Trends Reviews and Recaps

Yunel Escobar Surrendered by Atlanta Braves, Penelope Cruz & Javier Bardem Wedding

2010-07-14T15:38:00.001-04:00

Yunel Escobar fans might be feeling at a loss as he was delivered by the Atlanta Braves open arms and open legs to Toronto Blue Jays. Tough luck for him, huh? For a shortstop, Yune Escobar did a fantastic job playing for the team. Everybody knows Yunel Escobar is one of the best rated defensive shortstops ever. So they did trade him for Alex Gonzales and that's a

There is Such a Thing

2007-03-09T20:31:00.001-05:00

Philadelphia is a big city; a huge metropolitan area. There's something for everyone here. I've known that for a long time, and yet I still sometimes encounter something that really hammers the point home. I did so today when I discovered, while reading the Weekend section of the Philadelphia Inquirer, that there is in this city a flute group, known, if at all, as the Flute Society of

2007-03-07T15:54:00.000-05:00

BRING IT, OR DON'T BOTHERThe Washington Post today features "Philadelphia's BYO Revolution," by Jason Wilson, about the proliferation of "bring your own bottle [or booze]" restaurants in this city.Wilson generally gets it right, in terms of both the advantages and disadvantages of the trend for diners. But with respect to the latter, what Wilson doesn't mention is the typical BYOB charges fairly

Bulimia Or Heroin?

2007-02-27T20:40:00.001-05:00

I'm worried about my neighbor. Whenever she comes home, no matter the time of day or night, I can hear her vomiting through the wall. No, the vomit doesn't come through the wall, the sound of the act of vomiting penetrates the divide. I think that's what she's doing, anyway, and it's kind of freaking me out. What's causing this behavior? Bulimia? Or the fallout from an addiction of some

2007-02-27T20:30:00.000-05:00

MEMORY LANEA friend is taking a college-level mathematics class, aiming to earn a degree in the field, and gee whiz, good for -- and brave of -- her for that.A recent e-mail took me on a walk down memory lane, a very dusty path that, when she was saying something -- I didn't catch it all, even though I could have read it a hundred times -- about polynomials.Oh, yeah, polynomials. Right, those.

2007-01-15T09:19:00.000-05:00

OVERHEARD: CENTER CITYI overheard this bit of conversation in Center City Philadelphia this morning:Woman No. 1: How was your weekend? Woman No. 2: Nice. We came into the city and saw Chiquita Rivera at the Merriam Theater.Chiquita? Bananas, I say.

2007-01-07T16:50:00.000-05:00

AGAIN ABOUT THAT PARADEOkay, about the Mummers Parade: Yep, it sucked again.Here's a hint, guys. Nobody, and I mean nobody who is not a Mummer or who is related to a Mummer or who knows a Mummer or who drinks like a Mummer, cares about "a parade" that lasts eight fricking hours.Save this otherwise wonderful thing!You know what? The Rose Parade runs two hours and captures the attention of a

2007-01-07T16:37:00.000-05:00

GETTING TO THE ADIRONDACKSIn trying to get to the Adirondacks for a family skiing-oriented gathering later this month, I've been visiting, and then hitting and missing, various web sites, the names of which I will withhold, that promise, um, what should we call them, cheap tickets, which I've learned require considerable flexibility when planning to travel.May I just say that as far as

2007-01-05T12:07:00.000-05:00

ABOUT THAT PARADEHey, listen, I've been away for a while on vacation, and now that I'm back I'm wondering, Did the Mummers Parade suck again this year? Oh, I see. Sort of yes and no, I guess.

2006-12-21T20:09:00.000-05:00

CAT FIGHTDo we care?Of course we care! Reichen Lehmkuhl -- Not his real name; duh! -- is involved!Still, I want to know why this guy I hadn't heard of until today, Brandon Beemer, who hooked up with Lehmkuhl -- Just on MySpace.com, I mean! -- isn't getting more work.

