Inquirer fashion writer Elizabeth Wellington just loves the clothes featured in The Devil Wears Prada. [Warning: sound.]
Ruth La Ferla, writing in today's New York Times, reports that fashionistas uniformly do not.
An update on the recent shooting of Nashay Little.
The Philadelphia Daily News today reports in "Cops Nab Teen in Girl's Shooting," by Dan Geringer and Christine Olley:
The district attorney charged Vaughn Wiley, 15, as an adult with aggravated assault and attempted murder in the June 13 shooting.
After announcing the arrest yesterday on Sigel Street near 22nd, where the shooting occurred, Police Chief Inspector Joseph Fox, head of detectives, said a second arrest might come soon.
The Daily News says police received help from the public, which is a welcome change from business as usual around here.
As for Miss Little, "Nashay is recovering at home from the bullet that hit a major artery in her left leg and threatened both the leg and her life until surgeons at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia saved her."
(See also the Philadelphia Inquirer's report by Barbara Boyer.)
Snippets from a couple of the early reviews of The Devil Wears Prada [Warning: sound.], which opens Friday and stars Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.
From "Devil's Delicious, Misses Hepburn," by Rex Reed in the New York Observer:
[T]the first classy, elegant and really entertaining film of 2006. [...]
Ms. Streep is a triumph of her own making.
From "Gods and Monsters," by David Edelstein in New York:
If there’s any drama here, it's slender -- maybe a size 2. [...]
For all the movie's dopiness, the director, David Frankel, knows how to accessorize. [...]
Streep . . . gives a fabulous minimalist performance.
One mostly gushing, the other, not so much.
New York Times reader Cindy Greatrex this week had the following submission published in the newspaper's weekly feature, Metropolitan Diary:
Has anyone else noticed the lunch wagon often parked on or around William Street, offering "Filly Cheese Steaks"? I chant to myself, each time, "Please let it be a misspelling . . . please let it be a misspelling . . . "
Maybe they make them differently up there.
I guess it's true what they say., that the major drivers of the art business are the three D's: debt, divorce, and death.
In "Prosperity Sets the Tone at London Auctions ," New York Times reporter Carol Vogel writes:
Sotheby's sale of Impressionist and modern art, which opened the week on Monday night, featured a collection of paintings identified in the catalog as "property from an American private collection." That collection belonged to Marvin Schein, a manufacturer and distributor of generic drugs and medical products from Long Island who had spent years quietly buying paintings, porcelains and French furniture, many of them at auction. He was selling, people who know him say, because of a divorce.
And his collection fetched some impressive prices.
When municipal officials first began talking about building a city-wide wireless internet access network, I was skeptical. I still am, for reasons clearly outlined in today's New York Times, in "What if They Built an Urban Wireless Network and Hardly Anyone Used It?" by Ken Belson, who takes a look at what's happened in Taipei.
Pull quote:
Despite WiFly's ubiquity -- with 4,100 hot spot access points reaching 90 percent of the population -- just 40,000 of Taipei's 2.6 million residents have agreed to pay for the service since January. Q-Ware, the local Internet provider that built and runs the network, once expected to have 250,000 subscribers by the end of the year, but it has lowered that target to 200,000.
I'll bet they don't make it.
A brief item in the business section of the Philadelphia Inquirer a week ago caught my eye, and many readers, especially some of the former Philadelphians who read this site, will understand why:
"The Swarthmore Group, a West Chester investment-advisory firm, said it would move to Center City from Chester County.
"The company, which has 18 employees and $1.5 billion under management, said it would lease 9,700 square feet in the Bell Atlantic Tower, 1717 Arch St.
"The company said it was moving because it needs more space and because it believes a Center City location will help it recruit employees." [Emphasis added.]
Nobody would have said that 10 years ago.
(Though, don't we call it the Verizon Tower now?)
In its latest public-service campaign, Philip Morris asks, "What tobacco issues are important to you?"
I don't know, price?
Speaking of Chase Utley, and we were, while listening to KYW News Radio this evening, I heard the Phillies second baseman doing an ad for a local auto dealership.
I couldn't catch the name of the business because the spot's audio was so bad, but I did learn, assuming the promotion is thoroughly true, that our buddy Chase drives a Chrysler 300C.
Kind of a big car for not so big a guy. You know, the kind who's good enough to eschew steroids and all that junk?
