MetaFilter posts tagged with philadelphia

Su d'oh ku!

escabeche — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:36:13 -0800

Open Letter to the Sudoku community and the organizers of the Sudoku National Championship about the potential cheating of Eugene Varshavsky during this Saturday's tournament. An unknown "man in a hoodie" shows up late and unregistered to the 2009 Sudoku National Championship in Philadelphia, and wins third place despite skipping the first two rounds. Second-place finisher and 2007 World Champion Tom Snyder accuses him of having a radio transmitter concealed underneath the hood, feeding him computer-generated solutions. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Varshavsky, wearing a stocking cap, defeated a grandmaster in the 2006 World Open chess tournament. Has competitive puzzling lost its innocence?

FOREVER begins when you say yes

deafmute — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:27:48 -0800

A LOVE LETTER FOR YOU is a series of 29 murals visible along the westbound El in Philadelphia. A project of the (sometimes cheesy) Mural Arts Program.

Philadelphia Underground

Rumple — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:08:35 -0800

Native American Sites in the City of Philadelphia is a superbly illustrated exposition of the historical development of Philadelphia, with a focus on those few surviving Native American sites which lie under the urban fabric. Lots more excellent Public Archaeology is available from the Philadelphia Archaeological Forum. Bonus link: Philly's lost creeks and streams. "Nay, it is very possible, that on the very site of Coaquanock, by the margin of the Dock Creek, on which their wigwams clustered and their canoes were sheltered, — on the very spot where Henry, Hancock and Adams since inspired the delegates of the colonies ... with nerve and sinew for the toils of war, — there may have been lighted the council fires of wary Sachems, and there may have pealed the rude eloquence of Tamanend himself, — and of the Shingas, Tadeuscunds and Glikicans of their primitive and undebauched age!" –John F. Watson, Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in the Olden Time (1857), Vol 1: 41

The Philly Phanatic

Mayor Curley — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 07:49:29 -0800

Analyst Tim McCarver calls the Philly Phanatic "The best mascot in baseball." However, former Slim-Fast pitchman and ex Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda hates him. On being in the Phanatic costume Tom Burgoyne, who has had the role since 1993, says "I feel like I'm reliving my childhood." However, the Philly Phanatic is not always the funniest thing happening at Citizens Bank Park.

What's a city without a public library?

ocherdraco — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 22:37:31 -0800

As part of what Mayor Michael Nutter has dubbed the "Plan C" budget, the Free Library of Philadelphia (the Pennsylvania city's public library system), chartered in 1891, will close all its branches and cease all services October 2, 2009, unless measures to raise sales tax and delay some pension payments are approved by the State Legislature in Harrisburg. The closing could be a huge blow for a city whose most famous citizen, Benjamin Franklin, founded The Library Company of Philadelphia, the United States' first successful lending library, there in 1731. A list, from the city government's website, of all the cuts necessitated by the "Doomsday" budget:

