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What Bassam Sees
; "Cover Story :: What Bassam Sees")
Bassam Sebti lived through the first three years of the war as an Iraqi in Baghdad. He's watched the last two from Philadelphia.
by Doron Taussig
Bassam Sebti's morning routine, this flogging of himself with information, is a sort of daily rite of passage. He does this despite the fact that everyone around him knows he's already absorbed more than his share of the world's pain; despite the fact that, when he was actually at the pain's source, he simply turned numb.
Editor's Letter:
Bombs Over Baghdad
Look beyond the explosions.
by Brian Howard
I remember where I was the day the Iraq war started.
March 2003. Orlando. At some god-awful hotel conference center covering a marketing convention.
Slant:
Foot Power
Share the road all you like, but stay off my sidewalk!
by A.D. Amorosi
This Slant is for adults who ride their bicycles on sidewalks — fast. For cyclists who have zero regard for traffic laws.
Loose Canon:
Good Design, Better Community
Cedar Park had become a killing field.
by Bruce Schimmel
In effect, the fence separated the community from its common space, and had turned the Cedar Park into an incubator for crime.
Feedback:
Letters to the Editor
What You Say
"You just don't know who is carrying a gun and if they are mad enough to use it; this is the best reason not to confront someone in Philly."
Neighborhood to WatchA new biennial looks to put South Philly artists on the map — and the calendar.
by A.D. Amorosi
The string had hardly come off the braciole of the Italian Market Festival when fliers started popping up for a South Philly Biennial to be held under the watchful gaze of Frank Rizzo's mural on Ninth Street.
IcepackAmorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
Anyone who still listens to radio in the afternoon knows Philly stations are dropping their toppers like Jodie Foster did her girlfriend. Hard.
Running NumbersA scholarly look at the digits that matter.
by Nick Norlen
I hope you like two-inch toys as much as Wizard World does.
Should This Woman Be Deported?Angelina Eva Martinez's bad luck.
by Tom Namako
The first time Angelina Eva Martinez left home, she was an 18-year-old girl from Oaxaca, Mexico, with dreams of becoming an American nurse.
The Bell CurveCity Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter
When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.
Political Notebook:
Funding Fairmount
Everyone's favorite park finally gets some love.
by Mary F. Patel
Good news last week for advocates of city parks: City Council approved the additional parks funding in Mayor Michael Nutter's proposed budget.
Two Minutes With...:
Harry Kalas
Legendary Phillies broadcaster
Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas was already one of the most honored in the business when, last week, he was nominated for induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame. We caught up with him to talk about his storied career.
Art:
Postage Service
Party on, Mike
Zoë Cohen asks us to create our own activist art.
by Shaun Brady
On a windy, gray May evening, Zoë Cohen was approaching strangers not to beg for money or pass out religious tracts, but to offer them the opportunity to make a drawing to express themselves about anything they had on their mind.
Party on, Mike by M.J. Fine
Some people are walking downers. Others carry the party with them. With his new memoir, I Have Fun Everywhere I Go, writer/editor/rocker Mike Edison makes clear which camp he falls into.
Theater Review:
Glad All Over
Two's Company
So good we can't even talk about it.
by David Anthony Fox
Bill Irwin's dazzling, joyful The Happiness Lecture grabbed me (and I'm known to be unrepentantly mime-averse and clown-o-phobic), and kept me spellbound for 80 minutes.
Two's CompanyThe Woolgatherer contains plenty of twists and surprises.
by Mark Cofta
The joys of William Mastrosimone's The Woolgatherer lie not in where it goes — we can all guess where a two-person romance is headed — but in how it gets there.
Arts Picks:
A Show of Hands
Elevated
Fri., May 30, 5 p.m., $60-$175, Galleries at Moore, Moore College of Art & Design, 1916 Race St., 215-49-MANNA, mannapa.org.
by Aly Semigran
Your wall clock can't solve the energy crisis and your calendar serves no humanitarian purpose, but rest assured that there are some wall adornments that do a world of good.
ElevatedOpening reception Fri., June 6, 5:30-8 p.m., runs through June 30, Coral Street Arts House, 2446-2468 Coral St., 215-739-0310, positivespace.net.
by Monica Weymouth
"Elevated: East vs. West on the Blue Line" includes work from members of West Philly collective Dead Artist's Guild and Fishtown's Positive Space, all inspired by one mutually agreed-upon commonality — the Market-Frankford El.
Last ChanceCatch it or Regret It
by Nadia Stadnycki
Shadow World: Under the El, Year One | The Industrial Hand: Tableware Design | Occupational Hazards
Arts Agenda Picks:
Just Do It
On The DL
GalleriesPainted Bride Awards Benefit and Garden Party
by Deni Kasrel
Acme grocery stores, car dealers and Best Buy are all clamoring for the proceeds of your tax rebate, and now the Painted Bride Art Center enters the fray with a creative sales pitch.
On The DLNoir at the Bar
by Justin Bauer
Swierczynski has been on a tear since leaving City Paper, rapidly breaking out of the cult pulp ghetto with a slate of new projects.
