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ISSUE . January 28th, 2010

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Cover Story

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The Island

Hugo Chavez owns it. New Jersey controls it. Developers and environmentalists covet it. And one brazen trespasser wants us to pay homage to its forgotten king. Welcome to Petty's Island, a fin-shaped slice of strange, in the middle of the Delaware River.

by Holly Otterbein

It's been the epicenter of a battle between developers, politicians and environmentalists since 2003. It's a place that two endangered bald eagles, guarded by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, now call home. And here's Duke Riley, this rapscallion New Yorker, coming down I-95 to do God knows what with it.

Philagrafika 2010

Our picks for this year's fest.

by Holly Otterbein

Here are a few of our favorite artists, all of whom are exhibiting until April 11 unless otherwise noted. Check out philagrafika2010.org for many more.

Opinion

Editor's Letter:

Bike-o!

In which we respond to Stu Bykofsky, and issue a challenge.

by Brian Howard

A challenge: a bike ride from the Schuylkill to Second on Chestnut, and from Second back to the Schuylkill on Spruce.

Loose Canon:

Old-School Learning

Books and bikes, side by side.

by Bruce Schimmel

In this neighborhood, fear trumps civility. Which is why, five years ago, a couple of academics, a community advocate and real estate developer Jonathan Weiss opened what Weiss calls "a community center posing as a bookstore."

Feedback:

Letters to the Editor

What You Say

"Brian Howard accuses me of cherry-picking stats. (I did.) So did he. All columnists do. Duh!"

News

A Million Stories

All the news we care to print.

Perhaps you've heard that a naked Cosmo centerfold in a pickup truck named Scott Brown will occupy Ted Kennedy's seat in the U.S. Senate.

The Bell Curve

City Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter

When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.

Two Minutes With:

Zack Stalberg

Zack Stalberg, president and CEO of the Committee of Seventy

by Andrew Thompson

The CQS is but one of four city "row offices" run by elected officials who provide services easily performed by other agencies. The city considered shuttering them last year to save money amid its budgetary meltdown. It didn't. We spoke with Zack Stalberg about it.

Man Overboard!:

The Funky Homo Sapien

You can't put a dollar bill into a ballot box, can you?

by Isaiah Thompson

Give me a break. Last time I checked, politicians were elected by votes, not money — I mean, you can't put a dollar bill into a ballot box, can you?

Smarty Pants:

Brownout

People are angry.

by David Faris

The election of a Republican senator from Massachusetts is being painted in the national media as a political earthquake for a state allegedly ideologically located somewhere between Cuba and Maoist China.

Arts

Art:

The Secret Lives of Numbers

InterAct and Mural Arts join forces to bring prisoners' stories to the forefront.

by A.D. Amorosi

Originally planned as a 20-minute play to be performed for the inmates using only their words, the project began to transform after Lewis left Graterford in July 2008.

Arts Picks:

Through Their Eyes

Through April 11, free, Palumbo Park (next to Fleisher Art Memorial), 723 Catharine St., 215-625-9990, pentimenti.com.

by Holly Otterbein

Judy Gelles has no problem admitting that this exhibit is, first and foremost, for the kids.

Full Exposure:

My Friend Flickr

John Vettese sees what develops

by John Vettese

When submissions closed for their photography group show, Erica Maxwell and Allison Krumm didn't have any cumbersome frames or clumsy prints to contend with.

Theater Review:

Great Scots

THEATER REVIEW: Gagarian Way

by David Anthony Fox

In the late '90s, when playwright Martin McDonagh grabbed hold of Irish drama, he took traditionally tragic themes — poverty, political strife, alcoholism, psychological violence and turned them inside-out.

Wake-Up Call

THEATER REVIEW: Blue Door

by Mark Cofta

Tanya Barfield's Blue Door — in the Arden Theatre Co.'s smart, engaging production — postulates that our past (and, particularly, the denial of it) influences who we are today.

Kaleidoscope

Psalmships | DJ Omega | Respect: A Musical Journey of Women | Future of Music Coalition

Arts Picks:

Christopher Rice

Sat., Jan. 30, 7:30 p.m., $50, The Plastic Club, 247 S. Camac St., 215-923-2960, giovannisroom.com.

by Josh Middleton

With LGBTQ bookstores dropping like hot pants nationwide, author Christopher Rice believes the gay community is losing a vital respite from the booze-guzzling, sex-hounding club scene.

Movies

Police, Adjective

City Paper Grade: B-

by Sam Adams

Corneliu Porumboiu's film is preoccupied with definitions, but it's too literal in its translation.

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

Exile in Girlville

West Philly themeweavers The Chimeras make rock 'n' roll Herstory.

by John Vettese

Their new record, titled Her, just arrived from the pressing plant and they're passing copies around the table, picking apart its song titles — all of which are women's names.