Streets Budget Reduction: $14.4 million Positions Eliminated: 300 Impact: * Trash pickup reduced to twice monthly * Stop mechanical cleaning and special event cleaning * City-owned litter baskets removed * Switch 1,000 traffic signals to flash * Remove bulbs from 4,000 street lights for arterial roadways * Stop alley light repairs * Reduce maintenance of street lights By Early September: * Identify light bulbs to be removed and inform neighborhoods impacted * Notify citizens of reduced trash collection schedule * Identify traffic signals to be switched to flash Libraries Budget Reduction: $29.6 million Positions Eliminated: 490 Impact: * All 53 branch and Central Libraries cease operations including the following: * LEAP after school program for 80,000 children and teens * 150 Books Aloud! programs * Partnerships with schools including librarian visits, Reading Olympics, Philadelphia scholarship program * 15 Teen Author Series programs * 27 Adult education programs presented by literacy organizations * Summer Reading for 55,000 children, teens and adults * Free computer classes * 40 teen programs * 10 Small business programs * Sundays on Stage * 135 Author Events * One Book, One Philadelphia * Free Library Festival Grant Programs including: * IMLS Growing Our Own Student Librarians * GlaxoSmithKline Science in the summer – 47 sessions, 1,400 youth participating * Claneil Books Aloud with PHA Sites * PNC Books Aloud with Head Starts and libraries * Merck science programs with LEAP * LSTA College and Career Prep with LEAP and at 5 branches across city * IMLS Media Mash Up national project By Early September: * Stop 3 week book renewals * Cancel special collection loans and retrieve outside loans * Cancel Fall Author Series and all special programming for Fall * Begin to notify program providers, volunteers (including court-ordered volunteers) outside organizations using meeting spaces, special event and series’ sponsors, interns, work-study participants, parents, schools and others that all library functions cease October 2 Recreation Budget Reduction: $30.8 million Positions Eliminated: 520 Impact: * All 160 Recreation facilities and programs cease operation including: * 96 After School programs serving 3000 children * 13 Teen Centers serving 1100 teens * 34 Tot –Recreation programs serving 1200 young children * 6 Older Centers serving 180,000 meals for seniors and programs/activities * Maintenance to 73 Parks * Sports for 500 community groups using facilities * 30 Sports programs serving 45,000 people * 66 programs with public schools * 110 programs with Catholic Youth Organization * 262 baseball fields, 224 basket ball courts, 161 tennis courts, 142 sports fields, 120 school gyms, 56 other gyms By Early September: * Prepare notification for parents with children in pre-school program suggesting they consider finding alternative day care services for their children * Prepare notification for parents with children in after school programs suggesting they consider finding alternative after school care Fairmount Park Budget Reduction: $11 million Positions Eliminated: 140 Impact: * Operations cease throughout the system of 63 neighborhood parks, 115 athletic fields, 469 buildings and 13 fountains * No grass-cutting * No maintenance of restroom facilities * No maintenance of ball fields or trails * No trash removal * Limited tree removal * Horticulture Center and Lloyd Hall close to public * Permit holders for events may use permitted area but no services (electricity, cleanup, plumbing, security) provided By Early September * Notify organizations with permits for special events from October until the end of the year (such as Dragon Boat Festival, Columbus Day Parade, AIDS Walk) that necessary services may not be available * Notify all organizations with meetings, events in Horticulture Center and Lloyd Hall of possible cancellations * Notify 136 athletic and youth organizations with field permits of potential disruption including Wissahickon AA and St. Joseph’s Prep Police Budget Reduction: $43.9 million Positions Eliminated: 972 Impact: * Lack of police presence will be felt all across the City. Support for various Specialized Districts and further erosion of the remaining specialized Response Units (Strike Force, Traffic Unit, and the Neighborhood Services Unit) will severely hamper crime fighting. * Cuts to Anti-violence and anti-drug units, schools resource officers and community relations officers – combined to the massive cuts to services across the city – will only further damage the ability to provide public safety. Fire Budget Reduction: $16.7 million Positions Eliminated: 36 officer, 120 firefighter and 40 paramedic positions Impact: * Deactivation of up to Six Engine Companies, Three Ladder Companies, Five Advanced Life Support Medic Units, affecting neighborhoods across the City. * This is just the tip of the devastation the failure of HB 1828 would have in Public Safety. Health Budget Reduction: $4.7 million Positions Eliminated: 112 Impact: * Two of the City’s Eight Health Centers will cease operations at a time when visits to the centers has increased by 5% in the last year * Wait times will increase by 25% at all 6 remaining health centers * Delay treatments for neonatal care, family planning, dental care, immunizations, diabetes, and vaccinations for H1N1 City Planning, Commerce and Historical Commission Budget Reduction: $5.7 million Positions Eliminated: 59 Impact: * The City will no longer be able to issue permits needed for the majority of construction or renovation projects in Philadelphia. * The City will eliminate all tax credits for job creation and business expansion.