2006-12-21T12:32:00.000-05:00

OVERHEARDCenter City PhiladelphiaOverhead this morning in Center City Philadelphia, spoken by a fifty-ish man: "Right now it's 0-6, but when we get back from the holidays it's gonna' be 0-7. It goes straight from one to the other. That's amazing. I can't believe it happens so fast like that."

2006-12-14T14:12:00.000-05:00

CUTTING & CATTYSurgically hacked Alex Kuczynski, "critical shopper" for the New York Times, gets all catty in today's review of Loehmann's, though not so much about the store as about a pair of well known designers:Loehmann’s is home to the misfit toys of the retail world, the “designer” clothes and purses you’ve never quite heard of, or the major designers who have had a sketchy year. I’ll never

2006-12-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

TRUST MENothing good will come of this:A new Cambridge company is planning to launch a service that would allow drivers to hunt for parking spaces using their cellphones.A kind of eBay for parking spots, the service will be an online market for anything from driveways that private property owners want to lease for a few hours to empty spaces at garages and curbside metered spots that are about to

2006-11-29T13:38:00.000-05:00

LOOK AT THE PICTUREDoes anyone else think it's weird that Milton Street, Philadelphia Mayor John Street's indicted older brother has a lawn jockey in front of his Moorestown, N.J. home? Sure, it's a white one, but it's still a little odd, I think.[Post-publication addendum (November 30): Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Monica Yant Kinney noticed the lawn jockey too: "Why did the most

2006-11-29T09:16:00.000-05:00

ME TALK FUNNY ONE DAYI guess I do have some sort of an accent.What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Northeast Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.Philadelphia The Inland

2006-11-28T21:31:00.000-05:00

MORE CARLY SIMONI ran across this beautiful video of Carly Simon and her son, Ben Taylor, performing "Love of My Life," a song featured in the film, This is My Life.The woman I love most in my, well, life, sent me the words to this song at one of the lowest moments of my, well, life.The lyrics were so appropriate and so apt -- and so needed -- at that time, and I will never forget it.Ever.

2006-11-28T21:11:00.000-05:00

OH, THE PLACES I HAVEN'T BEEN!A friend recently returned from a ten-day trip to Italy with absolutely beautiful, impressive, and gorgeous photos of Rome, Venice, Siena, and Capri, the photos of Siena -- a "side trip," she explained -- offering numerous pleasant surprises.I will admit I was a little jealous looking at these shots, but I'm pleased to say that that I was more happy than jealous, and

2006-11-20T20:24:00.000-05:00

SIXTH BOROUGH, IN YOUR DREAMSThank you, Steven Stern, personally, and thank you to the New York Times, as an institution, for "Liberal Arts in Philadelphia," from Sunday's edition of T Style Magazine: Travel, which managed to tell readers about the arts scene in Philadelphia without descending into condescension.Thanks. Really, thanks. We're so grateful.Because we live and die by what you think

2006-11-20T19:05:00.000-05:00

KILL MY LANDLORDWe just had two weeks of "unseasonably mild," as they call it, weather here in Philadelphia, and now it's cold again.Inside and out; more inside than out. I think my landlord hates heat. Or, at least, he hates giving it to us. What does he care? He lives in New Jersey. I assume it's warmer over there.Anyway, it doesn't matter much. I'm going away for the holiday on Wednesday

2006-11-14T21:52:00.000-05:00

CROSSWORD HINTA fairly easy Tuesday puzzle from multi-millionaire Will Shortz and the New York Times today.Here's an obvious, sort of personal, tip: 28 Down: Jenny Lind, e.g.; answer: S-W-E-D-E.

2006-11-11T22:44:00.000-05:00

NEW YORK, THENI forgot the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center appeared in this video of Carly Simon's Oscar-award-winning song, "Let the River Run," from the film Working Girl.Of course, there's a lot about New York I've tried to forget since leaving late, post 9/11, in 2001.