You know, nothing is ever good enough for extremists, for zealots, for the single- and simple-minded, and any reasonable person would have to conclude those labels apply to Philadelphia Mayor John Street.
As you've heard, the City Council last week passed an extension of the ban on smoking in workplaces to include most restaurants, bars, and taverns in the city, an issue about which Mayor Street has been carping for years, to the neglect of, among other things, all the corruption swirling about him, rampant street violence, and onerous taxes.
So he got what he wanted, right?
No. As of today, Street is saying he's not sure he'll sign the measure.
Why not?
According to KYW News Radio, among other local media outlets, "the mayor says he’s bothered by one key aspect of the plan -- that sidewalk cafes would be exempt from the ban, meaning outdoor diners could light up at will."
The horror!
Says the mayor, “People walking by could have an issue."
Well, yes, they could "have an issue," which might even prove messy, or they could just keep walking.
Mark my words, public parks are next.
[Post-publication addendum (June 21): Clarification: I am not opposed to a reasonable and agreeable expansion of the smoking ban to cover restaurants, bars, and taverns. What I find odd is that the mayor would be willing to veto the measure as passed by the city council because of the outdoor café exemption. Why not take what you can get now and move on from there? I still think public parks are next, and that's another story entirely.]
The first fan I bought wasn't good enough, so I bought another one, and that without realizing the appliance was again a production of The Holmes Group Inc.
That's okay, though, since the second fan goes by the brand name of "Blizzard." It's a four-speed, remote-controlled, oscillating fan, and it really blows, in a good way.
Yet just as with the "twin window fan, with thermostat" to which I referred in the previous post, I encountered problems, or troubles, or difficulties, or at least a bit of anxiety when I read the "owner's guide," to wit:
ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS
Your Table Fan comes completely assembled and is ready for immediate use. Carefully unpack your fan, read the instructions completely, plug it in and enjoy!
I get that, and it proved to be true. Imagine, then, my confusion upon reading this:
CLEANING/MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS
Always unplug the fan before cleaning or disassembling.
If the fan comes fully assembled, for what reason might one disassemble it?
As of late yesterday, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley is the leading vote-getter for that position on the National League All-Star Team, according to an item in today's Philadelphia Inquirer. (Voting continues at MLB.com until June 29. You can find the link to the voting here.)
And today's New York Times offers a glowing profile of Utley in "Phillies' Utley Carries All-Star Credentials and Code of Conduct," by Lee Jenkins.
It's hot as hell in Philadelphia again, repeating the charms of Memorial Day weekend, and so on Saturday I bought a window fan. Actually, a "twin window fan, with thermostat," from a manufacturer known as The Holmes Group Inc.
What a mistake.
I can blow harder than this twin window fan, with thermostat. And I smoke a pack of cigarettes a day.
I'm proud, however, to say that I was able to install the unit and get it up and running without reading the owner's guide, which is little more than a pamphlet.
Just as well, since when I perused the guide later, I became thoroughly confused.
On one page I read (quoting directly and exactly):
Fan Blade and Front Grill Cleaning
1. Using a phillips head screwdriver, remove the screws that hold the front and rear grills together. Carefully opposite the built in extenders. Do not completely detach the grills as this may damage the extender clips. Separate only enough to gain access to the blades with one hand.
2. Clean blades and grills with a soft, moist cloth (see above).
3. Securely fasten the grills together.
And on the very next page, as part of the "troubleshooting guide," I read:
Issue: My Window Fan has become very dirty.
Potential Cause: Fan may need to be cleaned.
Potential Solution: First unplug the fan from the outlet. The outside of the fan can be wiped down with a damp cloth. Use a vacuum cleaner with a dust brush attachment or a can of compressed air to remove dust from any hard to reach areas. Please note: Holmes window fans cannot be taken apart to be cleaned. [Emphasis added.]
Okay, so I pulled out that screwdriver, removed the screws, carefully opposited the built in extenders (Huh?), kept myself from completely detaching the grills, and separated them just so, and for what?
Ten rules for riding rail-based public transit in Philadelphia:
1. Ignore any and all signs advising riders not to eat, drink, smoke, or play radios loudly. Those messages are directed at someone else, not you.
2. Do not sit on a seat, even if the car is completely empty. Instead, stand in the doorway and create as much blockage as possible. Traveling with a friend? Ask him to stand directly across from you in the same doorway; that way nobody can get off the train without your consent.
