooling and emergency room healthcare, to illegal immigrants, the Los Angeles Times reports.

According to a LA Times/Bloomberg poll, a strong bipartisan majority - 60 percent - favors allowing illegal immigrants who have not committed crimes to become citizens if they pay fines, learn English and meet other requirements.

That makes it just about impossible for candidates to take a stance that's going to do them any political good, the paper suggests. That hunch is confirmed by a bit more polling, which found that neither party heads into 2008 with an advantage on the issue.

Those surveyed were evenly split on which of the two major parties would do a better job handling immigration: 31 percent chose Republicans and 30 percent picked Democrats. By contrast, a June 2006 poll showed 34 percent favoring Democrats and only 23 percent preferring Republicans.

More Than One-Third Of Entrepreneurs Are Dyslexic

If your little Johnny can't read well or sit still, don't freak out just yet. Chances are good that he'll end up running his own business and out-earning his more bookish siblings.

There's been anecdotal evidence building up for years that dyslexic people have a knack for running their own businesses, but today's New York Times delivers some of the first hard data.

A new study found that more than a third of the entrepreneurs surveyed identified themselves as dyslexic. It also concluded that dyslexics were more likely than nondyslexics to delegate authority, excel in oral communication and problem solving and were twice as likely to own two more businesses.

"The willingness to delegate authority give them a significant advantage over nondyslexic entrepreneurs, who tend to view their business as their baby and like to be in total control," said Julie Logan, a professor of entrepreneurship at the Cass Business School in London, who compiled the report.

"I get bored easily, and that's a great motivator," said Paul Orfalea, founder of Kinko's. "I think everybody should have dyslexia and A.D.D."

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