2006-11-11T19:22:00.000-05:00

CONSECUTIVE ORDERGee whiz, I need to get a social life.I learned something tonight, Saturday night, all on my own, and don't ask me why: There are only three zip codes in use in the United States in which the five digits run in consecutive order.They are: 12345, Schenectady, N.Y.; 23456, Virginia Beach, Va.; and 45678, Scottown, Ohio.

2006-11-05T20:05:00.000-05:00

NO GIG = NO TALENTJust down the block from where I live there is a building of some sort, one formerly commercial, I believe, the second story of which is being rented by a bunch of local hipsters, five or six guys who show up a few evenings each week and on most weekends, in order to "make some music," as they say. They are a reasonably pleasant bunch, with comparatively few piercings and

2006-10-10T20:25:00.000-04:00

PHRASES TO BE BANNEDI’m all for banning, from all forms of advertising, from this day forward, any variations of two phrases, first, "See it again for the first time," currently being used by Samsung, and second, because election day is approaching and why not nip it in the bud beforehand, "Now more than ever," an old Nixonian phrase that later was adopted, without success, by the then-embattled

2006-10-07T20:09:00.000-04:00

OVERHEARD: CENTER CITY PHILADELPHIAA black Muslim woman, heading north on 11th St. toward Market St., fully decked out in a black burqa, with the veil covering her entire face and all that, talking on a cell phone to who knows whom:Muslim Woman: So I said to him, "The two things I got going for me are my charm and my looks."Your looks? Who would know?

2006-10-07T18:17:00.000-04:00

OVERHEARD: RITTENHOUSE SQUARE, PHILADELPHIAThis one is sad.A 60-something woman walking with her dog and a friend, speaking rather loudly into a cell phone:So the doctor told me I have cancer in my cervix.I know! So I sort of threw my head back to look at her after I heard that, as did the two young women walking on my right, one of whom, while also looking back, said to the other, "Did she just

2006-10-06T19:40:00.000-04:00

WARNING: TERRY GROSSTerry Gross, host of "Fresh Air," produced at Philadelphia's NPR affiliate, WHYY, is generally informative and interesting, and often entertaining, even if at times she is inadequately prepared for her guests (her interview of Barbara Ehrenreich, after the publication of the latter's Bait and Switch, which I had just finished reading a few days before, stands out in my mind as

2006-10-04T19:01:00.000-04:00

THIS IS SO WRONGAndy, we have to talk.Picked up at MSNBC's "The Scoop": "Will Paris Hilton start raising a racket with Andy Roddick? The partying heiress and the tennis star were 'inseparable' during a party at Tao's in Las Vegas, according to In Touch Weekly. They reportedly were later spotted smooching at the nightclub Pure."

2006-10-03T20:05:00.000-04:00

THE SOCCER CHATIt happened again today. Here's roughly how it goes, every single time:Jim: Hi, how are you? Good to see you. [There is a handshake.]Vague Friend/Acquaintance/Co-worker: Good, good. How are you?Jim: Fine, thanks. How's [insert female name here, a reference to the wife]?Vague Friend/Acquaintance/Co-worker: She's great. Really great.Jim: And how are the kids?Vague Friend/

2006-10-03T19:34:00.000-04:00

ANYONE THERE?Hey, thanks, NBC 10, for the "Breaking News" e-mail telling me the Dow Jones Industrial Average today closed above its previous all-time high.But where was the e-mail blast alerting me and thousands of other Market-Frankford El riders to the hellacious evening commute that was ahead of us? Now that would have been both interesting and useful.And I heard nothing on KYW AM ("Traffic

2006-10-03T19:17:00.000-04:00

MORE PANDA STUFFWhen you're a panda nerd, you can't help yourself. So here's another video you have to watch, this one showing nine panda puppies all gathered on a single table. (Hat tip: Pandafix.)

