Bookmark and Share
ISSUE . September 13th, 2007
other issues :
«« September 6th | September 20th »»
 

Cover Story


A Broom To The System
SEIU tries to sweep new members into the labor movement.
by Doron Taussig
Philly is a union town. No one changes a light bulb in a large building without the help of John Dougherty and his electricians' union, and the public sector remains a labor stronghold. But in recent years, this state of affairs has come to seem stagnant, still. Organized labor has notrebuilt the blue-collar middle class that left when manufacturing moved overseas.


Opinion


Opinion :: The Felling of the Hoagie City Billboard
Loose Canon:
The Felling of the Hoagie City Billboard
The big billboard was everyone's poster child for urban blight.
by Bruce Schimmel
A photo of the so-called Hoagie City billboard hung in Mary Tracy's SCRUB office, the anti-blight advocates. Its image graced the walls of the People's Emergency Center (PEC), the neighborhood's development group.

Editor's Letter:
The Price Tag
How much is death worth?
by Duane Swierczynski
The average award was $2 million for each of the 2,280 victims in the towers, but that's kind of a misleading number. The payouts were broken down by income level — the families of those who made a bigger paycheck, on average, received more compensation.

Slant:
"Fire? What Fire?"
Finding hope in smoldering ashes near K&A.
by Nathaniel Popkin
The lot where the warehouse once stood is cleared and graded. Reflecting the late summer sun, it's a beacon of light from a place that was dark indeed. "A shooting gallery" is how John Calloway, a neighbor, describes it. From what I've heard, derelicts firing guns in the night was the least of the misanthropy that took place inside.

Feedback:
Letters to the Editor
What You Say
Many worker activists who stuck their necks out during the campaign were moved off contracts, had their hours cut or were suspiciously fired after the union campaign ended. | The Pig Iron performance of Isabella, for instance, which was performed almost entirely in the nude. | What is it about a life of being caged like an animal and sodomized every night that seems less fitting a punishment than falling peacefully asleep?! | Another group of drivers that get me every time are those from Jersey.


Naked City


Naked City :: Westin ShowWestin Show
A Center City hotel breaks from the chain.
by A.D. Amorosi
"I suspect my bosses, like my parents, see me as kinda mad," says Vincent, "but in a positive, very tolerable way."

Running Numbers
A scholarly look at the digits that matter.
by Nick Norlen
The troupe aims to "improvise the human experience" with both "laugh-out-loud humor and heart-touching moments of truth." I'm totally going to use "HTMT" now when my instant messenger conversations get intense.

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
Welcome to Ugly Week: the seven days between a moist summer and an elegant fall full of breezes. Gives you a chill, doesn't it, all that sweet, sweet autumn? But not yet, bub. Not until you get past the thick humidity, the chubby, narcotized Cheeto-slurping moms on TV, the pretty new students in HSM2 tees (is Philly lawyer Larry Charles under lockdown?) and an Eagles loss already.

Fine Print:
Captain Cave Man
Like T-Pain, you'll fall in love with this stripper.
by Eileen Talone
Dos: Bring money. Don'ts? Don't expect anything afterward. We're putting a fantasy up there, we're trying to go home with you. You are coming to a strip club — which I don't even consider it, because we're wearing briefs.


News


News :: Sneak AttackSneak Attack
Blindsided by Youth Study Center plan, Fallsers brace for Street brawl.
by Ted Hesson
The city plans to put the Youth Study Center in the old Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute (EPPI) on Henry Avenue, a state-owned East Falls property that has been shuttered since 2004.

The Bell Curve
City Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter
When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.

One-Fisted Bandit
The latest anti-casino protest packed a punch amid the ongoing bad will.
by Doron Taussig
The only thing Ed Verrall knows about the guy who sucker-punched him is that he was big.

Philly Blunt:
The Road Rarely Taken
A retired cop turned poet challenges black men to stand up for their community.
by Brian Hickey
This month, the 22nd holds special prominence for Stokes. "Faheem Thomas-Childs would have turned 14 today," it reads.

Political Notebook:
Ladies' Room
Hillary in the house.
by Mary F. Patel
The fundraiser drew a few hundred women who paid an affordable $100 to attend the "all-women event" that marked the start of Clinton's "campaign with women" in Philly.


Arts


Arts :: The Art of Surprise
Art:
The Art of Surprise
Loom luminary Kathryn Pannepacker weaves something to be desired (and set on fire).
by Deni Kasrel
"I tell people I'll stop weaving when I run out of wool," quips Kathryn Pannepacker, relaxing in her studio. "But people keep giving me wool."