Not So Much 'Brotherly Love?'

ericb — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:23:50 -0800

More than 60 African-American day campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club because -- according to John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club -- "there was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion ... and the atmosphere of the club." Creative Steps Day Camp paid The Valley Swim Club more than $1,900 for one day of swimming a week, but after the first day, the money was quickly refunded and the campers were told not to return. "I heard a white lady say, 'What are all these black kids doing here? They might do something to my child,' " recalled [14-year-old camper Dymir] Baylor [video | 01:52], who says he lives in a neighborhood so diverse, he'd never heard anyone speak like that before. "It was rude and ignorant."* Fortunately Girard College, a private Philadelphia boarding school for children who live in low-income and single parent homes, has stepped in and offered their pool to the campers.

"It may surprise some Americans to learn that not only do certain private clubs still refuse to admit African-Americans, women, and gay people, but that this kind of enrollment discrimination is considered perfectly legal."*

Arthur Kade: Desperately Seeking Soul

mygothlaundry — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:29:14 -0800

Arthur Kade, Philly Celebrity In Training That’s what makes me Arthur Kade, people want to see the ups and downs of a rising star that is not interested in just being a celebrity, but a world class leading man who is human. Well, "human." I guess. Ripped directly from the Tweeting Too Much thread because this guy, is just, uh, too much and I've been laughing all morning.

O! Mesopotamia!

lolichka — Mon, 18 May 2009 10:58:09 -0800

Rev. George Whitefield, an 18th century preacher much admired by Benjamin Franklin, was an astonishing orator. According to a contemporary source, he "could make his audiences weep or tremble merely by varying his pronunciation of the word Mesopotamia. Garrick once said, 'I would give a hundred guineas if I could only say 'O!' like Mr. Whitefield.'"

Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man!... Say "Cheese!"

jonp72 — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:53:38 -0800

Dr. John Rudoff is a cardiologist in Oregon, but before he entered medical school, he was the staff photographer at The Main Point, a coffeehouse in Bryn Mawr, PA associated with the early 1960s folk revival in the Philadelphia area. His photographs of the Philadelphia folk scene include unidentified local folkies, but also touring folk singers such as Dave van Ronk and John Hammond. Eventually, Rudoff got a press pass to the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, where he took photos of Mary Travers sharing a moment with Mimi and Dick Fariña and Joan Baez with a pre-psychedelicized Chambers Brothers, but the most amazing discovery of all are the photos of when Bob Dylan "went electric." And now you can see Rudoff's whole collection, thanks to the magic of Flickr.

Harry Kalas, 1936-2009

SansPoint — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:20:09 -0800

Hall of Fame member, Phillies broadcaster, and NFL Films announcer Harry Kalas passed away today. At least he got to make his World Series victory call.

1978 Called -- It Wants its Newspaper Back

VicNebulous — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 07:47:55 -0800

The Philadelphia Inquirer's final frazzled days...

School of Hard Knocks.

dersins — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:59:24 -0800

"This is the safest place these kids have," Mr. McMonigle explains. "No matter how crazy it gets here, no matter how bad the school is, it’s still better than what’s waiting for them out there when they leave. The irony is that after all the bitching and the moaning about how they don’t want to be here, at the end of the day you can’t get them to go home!" School of Hard Knocks is a heartbreaking 7-part series of articles about kids with behavioral problems in a Philadelpha high school. [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] [via mefi projects]

Ball ball ball, footie footie footie, ball ball ball, football!

Artw — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:14:26 -0800

The future of soccer in America is black, female and from the inner-city.