2006-09-29T19:27:00.000-04:00

REALLY?I know Mariska Hargitay wins awards for showing up her work on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, but I think she's terrible, as in consistently awful. Hargitay's performance on the series reminds me of the also-lauded and awarded efforts of Candice Bergen on the tiresome series, Murphy Brown. Yeah, Candice, I get it, you can scowl. You can really do cranky. Here's another Emmy.It's

2006-09-28T19:16:00.000-04:00

PANDA LOVEYou've just got to watch this video, hosted at Pandafix.Warning: Sound, and sound that is essential to the experience.(Hint: If the video doesn't start to play when you hit the arrow at the center of the picture, try clicking the play button in the lower left-hand corner.)

2006-09-28T12:13:00.000-04:00

THE TRANSPLANT IS HOLDINGGawker, in its continuing run-down of all that is awful (everything) about New York's Meat Packing District (MPD), today offers a quick take on born-in-Philadelphia Buddakan:Surpassing all expectations, Buddakan has proved that what's essentially an Orientalized cafeteria can turn out solid Asian cuisine at prices that, while certainly not bargain-basement, don't require

2006-09-28T11:48:00.000-04:00

TEACH THEM WELSpotted this sign at 17th and Race Streets, Philadelphia, near Friends Select School:SCHOOLSPEED LIMIT15DURING OPENINGCLOSINC AND RECESS

2006-09-27T20:16:00.000-04:00

PFFFFT!Listening to the Phillies on the radio in this city is cause for mental conflict.The games, you see, are carried on WPHT, 1210 AM, a CBS station that calls itself "The Big Talker."And though the game-time coverage is well done, with excellent commentary, and while I like their in-house promo ads, those with the woman with the cool voice who chimes in, "W-P-H-T -- Phil . . . A . . . Del . .

2006-09-25T19:28:00.000-04:00

SMOKING BAN TAKES EFFECT TODAYSo the great big "smoking ban" took effect in Philadelphia today, a good 90 days before almost anyone thought it would given the disinformation, or lack of information, campaign perpetrated by Lilliputian Mayor John F. Street and others ahead of his delayed signing of the bill produced by city council.I wasn't opposed to this law, and frankly I thought Mayor Street

2006-09-21T21:31:00.000-04:00

SCAREBig doings in Center City Philadelphia this afternoon! An underground explosion near City Hall, around 1:00 p.m., with nearby office buildings evacuated and all that.As word spread at work, concern grew and there was all the talk and worry and such, particularly among suburbanites wondering if they could get home in due time.After I explained the situation to a co-worker, one I knew relied

2006-09-18T20:59:00.000-04:00

YES, THEY DID THATThe people behind the antiperspirant brand, Arrid, have set up a web site going by the name of, and I kid you not, Wetness Protection Program.

2006-09-14T20:00:00.000-04:00

CROSSWORD HINTSThursday puzzles, the day when the going gets a little rough and question becomes, Are you tough enough?Here's your hint for the Philadelphia Inquirer / Washington Post puzzle: 33 Across: Island leader? Answer: R-H-O-D-E.A tricky New York Times puzzle today, don't you think? A little help: 31 Down: Army post near Mt. Holly, N.J. Answer: F-T-D-I-X.

2006-09-12T19:59:00.000-04:00

CROSSWORD HINTSA decent pair of puzzles for a Tuesday, though the Philadelphia Inquirer, Washington Post, etc., puzzle had a pretty lame theme, if that's what one might call it.Here's your tip: 9 Down: Disloyal. Answer: U-N-T-R-U-E.The New York Times puzzle today is a good one. Here's a big-picture hint, related to the squares with circles embedded therein: Greek letters. More specifically,

2006-09-11T22:46:00.000-04:00

CROSSWORD HINTIt's the Monday puzzle, so it was somewhat of a snap, regardless of whether you did it in the Philadelphia Inquirer or the Washington Post, or whatever other newspaper carries the same game.Here's your tip: 25 Down: Presidential plane. Answer: A-I-R-F-O-R-C-E-O-N-E.Where were you?

