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ISSUE . December 10th, 2009
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Cover Story


The Rehab Wars
Can a radical nun and a house full of junkies save Philadelphia from drug addiction?
by Isaiah Thompson
At the heart of New Jerusalem is its unlikely founder and director, Sister Margaret McKenna —"Sister Margaret," as she's known. Seventy-nine years old, with a penchant for knitted sweaters and a warm, grandmotherly voice that erupts occasionally into disarming cackles, "radical" might not be the first word you'd use to describe her. But Sister Margaret, a member of the order of Medical Mission Sisters for more than a half-century, is not your average nun.


Opinion


Editor's Letter:
Habits, Kicked
by Brian Howard
For instance, you can, if you so desire and are adequately capitalized, go buy a cheap house and ... start an addiction recovery revolution. No license required. Just junkies, which the city seems to have plenty of.

Loose Canon:
Evil that Google Doeth
"Don't do evil" isn't good enough for journalism.
by Bruce Schimmel
I felt violated. As a professional journalist, it was worse than being robbed. I felt betrayed. Spying on my moves and sucking out my thoughts, my cyber-spider had become a vampire.

Feedback:
Letters to the Editor
What You Say
"I just wanted to tell you to keep up the good work. I devour each issue."


News


News :: You Can't Fight City HallYou Can't Fight City Hall
Disappointed in Michael Nutter, good government activist Brett Mandel checks out of Philly politics.
by Andrew Thompson
Mandel's campaign was his final hurrah of Philadelphia crusading, his last resort after abdicating his position as the executive director of Philadelphia Forward, an organization that started in 2004 as a tax-reform advocacy group, but grew to oppose the whole gamut of Philly waste.

Smarty Pants:
This Lousy Compromise
by David Faris
So now, casual political observer, you're probably frustrated, and perhaps a bit mystified by this tendency of our system to produce middling, ineffective laws that please precisely no one. The median voter theorem (MVT) is your prime suspect.

Man Overboard!:
Socialism!
What health care and Comcast have in common.
by Isaiah Thompson
If the Republicans can't convince you that cheap is bad, try Comcast.

A Million Stories

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


Arts


Arts :: The Lizard Kings
Art:
The Lizard Kings
Tweaked and polished, Pig Iron's Obie-winner comes home to roost.
by A.D. Amorosi
"Pig Iron's very familiar with an audience almost getting our work," says Sugg during rehearsals for this month's revamped production of writer Robert Quillen "Quill" Camp's Chekhov Lizardbrain

Kaleidoscope
2010 Mutter Museum Calendar | Glorytellers | The women of Up in the Air | The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2009

Shelf Life:
Stay Positive
Under the Covers with Justin Bauer
by Justin Bauer
In Cory Doctorow's future, the geeks actually have inherited the Earth.

Arts Picks:
The Nutcracker
Dec. 12-31, $24-$129, Academy of Music, 1420 Locust St., 215-551-7000, paballet.org.
by Janet Anderson
Back off, D.C.: This show — the only local Nutcracker directly linked through Balanchine to the 1892 Tchaikovsky original — is one we'd like to keep for ourselves.

Naughty
Opening reception Fri., Dec. 11, 5-8 p.m., through Dec. 31, AxD Gallery, 265 S. 10th St., 215-627-6250, a-x-d.com.
by Josh Middleton
The nearly-30-piece collection, a loose interpretation of The Night Before Christmas, follows "Nick" and all his bits and pieces as he does the nasty with a bunch of dudes on Christmas Eve.

Leah Stein Dance Co.
Sat.-Sun., Dec. 12-13, 7:30 p.m., $10, Susan Hess Modern Dance, 2030 Sansom St., 215-438-2623, leahsteindance.org.
by Shaun Brady
But with In Retrospect, the company enters an even more unexpected space — a dance studio.

This Is The Week That Is
Through Jan. 3, $20-$35, Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey St., 215-592-9560, 1812productions.org.
by Mark Cofta
"Back by popular demand" is often hyperbole, but not regarding This Is the Week That Is: The New Administration, the fourth installment of 1812 Productions' comedic skewering of current events.

Doré and Grey
Fri., Dec. 11, 9 p.m., $15-$20, Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., 215-922-6888, doreandgrey.com.
by A.D. Amorosi
"We wanted a performance that included all the elements we love in a show: an exciting space, a good story, quality acting, great music ... and a cocktail."

Space 1026 Art Auction
Fri., Dec. 11, 7-10 p.m., free, 1026 Arch St., second floor, space1026.com.
by A.D. Amorosi
Donations have been pouring through the gallery's big mail slot every few hours, says artist/publisher/co-organizer Alex Lukas, and this year's work is of the highest caliber he's ever seen.


Movies


Movies :: Consciously CollectiveConsciously Collective
Archive Fever 1.0 explores how four filmmakers redefine our visual history.
by Shaun Brady
Derrida's piece, and its ensuing ramifications, have sparked a fascinating new series devised by Film @ International House curator Robert Cargni.

Invictus
City Paper Grade: B
by Shaun Brady
The standard narrative regarding Clint Eastwood's career is that its violence-condemning latter half has been one long, triumphant atonement for the violence-glorifying first half.

Repertory Film
Your weekly guide to local film events, festivals and under-the-radar screenings.
Send repertory film listings to molly.eichel@citypaper.net.