Album Reviews

Spoon! | Stroke | Vampire Weekend

One Track Mind:

Lost Controls

"Entirely Wired for Sound"

by John Vettese

Podcast listeners, you know what I'm talking about — the more we hear insiderist blaggers yapping about "South by" in the coming weeks, the more we'll want to throttle 'em.

Aid or Invade:

Peru!

Should one person be allowed to have a monopoly on joy?

by Rodney Anonymous

Blame Eva Ayllón, for she, like some sort of sultry, hip-shaking multinational corporation, has apparently managed to corner the market on fun.

Music Picks:

Bells Bells Bells

Sat., Jan. 30, 9 p.m., $7, with Frisky or Trusty and Party Photographers, Tritone, 1508 South St., 215-545-0475, tritonebar.com.

by M.J. Fine

"A Ghost Could Live Here," the title track of Bells Bells Bells' third album, has plenty of nooks for a haint to hide.

Circulasione Totale

Sat., Jan. 30, 8 p.m., $20, International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 215-387-5125, arsnovaworkshop.com.

by Shaun Brady

The old cliché goes that music is the universal language, but it rings cacophonously true in the case of the Circulasione Totale Orchestra.

Food

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Does Percy Street Barbecue's shipped-from-Texas concept translate to Philly?

by Trey Popp

The aim here is comfort food, and O'Shea hopes people will shed their preconceived notions of what that should entail — be it a different style of barbecue or their grandmother’s apple crisp. That was hard for me to do.

Not Just Good

Sonic Drive-In

by Drew Lazor

Bacon cheeseburgers. An extra-long chili cheese coney. A crispy chicken bacon ranch sandwich. A "Breakfast Toaster." One "Ocean Water" (Sprite with blue coconut syrup — tastes like the color blue) and several Cherry Limeades. Tots, both plain and buried in chili and cheese. Fries. WHAT HAD WE DONE.

What's Cooking:

The Week In Eats

Get Out!

by Alexandra Harcharek

The Trouble with Trippels at Johnny Brenda's | Beef and Beer at South Philadelphia Tap Room | Be Sweet for Haiti fundraiser at Las Cazuelas | Pierogie Week at The Green Rock Tavern | Groundhog Day Hawaiian Shirt Beer Breakfast At Grey Lodge Pub

Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

Maru Global Takoyaki | Sugar Cube Philly | Yards Tasting Room

Agenda

Agenda Lead:

Head Over Wheels

David Byrne on what'll make Philly a great bike city, once and for all.

by Kate Leshko

"Aside from infrastructure, cyclists have to stop for red lights and go with the flow of traffic. That means you, Mr. Messenger, Mr. Food Delivery Guy, Mr. Spandex and even you, Ms. Girl in a Summer Dress. Then we cyclists will be in a position to demand respect from motorists and have our rights respected."

Agenda Picks:

The Little Apple

Opens Tue., Feb. 2, noon-6 p.m., The Little Apple, 4353 Main St., 267-335-4968, thelittleapplestore.com.

by Josh Middleton

Molly Cygan and her fiancé, John, have been busy painting walls, ordering business cards and, most importantly, getting the goods for their charming, 900-square-foot boutique opening in Manayunk.

Icepack

Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.

by A.D. Amorosi

Freeing your mind and letting your ass follow isn't a new thing. It was an idea even before George Clinton put it into words in 1970.

Shopping Spree

Just Opened: Nice Things Handmade

by Felicia D'Ambrosio

Kara's childhood experiences visiting her grandfather's haberdashery on South Street and her mother's store in Atlantic City, also called Nice Things, inspired her to dare to open her own venue for artists to sell their wares.

Agenda Picks:

PhillyFest 2010

Sat., Jan. 30, 6:30-10 p.m., $21.50, Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St., 215-732-5446, phillyfest.com.

by Emily Currier

PhillyFest 2010 celebrates everything from hammy Bollywood moves to the sleeker, more modern Hindi fusion.

Pretty Things Peepshow

Sat., Jan. 30, 10 p.m., $10-$12, Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., 215-922-6888, thetroc.com.

by Emily Currier

While all burlesque relies on the power of the unexpected, the traveling Pretty Things Peepshow has a fishnetted leg up on other troupes.

Having The Audacity to Dream Conference

Fri., Jan. 29, 6:30 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 30, 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 31, 11:30 a.m.; $5, Victory Christian Center, 5220 Whitby Ave., 215-474-2717, ladydivaforlife.com.

by Julia West

Rudd wants to teach girls how to make their lives better, so she's organized a three-day conference featuring workshops on self-image, financial planning and the journey to "ladyhood."

Philly NORML Kickoff

Fri., Jan. 29, 7 p.m., $5, Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., 215-573-3234, therotunda.org.

by Holly Otterbein

The band lineup is exactly what you'd expect out of a weed benefit jam: Agent Moosehead, Psychedelphia, The Big Dirty and DJ Ginkgo. Don't judge.