2006-09-08T11:27:00.000-04:00

BEST MINI-GOLF COURSE EVER, CONTINUEDJust a few photographs yet to display of the new miniature golf course in Franklin Square, Philadelphia. The photo below shows the downsized version of the Ben Franklin Bridge, which is nice to have since I think you can get in trouble for taking pictures of the real thing these days.Benjamin Franklin Bridge

2006-09-07T20:23:00.000-04:00

CROSSWORD HINTHoly cow! Yet another Evan Esar quote in today's Philadelphia Inquirer and Washington Post crossword puzzle.Here's your tip: 18 Down: Miscue. Answer: E-R-R-O-R.

2006-09-06T20:05:00.000-04:00

CROSSWORD HINTIf you worked it out yourself, I'm sure you will agree that today's Philadelphia Inquirer and Washington Post crossword puzzle was a dud.Here's your tip: 28 across: Seismologist's forte? Answer: F-A-U-L-T-F-I-N-D-I-N-G.Sorry, once again I didn't pick up the New York Times.

2006-09-06T19:52:00.000-04:00

JUNK ON THE PARKWAYSo I heard today that by a vote of 6-2, this city's "Arts Commission" has decided to allow a 2,000-pound, artistically undistinguished, schlocky prop of I don't know what to stand at the foot of one of America's premier art museums. (See "Rocky Wins Split Decision to Stand Near Art Museum," by Michael Vitez of the Philadelphia Inquirer.)Please come visit Philadelphia. We want

2006-09-05T20:21:00.000-04:00

CROSSWORD HINTSToday's Philadelphia Inquirer and Washington Post crossword puzzle provided only a mild diversion.Here's your tip: 63 Across: Pilaf base. Answer: R-I-C-E.Sorry, I didn't pick up the New York Times today.

2006-09-05T14:49:00.000-04:00

BEST MINI-GOLF COURSE EVER, CONTINUEDStill another photo taken at the new miniature golf course in Franklin Square, Philadelphia. This photo is of hole at which they've placed a replica of the Liberty Bell.

2006-09-04T21:00:00.000-04:00

CROSSWORD HINTSA small tip for those working on the Philadelphia Inquirer and Washington Post puzzle, which for all I know might be carried elsewhere: 30 Down: Stay informed about. Answer: K-E-E-P-U-P-W-I-T-H.And for those figuring out the Times puzzle, take a look at 20 Across: The best place to sleep. Answer: P-E-N-T-H-O-U-S-E-S-U-I-T-E.

2006-09-04T20:47:00.000-04:00

INEFFECTIVE RADIO ADSHave you ever heard that guy who screams the script for the ad carried on, at least where I heard it, KYW Radio, who screeches something about food or clothes or whatnot?You know, the one in which he screams: "FOUR MORE MEALS!"It turns out he's yelling, "Forman Mills!"Let me tell you, if a listener, someone like me, has to Google your slogan, and several times at that, in

2006-09-03T18:59:00.000-04:00

CAREER OVERYes, it was a great career, albeit spotty at times, and so Andre Agassi, as promised, has left, presumably forever, the professional tennis tour.I'm not sure I'll miss him, since I never really liked him. His game, while at times impressive, was rather ordinary. His personality, typically strange, was hardly endearing.Still, there were some great moments, and so to you, young man,

2006-08-31T20:08:00.000-04:00

CROSSWORD HINTSThursday puzzles make for a nice challenge.The Philadelphia Inquirer puzzle, which I recently learned is the same as one of two also featured in the Washington Post, was a little disappointing. The tip-off that a letdown was ahead: a quick glance at the clue for 17 Across: "Start of an Evan Esar quip."Esar again? Give me a break. (Who is this guy anyway? If the weirdos writing

2006-08-31T14:56:00.000-04:00

GOOD MORNING, PHILADELPHIAThis morning I woke up to the news that there were eight separate shooting incidents in Philadelphia just last night, a spate of violence that racked up three deaths, including a man and a woman who reportedly were trying to prevent a sexual assault."Civil war" doesn't describe the situation here; that's more appropriate for Iraq. But "out of control" seems to come

2006-08-31T14:43:00.000-04:00

WHY I'M ADDICTED TO GAWKERToday the kids at Gawker are having lots of fun with one Daphne Oz -- here and then here -- though I'm surprised in the second take they didn't jump all over Daphne's siblings' names, which when strung together with her own, sound so horribly (and I mean that) precious: Arabella, Zoe, Oliver, and Daphne.