Music


Music :: All Over the MapAll Over the Map
A Sunny Day in Glasgow's Ben Daniels finds new pop gloom on the other side of the planet.
by A.D. Amorosi
Ben Daniels is on a journey. Since he started A Sunny Day in Glasgow in 2005, the songwriter-guitarist has moved from West Philly to Canada to Australia.

Wintry Mixes
Rating the sounds of this holiday season. Run, Rudolph. Don't Look Back.
by Patrick Rapa
It's the holidays. Relax.

Box Sets
"Very possibly the most overdue box set in the history of set boxing."

Reconsider Me:
Cut Above
The Slits' Trapped Animal
by M.J. Fine
Why would The Slits resurface now, 28 years after their last album was met with indifference?

One Track Mind:
Hot Guts
"Did You Not Go to the Dance Alone?"
by John Vettese
My first thought, of course, is "Bela Lugosi's Dead."

Music Picks:
Carry The Fire
Sun., Dec. 13, 6 p.m., $24, with Toy Soldiers, Drink Up Buttercup, George Stanford (featuring members of Townhall), Birdie Busch, The Blood Feathers, The Great Unknown, Cowmuddy, Fantasy Square Garden, Hezekiah Jones, Chris Kasper, Lady, Joshua Park, Spinning Leaves and Aunt Pat, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com, iourecords.com/thefire.
by John Vettese
Maybe you haven't gone to The Fire in years.

Dragonzord
Sun., Dec. 13, 8 p.m., $5, with Netherfriends, Jams Dean, Chang Chang and Ruinit, The Ox, Second and Oxford streets, myspace.com/theoxphiladelphia.
by John Vettese
With a name like that, it's gotta be metal. Or at least prog.

Mark Stuart and the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash
Sat., Dec. 12, 10 p.m., $10, Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St., 215-928-0770, tinangel.com.
by Mary Armstrong
The Tin Angel won't be a sweet little singer-songwriter room on Saturday night.

Composer Portrait: Tim Berne
Fri.-Sat., Dec. 11-12, 8 p.m., $15, Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 S. 18th St., arsnovaworkshop.org.
by Shaun Brady
Alto saxophonist Tim Berne's compositional aspect can only be described as expansive.

Remembering Jack Rose
Her Jazz with Maria T, Fri., Dec. 11, 6-8 p.m., WPRB, 103.3 FM, wprb.com, herjazz.org.
by Patrick Rapa
All over the Web this weekend, music fans were venting their shock and grief at the news that Philadelphia guitar wizard Jack Rose had passed away following a heart attack at age 38.

Fanfarlo
Thu., Dec. 10, 9 p.m., $12, with Freelance Whales, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com.
by K. Ross Hoffman
For better or worse, Fanfarlo's sound should be instantly familiar to anyone who's paid the slightest attention to the tasteful, tuneful indie rock of the past decade


Food


Food :: Sea ChangeSea Change
More elbow room means more bold flavors at Little Fish's big brother.
by Trey Popp
It's not often you find chicken skin on a fish-house menu.

No Thanks
NoVi
by David Snyder
The space has been brightened up. But for now, NoVi is a NoGo.

What's Cooking
Get Out!
by Erin Mae Szrankowski
Slow Food Dinner at Koo Zee Doo | XFest | French Christmas Dinner Menu at Bistrot La Minette | Radicchio Festival at Reading Rerminal Market

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
Zack's Café | Tortilla Press Cantina | WMD Hot Sauce | Green Eggs Café


Agenda


Agenda :: Bad Santa
Agenda Lead:
Bad Santa
Philly's naughty sci-fi writer dons the red suit and beard.
by Josh Middleton
Bonus Web Content
He's got the bushy white beard, the merry twinkle in his eye, the belly full of jelly. It's the package he'll be toting that gives us pause.

Agenda Picks:
Jon & Kate + Hate in Outer Space
Wed., Dec. 16, 11 p.m., $1.99, Bob & Barbara's, 1509 South St., 215-545-4511, dumpstaplayers.org.
by Kristen Humbert
Picture this: Nadya Suleman (aka Octo-Mom) jumps onto the back of Jon Gosselin's four-wheeler.

Two Percent To Glory
Wed., Dec. 16., 11 a.m.-7 p.m., free, 1817 Frankford Ave., 917-348-4477, twopercenttoglory@gmail.com.
by Nicole Saylor
When Iowa native Sarah Anderson's collection of vintage clothing outgrew her home, she looked for a new place to store her threads.

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
When David Headley got arrested in October in Chicago on international terrorism charges, can't say I was shocked.

Shopping Spree
Fashion > Forward
by Felicia D'Ambrosio
Marina Makaron Moscow Trunk Show| A Very Kensington Christmas| PRÊT Á PORTER

Agenda Picks:
Rock Bass Rainbow Fest
Fri., Dec. 11, 7-11 p.m., $5 suggested donation; Sat., Dec. 12, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., free; 2424 Studios, 2424 E. York St., 215-423-1800, rbrf.wordpress.com.
by Kristen Humbert
The Cohoquinoque Creek that once ran past Fishtown is now an icky sewer, yet a local group of grads from the Tyler School of Art have merrily adopted its name.

Paranormal State Tour
Thu., Dec. 10, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., free, University of Pennsylvania, 34th Street and Locust Walk, paranormalstatetour.com.
by Nicole Saylor
The stars from A&E reality series Paranormal State have embarked on a 10-city bus tour in hopes of learning more about America's eerie side.


 
 
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