3. When the train stops at a station, lean out of the doorway and scan the platform repeatedly, right and left, left and right, until you are warned, "Doors are closing." Abide in the knowledge this announcement pertains not to you (See rule no. 1, above.), and continue surveying the platform, even if doing so results in a delay in the train's departure from said station.
4. Litter as you wish, particularly if you're weighed down by a couple of bottles and cans. And that hamburger you tired of halfway through? It will do just fine on the floor as well.
5. Cell phone use is not only expected, it is encouraged. High-volume vulgarities directed at your "no good" children (Your words, not mine.) are always appreciated by your fellow riders.
6. Sleep at will and at your leisure. Passing out is okay, too.
7. No token? No problem! You've got arms and legs: Jump that turnstile! You think that guy in the booth is going to get up for you?
8. If you're on budget, plan carefully. Unless you buy your weekly pass by the Sunday before the Monday when the card goes live, what's the point?
9. Stop at Market East, Suburban, or 30th Street Station as soon as possible and gather up as many bus-route schedules as you can. What, you thought we had a real subway system here?
10. Don't even think about staying out late on a Saturday night.
[Note: Cross-posted at The Rittenhouse Review.]
Apparently we're really not much for barbecuing around here. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the city ranked 54th out of 60 U.S. cities in a survey by the Kingsford Products Co. measuring sales of charcoal, grills, barbecue sauce, and picnic ware. That's puts Philadelphia well below leaders St. Louis; Des Moines, Iowa; and Tampa, Fla.
I'm not sure why Harrisburg and Scranton, Pa., which came in last place, were converted into one metropolitan area for purposes of the survey since the two are more than 100 miles apart.
From CNN and CourtTV: "Polk Guilty of Killing Therapist Husband":
[Susan] Polk, who represented herself at trial, claimed her husband died from a heart attack during the altercation, and not from what an autopsy said was 37 stab wounds.
Because, what, Felix Polk would have survived had he managed to swallow a baby aspirin amid all that cutting?
And here I thought lobsters were just a step above insects, neurologically speaking. Whole Foods Markets believes otherwise.
What with all the fish suddenly dying, authorities don't want anyone swimming in it or drinking from it, but apparently it's okay to row upon it, and so the Schuylkill Navy Regatta will go forward on the river as planned tomorrow, June 17.
Let's hope nobody falls in.
I just noticed the soap dispensers at work are labeled in English, French, German, Dutch, and Swedish.
Swedish, but not Spanish?
I hope Joe Vento doesn't come in here. He'd have a massive anti-polyglottal stroke.
I'll phrase this as delicately as I can.
There is a young girl being treated at the Albany Medical Center in Albany, N.Y., for horrific injuries, including broken bones and bleach burns to her eyes, ears, and face, allegedly inflicted by Jose Munoz, the boyfriend of the girl's mother, Delia Hernandez, of Schenectady, N.Y.
Sadly, the four-year-old girl apparently has been abused since birth, the evidence being the name that was bestowed upon her at that time: Xctasy.
KYW News Radio reports the Friends of Rittenhouse Square are holding their annual fundraiser, including a black-tie ball, in the park this week.
Reporter Hadas Kuznits got this quote from ball organizer Mary Porenzi:
The square is one of the five squares that Ben Franklin made when he made Philadelphia, and so we want to preserve it and keep it the way it is -- and it's a gorgeous square! It's probably the busiest square on the east coast.
Allow me to make introductions: Ms. Porenzi, this is Mr. William Penn. Mr. Penn, Ms. Porenzi.
[Post-publication addendum: By way of Blinq, I see that I should have attributed the placement of Rittenhouse Square, as part of the original Philadelphia grid, to Capt. Thomas Holmes. Further introductions: Mr. Capozzola, this is Captain Holmes. Captain Holmes, Mr. Capozzola.]
"If we can't get members of this community to step forward and come to the assistance of a 4-year-old girl, then we may as well hang it up." -- Philadelphia Chief of Detectives Joseph Fox.
The quote comes from follow-up coverage to Tuesday's shooting of a four-year-old South Philadelphia girl, now identified as Nashay Little, in which the Philadelphia Inquirer reports she is in critical but stable condition and that doctors had performed surgery "to save the girl's left leg after the bullet hit a major artery."