2006-08-31T11:43:00.000-04:00

BEST MINI-GOLF COURSE EVER, CONTINUEDHere's another photograph taken at the new miniature golf course in Franklin Square, Philadelphia.This one is of Boathouse Row, which in real life sits on the Schuylkill River, just west of the Art Museum.What's neat about the design for this hole on the golf course is that they replicated the river and even put a couple of miniature sculls on it. Boathouse Row

2006-08-31T11:30:00.000-04:00

OVERHEARD: CENTER CITYI overheard this brief exchange last Saturday at the entrance to the Market-Frankford line at 15th and Market Streets, Philadelphia:Panhandling Woman: Can you spare some change?Man Entering Station: What are you, kidding? I make minimum wage.Panhandling Woman: So do I, man. So do I.I wonder, was the woman saying she earned minimum wage from panhandling or, just as likely,

2006-08-30T20:51:00.000-04:00

CROSSWORD HINTI didn't pick up a copy of the New York Times today, so you're stuck with, if that's the correct phrase, a hint for the Philadelphia Inquirer puzzle: 1 Across: Seethe. Answer: F-U-M-E.

2006-08-30T11:54:00.000-04:00

WE'RE NUMBER 1!We're number one at something: "Among the nation's 10 largest cities, Philadelphia ranks first in the percentage of people living in poverty: 24.5 percent."Kind of wish it were something else.

2006-08-29T21:32:00.000-04:00

CROSSWORD HINTSIt's Tuesday, and the puzzles are kind of easy. Your hints: A tip for those working on the New York Times puzzle: 57 Across: Like many immigrants. Answer: B-I-L-I-N-G-U-A-L.And for those taking a stab at the Philadelphia Inquirer's brainteaser: 36 Across: I surrender! Answer: T-H-R-O-W-I-N-T-H-E-T-O-W-E-L.

2006-08-29T11:05:00.000-04:00

BEST MINI-GOLF COURSE EVER, CONTINUEDAnother fine photo from the new miniature golf course in Franklin Square, Philadelphia. This one of the Chinatown Arch.

2006-08-28T20:23:00.000-04:00

CROSSWORD HINTAn Occasional FeatureIt's Monday, and the puzzles are easy.Your hints:For the New York Times puzzle: 50 Across: Palestine's locale. Answer: M-I-D-E-A-S-T. For the Philadelphia Inquirer's game: 35 Across: Chill out! Answer: T-A-K-E-A-D-E-E-P-B-R-E-A-T-H.

2006-08-24T19:57:00.000-04:00

CROSSWORD HINTAn Occasional FeatureToday's Philadelphia Inquirer crossword puzzle features as its "theme," a quip. Zzzzzz.Anyway, here's your hint.24 Down: Sour tasting, old-style. Answer: A-C-E-R-B.

2006-08-24T10:31:00.000-04:00

BEST MINI-GOLF COURSE EVER, CONTINUEDAnother photo from the new miniature golf course in Franklin Square, Philadelphia.The Love Park Sculpture

2006-08-23T15:20:00.000-04:00

CROSSWORD HINTAn Occasional FeatureThe New York Times crossword puzzle today feels like a rerun or a repeat. There's something very familiar about it. Perhaps it's the trite and overused theme that unites the "long" answers.Think warbler, in the larger sense of the term.Anyway, today's specific hint is:54 Down: Bad-mouth. Answer: R-I-P-O-N.Seriously. Will Shortz allowed that.I think it's two

2006-08-22T21:38:00.000-04:00

OVERHEARD: NORTHERN LIBERTIESOverheard earlier this evening at the corner of Spring Garden and North 2nd Streets, Philadelphia, a slice of a conversation between a mother and her 10-ish-year-old son:Mom: Come on! Would you hurry up?Son (leaning over to pick up something from the sidewalk): Hold on! Look! I found a bullet!