Culture Shock:
Things That Matter To People Who Matter
The Noisettes | Baking from scratch | Biking in Gladwyne | Girard Avenue corridor
I want to raid her closet and be her best friend and listen to her sing all night long. | It's such a good feeling to finally eat it with my husband, Jamie, and to look at each other and smile. | Rose Glen Road is a particularly satisfying 1-mile-long hill that transports me in my imagination to the famous Cols and Alps ridden every July in the Tour de France. | You should see the newly painted mural on Second Street!

Art:
Glass Roots
North Philly artists find a new message in the bottle tree.
by Shaun Brady
It would be understandable if the bottle trees sprouting up in North Philly were planted to ward off evil spirits.

The Dark Arts
Why the American Harry Potter pales next to his Brit doppelganger.
by Robin Rice
She can't show anything wonderful, either: She depicts Fleur Delacour, "a woman of such breathtaking beauty that the room seemed to have become airless," as a simpering Gretel clone. Rowling is said to have no personal contact with GrandPré. Good call.

Arts Picks:
Steve Keene
The Steve Keene Trevor Reese Project, through Sept. 29, Copy Gallery, 319 N. 11th St., third floor, www.copygallery.org.
by Lori Hill
In front of rows of raw plywood and a dozen open cans of paint stood a madman turning out nearly identical paintings at a methodical but ferocious pace.

Tina Barney
Reception Wed., Sept. 19, 6-8 p.m., runs Sept. 15-Oct. 27, Gallery 339, 339 S. 21st St., 215-731-1530, www.gallery339.com.
by Dominic Mercier
Photographer Tina Barney's images are quite large, often measuring about 4 by 5 feet, but it's the smaller, subtle details pulsing with tension that make them so haunting.

Assassins
Sept. 13-Oct. 21, $27-$45, Arden Theatre Co., 40 N. Second St., 215-922-1122, www.ardentheatre.org.
by Deni Kasrel
Assassins explores the twisted minds of nine people who held such extreme dislike for a U.S. president, or simply craved attention, enough so that they were moved to take dire action.


Arts Agenda


Arts Agenda :: Last ChanceLast Chance
Catch it or Regret It
by Holly Otterbein
In Summer, the Song Sings Itself | Confections | Dreaming of a Speech Without Words

Arts Agenda Picks:
In The Event That...
(Elderly) People Are Still Having Sex
Prime: Adventures and Advice on Sex, Love and the Sensual YearsWed., Sept. 19, noon-2 p.m., includes lunch, Gershman Y, 401 S. Broad St.

Just Do It
Are We Dressed Yet?
by Ptah Gabrie
Exhibit runs Sept. 15-May 31, 2008, free with museum admission, Mercer Museum, 84 S. Pine St., Doylestown.

On The DL
Sex on the Re-bound
by Monica Weymouth
Opening reception Fri., Sept. 14, 7-9 p.m., exhibit runs through Sept. 30, Aphrodite Gallery, 704 S. Fifth St.

Galleries
Galleries are usually open Tuesdays through Saturdays; please call the gallery for exact days and hours. Receptions are denoted with Reception 222 GALLERY , 222

Museums/Exhibits
Museums and exhibits have varying schedules; please callfor exact days, hours and prices. A-SPACE , 4722 Baltimore Ave., 215-727-0882. THE OTHER SEPTEMBER 11TH, Features work

Performing Arts
Please call the phone number listed with the venue for specific dates, times and ticket information. dance FLAMENCO DEL ENCUENTRO This traditional flamenco cuadro is

Readings/Book Signings
DAVE BARRY The Pulitzer prize-winning columnist reads from his new collection, "History of the Millennium," a witty trip through the highlights (and lowlights) of our


Movies


Movies :: Missing PeaceMissing Peace
Chilling and bold, Manda Bala looks at the victims and villains behind Brazil's kidnapping epidemic.
by Sam Adams
Kohn apprenticed under Errol Morris, and the lineage is clear. As in Morris' films, Kohn and his cinematographer, Heloísa Passos, fix their subjects in static medium shots, enhancing the artificiality of interviews rather than dully normalizing them.

Death Becomes Her
Neil Jordan's The Brave One is Death Wish for the NPR crowd.
by Drew Lazor
Neil Jordan's The Brave One doesn't raise any questions about vigilantism or social comeuppance that haven't already been asked by dramas dealing with the checks and balances of legality and morality. And, just like its predecessors, it also neatly avoids answering them.

Bodies of Evidence
The characters in David Cronenberg's latest tell stories with their flesh.
by Shaun Brady
"In Russian prisons, your life story is written on your body," explains a London detective examining a tattooed corpse.

Repertory Film
Send repertory film listings to tami.fertig@citypaper.net.


Music


Music :: The Lost CauseThe Lost Cause
Can Philly's fractured hip-hop scene get its acts together? Should it?
by Deesha Dyer
The music game loves its genres and subgenres, but lately it seems like Philly's independent and underground hip-hop does a lot more dividing than conquering.