Dinner plans... for next year.

shiu mai baby — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:10:31 -0800

What's the hardest dining reservation to score? French Laundry? Nope. El Bulli? Non. D.C.'s minibar? Not even close. It's Talula's Table, a tiny shop in Kennett Square, PA that's a gourmet food store by day and a sublime dining experience by night. Located about 45 minutes from Philadelphia, Talula's Table was started by Brian Sikora and Amy Olexy, a husband and wife team who first rose to fame in the Philadelphia restaurant scene back in 2002 when they opened Django. Sikora and Olexy, both former employees of Philly restaurateur Stephen Starr, started Django with a $45,000 loan and only their mountain bikes as collateral. Within a year they were the darlings of the city, lauded for Sikora's unpretentious but innovative cuisine, and one of the driving forces behind Philadelphia's BYOB boom. Craig LaBan, the Philadelphia Inquirer food critic who can exault or destroy a restaurant with a single review, made waves by awarding Django a rarefied "four bells,"¹ a rating typically reserved for the high-end gems like Le Bec Fin, Vetri, or Amada -- unheard of for a small bistro. But at the height of their fame, Sikora and Olexy opted to walk away, selling the restaurant after a short five years to two investors². After a time bouncing around the Chester County countryside (a sojourn that included a brief stint for Sikora at Sovana Bistro, and for Olexy -- arguably one of the best cheese experts in the area -- getting turned down for a job at the cheese counter in Whole Foods), the couple opened up Talula's Table. The two transformed an old shoe shop on the main drag of Kennett Square (mushroom capital of the world!) into a warm, welcoming gourmet market that specializes in prepared foods, pastries baked on the premises, artisan ingredients, and, yes, glorious cheese. At the back of the store is the large, rough-hewn farm table referenced in the shop's name. Every evening, after the store has closed, this table is the site of a multi-course prix fixe dinner prepared for a single party of eight to twelve people. As was his style at Django, Sikora's cuisine is unexpected but approachable, original but not fussy, and always divine. Bonus: he is a firm believer in the 100 mile diet, and draws heavily from the seasonable, local ingredients available to him in the abundant Chester County countryside³. When Talula's Table first opened, getting a reservation at the table was fairly easy; only die-hard local foodies were even aware that Sikora was cooking again, and frankly, wrangling seven of your closest friends for dinner in the wilds of the Philadelphia suburbs wasn't an easy sell, not at first. But the buzz soon found Sikora, and before long LaBan made his way to dinner at Talula's, which he described as "one of the best meals [he had] eaten all year." After the LaBan review hit, the buzz only grew louder. Within just a few months Talula's had been talked up by the likes of Portfolio, MSNBC, the New York Times, and NPR. Demand for the table exploded, and now the only way to get a reservation is this: you must call at precisely 7:00 a.m. one year to the day ahead of when you'd like to dine there. If yours is the first call they take, then you can book dinner for that date the following year. Good luck. A few first-hand accounts of the folks who have had the Talula's experience are here and here. And this is a little glimpse into the kitchen. Oh, and here's a Flickr photostream for you to drool over. 1 - I would've linked to the original Laban review, but it appears that it has been removed from the Philly.com site, probably because it's no longer applicable. 2 - How far the mighty have fallen: Django closed two weeks ago, a mere three years after Sikora and Olexy sold it. 3 - Sample autumn menu from last year: Grapefruit Margarita and Nantucket Bay Scallop Ceviche, Roasted Chanterelles, Our Smoked Country Ham, Creamed Greens and Spoon Bread, Buttery Leek and Wine Poached Chatham Cod, Petite Pommes Frites and American Caviar, Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Artisan Ricotta and Maple Glazed Winter Vegetables, Cinnamon Smoked Pheasant Bastilla, Medjool Date Glazed Pheasant Breast, Crispy Phyllo and Toasty Almonds, Grilled Veal Steak, Porcini and Taleggio Ravioli and Braised Veal Shank, Scent of a Cheese: A Quintet of the Unusual, Gianduja and Dark Chocolate Caramel Tart, Nutmeg Anglaise, Port Poached Cranberries.

Quoth the raven, "Halloa old girl!"

amyms — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:02:41 -0800

"On the clock striking twelve he appeared slightly agitated, but he soon recovered, walked twice or thrice along the coach house, stopped to bark, staggered, exclaimed 'Halloa old girl!' (his favorite expression) and died... The children seem rather glad of it. He bit their ankles, but that was play..." So wrote Charles Dickens, describing the death of his pet raven "Grip," in a letter to a friend. Grip has an interesting legacy. Having served as an eponymous character in Dickens' Barnaby Rudge [full text] and subsequently inspiring Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven [full text], Grip has the distinction of being named a literary landmark. His taxidermied body is on display in the Rare Book Department at the Philadelphia Free Library.