2006-08-22T21:19:00.000-04:00

CROSSWORD HINTAn Occasional FeatureToday's New York Times crossword puzzle is a tricky one, but it's not difficult, once the solver gets over his annoyance with editor Will Shortz and the unnamed and unaccredited (And why is that, always?) author.Hint: Going against all convention, six times in the puzzle six different words appear in the answers two times each, one time across and one time down,

2006-08-22T13:09:00.000-04:00

NOT PHOTO-SHOPPEDThe photograph of Matt Lauer posted at TMZ.com yesterday is real. Really real. Gawker says so. I'm impressed. Among other things.

2006-08-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

BEST MINI-GOLF COURSE EVER, CONTINUED The Philadelphia Museum of Art

2006-08-21T21:02:00.000-04:00

CROSSWORD HINTA New, Occasional, FeatureHere's a hint to those working on today's New York Times crossword puzzle.Hint: 48 Down: Worker with an apronAnswer: G-R-O-C-E-RTrust me with this one. I know whereof I speak.

2006-08-21T20:47:00.000-04:00

BEST MINI-GOLF COURSE EVER, CONTINUEDI told you I would be back with more.A Replica of Independence Hall at the Franklin Square Mini-Golf Course.

2006-08-21T14:57:00.000-04:00

BEST MINI-GOLF COURSE EVERTwo weeks ago I went to the opening festivities for the newly revamped and refurbished Franklin Square, which offers, among other diversions, possibly the best mini-golf course ever. Or at least the best one I've ever seen. In the middle of a city anyway. In Philadelphia, maybe. I'm probably now underselling the site, but regardless, it's way cool, and takes as its

2006-08-18T14:42:00.000-04:00

MISTAKEN IDENTITYSatchel, from the comic strip Get Fuzzy, is "half Shar-Pei, half yellow lab"? Really? I thought he was a Bulldog. The entire venture is suddenly less interesting to me.

2006-08-16T20:44:00.000-04:00

OVERHEARD: NORTHERN LIBERTIESOverheard earlier this evening in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia:I saw photographs from Madonna's concert in Germany. She's up there against the cross and wearing a crown of thorns! I mean, why doesn't the Lord just strike her down dead then and there?!For that and so many other transgressions, religious and otherwise.

2006-08-16T20:17:00.000-04:00

WHAT'S THAT ABOUT?I'm totally not understanding this.The story. The news, I mean. About Lisa Richette. What happened to her.Not, you know, well, the photograph. Because that's creating an entirely different level of confusion.

2006-08-11T19:48:00.000-04:00

NOTED IN PASSINGMike Douglas, born Michael Delaney Dowd, North Palm Beach, Fla.: Talk-show host, based in Philadelphia from 1965 to 1978, 1925-2006.

2006-08-08T13:14:00.000-04:00

COULD HAVE FOOLED MEAlthough "[m]ore than 2,300 daily temperature records were broken from coast to coast" in July, "the average temperature for the 48 contiguous states was 77.2 degrees Fahrenheit," only the second-hottest on record.

2006-08-01T21:34:00.000-04:00

JESUS UTLEYOh, wait, no, his name is Chase Utley, but at this point in the season, he might as well be Jesus, as in, "Jesus, Utley!" Earlier this evening, in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Utley extended his hitting streak to 33 games.