Galleries are usually open Tuesdays through Saturdays; please call the gallery for exact days and hours. Receptions are denoted with Reception 13 NORTH ART GALLERY
Museums/Exhibits
Museums and exhibits have varying schedules; please call for exact days, hours and prices. ABINGTON ART CENTER , 515 Meetinghouse Rd., Jenkintown, 215-887-4882. METAMORPHOSIS, Features
Performing Arts
Please call the phone number listed with the venue for specific dates, times and ticket information. dance CATALYST Drexel's spring dance showcase features work by
Readings/Book Signings
JON MCGORAN The author reads from his new crime drama, "Freezer Burn." Thu, June 5, 7pm, FREE , Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane,
All for ShowTarsem Singh's striking visuals jump off the screen, but his stories Fall flat.
by Shaun Brady
In the hands of Tarsem Singh (who goes by just "Tarsem"), however, fairy tales are merely dressed up like Vogue models and trotted out on an overdesigned catwalk.
Singh His Heart OutThe Fall goes global, while nearly bankrupting its director.
by Sam Adams
There are labors of love, and there are those that transcend love and approach a kind of divine (or infernal) madness.
Repertory Film
Your weekly guide to local film events, festivals and under-the-radar screenings.
Send repertory film listings to tami.fertig@citypaper.net.
A New HopeLightspeed Champion takes a leap off the Lavender Bridge.
by A.D. Amorosi
When Devonte Hynes, of Britain's Test Icicles, became Lightspeed Champion, he didn't just move from danz-punk to chamber pop. He became another person.
Talking Lost with Devonte Hynes
by A.D. Amorosi
Devonte Hynes may or may not ruin Lost for you.
Suite Spot:
Muti Tasking
SoundadviceFormer Philly director Riccardo Muti jumps ship.
by Peter Burwasser
Riccardo Muti's surprise decision to become the music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has sent shock waves across the New York City music world.
Get Out!
Jeremy Enigk | Rilo Kiley | DJ Luke Raws | Grazyna Auguscik | Sabbra Cadabra
Music Picks:
Dark Meat
Be Your Own Pet
Circles
Thu., May 29, 7 p.m., $7, all ages, with Quiet Hooves, Space 1026, 1026 Arch St.; and 9 p.m., $10, with the Po Po, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.
by John Vettese
If you're seeing Dark Meat at Space 1026 tonight, you'll probably want to bring earplugs, since they're precisely as loud as you'd expect a 17-member rock band to be.
Be Your Own PetSat., May 31, 8 p.m., $18-$20, with She Wants Revenge, the Virgins and Switches, Fillmore at the TLA, 334 South St., thetla.com.
by M.J. Fine
Half the members of Be Your Own Pet turned 20 between their 2006 debut and their follow-up, Get Awkward, but the kids from Nashville aren't in any rush to grow up.
Circles
Fri., May 30, 8 p.m., $5, with Notekillers and Soft People, PiLam, 3914 Spruce St., myspace.com/thepilam.
by A.D. Amorosi
Weighs a Ton (Wooden Man) embraces robbing people in the name of the Lord, the art of swimming and "Dusty Rhodes" — a song that's either about a legendary wrestler or a literary journal editor.
The Grill of your DreamsKorean BBQ Gaya fires it up in Blue Bell.
by Elisa Ludwig
From the start, the food is fresh and made with care. Banchan, or small complimentary dishes, are well-considered here.
Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
Café Estelle | Sassafras Café & Bar | Vino Volo | Apothecary Bar Lounge
Authentically Impaired
On a quest for authentic Mexican? Keep looking.
by Trey Popp
You may not have laid eyes on El Ranchito, which, after all, is a simple corner café with no more ambition than to provide the neighbors with an easy takeout option, but you've tasted the food.
Top 5:
What's Cooking:
The Week In Eats
Get Out!
by Nadia Stadnycki
Sunday Supper at Supper | Center City Sips Kickoff | Food Made Fast: Grilling Cooking Class | A Taste of Latin America | Bucks County Chocolate Show
Agenda Lead:
Monster Moves
Shopping SpreeDr. Cube and company invade Philly.
by Joe Pelone
Monster movies rule. Live wrestling rules. It should hold, then, that Kaiju Big Battel rules twice as hard.
Fashion > Forward
by Monica Weymouth
If you're looking for a little something to spark up a boring neckline or make nice with your favorite pumps, Zivile Pupinyte's jewelry isn't for you.
Agenda Picks:
Just Do It
What We Heart
Phillyanthropy
Viking Day
by Ptah Gabrie
This Saturday, the American Swedish Historical Museum celebrates more than 370 years of Swedish heritage in the new world with Viking Day.
What We HeartBuddy Belt
by Natalie Hope McDonald
Resident pugs Atticus and Elijah both sport Buddy Belts at one of Fairmount's favorite pet enclaves, In the Dog House. At once pretty and practical, the soft, durable harnesses are designed to eliminate stress on your best friend's neck.
PhillyanthropyGet Up, Get Out, Get Involved
by Meaghan Dorff
Schuylkill Banks | QUASH for Alzheimer's | Easter Seals Walk with Me | Jobs With Justice | Independence Dragon Boat Regatta
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