It was only a matter of time: Today the Philadelphia City Council approved a ban on smoking in most bars and restaurants. Councilman Michael Nutter, who has been huffing and puffing about this subject since at least 2005, said, debatably, "Philadelphia will no longer be considered the country's ashtray."
"What threshold do we have to hit before people start to realize how serious this is?" -- Capt. Kevin Bethel, 17th Police District, Philadelphia.
I would hope that an innocent 4-year-old girl getting hit by a bullet amid street crossfire at 7 o'clock in the evening would do it, but maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I've already lived here too long.
I hope Lori of the Philadelphia blog Avocado 8 is all right. I would have expected she, a well known -- some might say rabid -- Steelers fan, would have responded to Ben Roethlisberger's awful motorcycle accident by now.
My gosh, hurry over to the NBC 10 web site now!
I just got an e-mail from the news operation there that read in the subject line: LIVE VIDEO ALERT: Daryl Hannah Stuck On Top Of Tree At California Protest.
For crying out loud, who cares?
It's Monday, so the sudoku puzzle in today's Philadelphia Inquirer (Note: Puzzle online doesn't always match that posted at the web site.) rates just one star, meaning about as easy as they get and as difficult as I'm willing to attempt. Still:
572 498 163
814 623 975
396 157 248
263 789 514
721 246 389
948 315 726
685 972 431
129 834 657
437 561 892
I take my victories where I can.
[Post-publication addendum (June 13): Clive Thompson asks, in "The Puzzlemaster’s Dilemma," (New York magazine), "Will Sudoku kill the crossword puzzle?" I really doubt it.]
I was with some friends earlier this evening, two of whom regularly play the Pennsylvania Lottery's daily numbers, three-digit and four-digit.
We watched the evening drawing, just before 7 p.m., and the afternoon's four-digit number today turned out to be 1-4-5-2.
Neither had the number, but I thought this response, from my friend Kathy, who plays a number related to her ex boyfriend, was worthy of blogging: "I had 1-4-5-3! Jimmy's address was 1453. Why the hell didn't he buy the house across the street?!"
[Post-publication addendum (June 11): I know the question you're asking, having read the above. "Why is Kathy playing a number so closely entwined with her ex?" I admit I was harboring the same question, which was posed to her yesterday. Without missing a beat, Kathy said, about her ex, and I'm paraphrasing: "He plays that number every day. There's no way I'm going to let him win the lottery without me doing the same!"]
Michele Hutchison, 27, of Clifton Park, N.Y., and formerly of the Philadelphia area, is taking bids on eBay for a new last name, according to "Woman by Any Other Name is Richer," by Rick Clemenson, in today's Albany Times Union.
The minimum bid is $25,000, and Hutchison says she will give 20 percent of the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity of Colorado.
As yet: No takers.
No surprise.
Some Market-Frankford El trains are featuring in-car advertisements featuring the Back On Trac Physical Therapy Center that read, in part:
Parlez-vous Français
Hablamos Español
Seems to be a pretty cruel joke to play on potential French-speaking customers, as in, "Do you speak French? . . . Well, too bad, we speak Spanish!"
From a Memorial Day weekend visit to the always-excellent Square on Square Chinese restaurant in Center City Philadelphia: You look pretty.
Maybe not the word I would have chosen, but I'll take it.
And here's another that I've been carrying around in my wallet for a while now, possibly also from Square on Square: All your hard work will soon pay off.
I'm still waiting.
Local businessman Joe Vento, has become very particular about who can order a cheesesteak at Geno's.
And reporter and blogger Will Bunch, writing at Attytood, has a good idea on how the market, local and otherwise, should respond.
I agree with Bunch, but maybe this is too much fuss over a foodstuff that isn't all it's cracked up to be anyway.
Philadelphia is getting serious about hosting the Summer Olympics in 2016. The group formerly known as the Philadelphia 2016 Working Group has adopted the name "Philadelphia 2016," and has formed a board and named two co-chairs, David L. Cohen, executive vice president of Comcast Corp., and Dawn Staley, the women's basketball coach at Temple University. Notably, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer ("Olympics Group Adds Two Cochairs," by Larry Eichel), "Thus far, no visible opposition has surfaced locally to the idea of a Philadelphia Olympics. Mayor Street is a strong backer of the bid; public officials generally have been supportive."
These awful, senseless, violent deaths continue to occur with depressing frequency. The latest victim: William Palmer, 18, of Philadelphia, shot to death while working at a Center City parking garage.