2006-07-25T15:27:00.000-04:00

WE'RE NUMBER 12!Philadelphia ranks 12th among 40 large U.S. metropolitan areas in a Forbes "study" of the Best Cities for Singles. Forbes says the cities were "judged . . . on nightlife, culture, job growth, number of other singles, cost of living alone, online dating and coolness." And in those categories, Philadelphia scored 21, 7, 38, 8, 17, 17, and 15 points, respectively. I have no idea

2006-07-20T13:18:00.000-04:00

OVER-REACHINGColumnist Ronnie Polaneczky writes in today's Philadelphia Daily News:Now we have the possibility that the Tasty Baking Co. -- maker of a product that Philadelphians identify with and adore -- may relocate, replaced, in part, by a slots casino.It's a degrading trade.Against that backdrop, losing Tastykake would be like losing the Liberty Bell.It's at moments like this that I am

2006-07-19T15:34:00.000-04:00

THE KITTEN HAS TWO FACESHave you heard about, or seen, the kitten recently born in Ohio with two faces? I thought looking at it would be disturbing, but it's more interesting than it is upsetting.And now the poor thing has gone missing, possibly stolen.

2006-07-07T13:43:00.000-04:00

BETTER LEFT UNSAIDAren't some things better left unsaid, at least in public, as in, to the whole world?Two cases this week are particularly disturbing:Case #1: Hilary Swank tell's Vanity Fair that substance abuse by her husband, Chad Lowe, was partly responsible for the failure of their marriage.That sounds like an invasion of Lowe's privacy, but it was probably calculated and approved

2006-07-06T20:50:00.000-04:00

I MEAN, REALLY!Still more news from the never-ending Scott Peterson trial, which, frankly, I never gave a whit about, until now:Amber Frey, the former mistress of Scott Peterson who became a key witness in his highly publicized murder case, was scheduled to get married Wednesday, her attorney said.Frey, 31, is marrying Robert Hernandez, a neighbor who works in law enforcement, said her lawyer,

2006-07-01T22:34:00.000-04:00

NAILS ACROSS A BLACKBOARDI need a new stereo. Even a new radio. Just something that will allow me to branch out from the AM world.KYW, or "K-Y-W . . . News Radio . . . Ten Sixty!", as they call it, or sing it, incessantly, hereabouts, is all fine and good, but it's too repetitive and news-by-the-nugget for my taste.And some of these reporters? Please!Take Hadas Kuznits, will you?She's on the

2006-07-01T22:07:00.000-04:00

JEWELS ERE PORKDo you read Pearls Before Swine? It's my new favorite comic strip. Here are two recent classics:This, probably my all-time favorite. I love Pig.And this, because the crocodiles have it going on. At the expense of others.

2006-06-29T14:01:00.000-04:00

DIFFERENCE OF OPINIONInquirer 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.

2006-06-29T10:51:00.000-04:00

NO SMALL THINGAn 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

2006-06-28T16:46:00.001-04:00

THAT WASN'T A QUESTIONSnippets 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

2006-06-27T21:38:00.000-04:00

OVERHEARD: CENTER CITYOverheard on Sunday on Walnut Street in Center City Philadelphia, a bit of a conversation between an 8-year-old boy and his mother.Boy: Mom, when I get older, are you going to send me into the army?Mother: I don't know, are you gonna' do what I tell you?

2006-06-27T13:58:00.000-04:00

WIT' WHAT?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

2006-06-26T19:15:00.000-04:00

WHAT THEY SAYI 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

2006-06-26T18:48:00.000-04:00

THE FUTURE, OR NOT, OR CITY-WIDE WI-FIWhen 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

2006-06-23T10:48:00.000-04:00

COMING BACKA 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,

2006-06-22T21:32:00.000-04:00

PHILIP MORRIS ASKSIn its latest public-service campaign, Philip Morris asks, "What tobacco issues are important to you?"I don't know, price?

2006-06-22T21:28:00.000-04:00

UTLEY DRIVESSpeaking 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.

2006-06-20T21:06:00.000-04:00

NOTHING'S GOOD ENOUGHYou 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

2006-06-20T20:58:00.000-04:00

MORE FANNY BUSINESSThe 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

2006-06-20T13:08:00.000-04:00

UTLEY LEADSAs 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

2006-06-19T20:27:00.000-04:00

SOME DISASSEMBLY REQUIREDIt'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

2006-06-19T19:30:00.000-04:00

RULES OF THE RIDETen 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

2006-06-19T09:52:00.000-04:00

WE'RE NUMBER 54!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,