Soundadvice
Get Out!
Carina Round | Nick Lowe | Jena Berlin | Quincy Coleman | Eskelin/Courtois/Courvoisier

Suite Spot:
King Arturo's Court
Peter Burwasser on Classical
by Peter Burwasser
For brothers of the scratchy old record collector fraternity (I have a lifetime membership), the digital era has been a golden time.

Music Picks:
Suzanne Vega
Wed., Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m., $35, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com.
by M.J. Fine
Reticence has always been Suzanne Vega's thing; it's what makes her such a masterful observer.

Vampire Weekend
Thu., Sept. 13, 9 p.m., $10, with Public Record and DJ Mickey Walker, The M Room, 15 W. Girard Ave., 215-739-5577, www.themanhattanroom.com.
by John Vettese
Yeah, yeah, we know, these globally directed Brooklynites were just here last month. But here's the thing — most of you didn't see them.

Inzinzac
Fri., Sept. 14, 9 p.m., $7, Millcreek Tavern, 4200 Chester Ave., 215-222-1255, www.millcreektavernphilly.com, myspace.com/diasporaseries.
by Shaun Brady
Formed by French-Philadelphian guitarist/accordionist Alban Bailly, Inzinzac (named for a small town in France) plays Bailly's maddeningly complex Balkan-jazz compositions.


Food


Food :: Six, the Hard WaySix, the Hard Way
A bill looks to drastically change beer sales in Pennsylvania. But are we ready for it?
by Tim Hyland
"It's like my boss says — 'If nobody in the industry likes it, it must be good for the consumer.'"

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
>> NOW SEATING Festivals 5222 Walnut St., 215-471-4444 >> WAITING LIST Arbol Cafe 209 Poplar St. | Sonam 223 South St.

Top 5:
Mega Moles
Get Sauced
by Lydia Navatsyk
1) Tequila's and Los Catrines, 1602 Locust St. | 2) Plaza Garibaldi, 935 Washington Ave. | 3) Zocalo, 3600 Lancaster Ave. | 4) Rustica, 903 N. Second St. | 5) Las Cazuelas, 426 W. Girard Ave

 


Fit for a Sit
A whole lotta latkes.
by Elisa Ludwig
Though Honey's Sit 'n Eat has made a name on its early-in-the-day fare, the homey NoLibs joint has been offering dinner since last spring.

Golden State
Enjoying Italian wines — by way of the West Coast?
by Peter Burwasser
The interesting irony of Italian winemakers promoting French viticulture now takes on a new twist with the so-called "Cal Itals."

What's Cooking:
The Week In Eats
Get Out!
by Holly Otterbein
Grumblethorpe Historic House and Garden Farm Stand | Zimbabwe Benefit | Delilah's Everyday Soul Workshop | Breweries of the Northern Liberties | Impress for Less! Dinner

You Ask We Answer
Culinary Mysteries Solved
Q: I love to eat mussels, but many of the well-known Belgian and seafood restaurants can get expensive. Where can I get a good order for under 10 bucks?

Small Bites
Little Vittles
Argentina Masters of Food & Wine USA Tour | Strawberry Water Ice at Philly Flavors | Joie de Vivre "Eggcessories" | Fresh Produce at Dutch Eating Place


Agenda


Agenda :: Free Samples
Agenda Lead:
Free Samples
Girl Talk gossips
by A.D. Amorosi
Gregg Gillis: Dan [Deacon] is one of my favorite performers right now. It is difficult following him sometimes, but I think our music usually generates different responses. His crowd is usually pogo pseudo-moshing, everyone bouncing together. My crowd is usually involving more traditional dancing, a lot of people doing very independent moves. I think we complement each other.

Agenda Picks:
Just Do It
Animal Rights Symposium
by Deesha Dyer
Sat., Sept. 15, Symposium, noon-6 p.m., free; Veggie Cabaret, 8-10 p.m., $15, The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St.

In The Event That...
Your Toy Box Needs an Update
by Amy Strauss
Frankenstein Animal Plushie Workshop Tue., Sept. 18, 6-9 p.m., $20, Mew Gallery, 906 Christian St.

Just Do It
Southeastern Pennsylvania Coast Day
by Luke Sirinides
Sat., Sept. 15, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., free, Penn's Landing, 301 S. Columbus Blvd.

On The DL
Molly's Café & Bookstore Grand Re-Opening Party
by Monica Weymouth
Fri., Sept. 14, free (donations accepted), Molly's Café & Bookstore, 1010 S. Ninth St.

In The Event That...
You Need to Talk the Plank
by Kaitlyn Foti
International Talk Like a Pirate Day, Wed., Sept. 19, 7-9 p.m., $4 (free for those dressed like a pirate), Independence Seaport Museum, 211 S. Columbus Blvd.


 
 
ADVERTISEMENT