Danieal Kelly

Countess Elena — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 10:21:53 -0800

Sadfilter: The death of Danieal Kelly. Danieal was a 14-year-old Philadelphia girl, born with cerebral palsy, who was denied care and neglected by her mother until her death of starvation, thirst and bedsores, shut away in her bedroom from her siblings. What had social services done to help her? Nothing -- until she died, and a scramble to falsify documents began. Nine people have now been indicted on various charges relating to her death and its investigation, including two case workers. The sight of one of her autopsy photos led the then mayor, John Street, to fire the acting commissioner of the DHS. Grand jury report [PDF. One graphic postmortem photo included.]

Coming Soon: A pink hotel, a boutique and a swinging hot spot

Miko — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:28:48 -0800

The [US] National Trust for Historic Preservation has released its 21st annual list of the nation's Most Endangered Historic Places. Among them: Sumner Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas, (where Linda Brown tried to register for school, resulting in Brown vs. Board of Education); New York City's Lower East Side; California's State Parks; Philadelphia's Boyd Theatre, and several others. The previous 20 years of Most Endangered Historic Places can be found in the Archive. The Trib weighs in on the inclusion of Chicago's Michigan Avenue Streetwall The Inky on Boyd Theater Topeka Capitol-Journal (CapJo?) on Sumner Elementary Times-Picayune on Charity Hospital SF Chronicle on the state's parks Lower East Side Endangered? So what else is new?asks the New York Times

"Moving The Homeless Forward One Step At A Time"

stagewhisper — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:34:35 -0800

"When we're running, you can't tell. When people look at us, they don't point and go, 'Yeah, he's homeless, she's not, she's educated.'" Mahlum explained, "You look and say, 'Oh, look at the runners.' That's a positive association, because there's no separation." Back on My Feet is a Philadelphia non-profit organization that encourages homeless men to take up the sport of running- providing them with gear, training partners, motivation, and, ultimately, hopefulness and attainable goals. Dan Rubin of The Philadelphia Enquirer wrote about joining them for a Halloween run. There's also a short news clip about the group on the NBC website as well.

Chaka, When the Walls Fell.

rzklkng — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 06:14:54 -0800

Reagan at Neshoba. Some time ago, a blog post was authored at Mahablog which suggested that movement politics can best be understood when their rhetoric is viewed as a series of metaphors, with an allegory made to a spectacular episode of Stark Trek: The Next Generation featuring Paul Winfield titled "Darmok". Picard and crew stumble across an alien race that speaks only in metaphor. The alien captain, frustrated by the failure to communicate, transports Picard to the surface of a planet, where they must learn to communicate or die. The alien captain does finally reach Picard, but dies as a result of his injuries battling an invisible predator. By way of comparison, examine Candidate Ronald Reagan's speech at Neshoba [audio, 57MB, via, additional context here]. Some pundits are claiming that it is an example of the Southern Strategy codified as dog-whistle politics, whilst others view it as an honest mistake, and others still find an inconvenient long sequence of other "honest mistakes". Bonus YouTubery: The Star Trek:TNG Episode Guide Song.

Massive organ.

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 17:35:01 -0800

The world's largest operating musical instrument? Hear it here. New York Times article here. (Log-in may be necessary)

Ironworkers Above The City

jonson — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:21:39 -0800

Amazing photo sequence from the Philadelphia Inquirer on the ironworkers building the top floors (45 - 55) of the Comcast Center. Not safe for those with Vertigo. Via.

Brotherly Love.

rzklkng — Wed, 16 May 2007 09:14:08 -0800

Unconventional Wisdom: Vote Local, Impact National? The City of Philadelphia often serves as a test-market for the introduction of goods and services, due to demographics that are sometimes representative of the country as a whole. Many of the usual tenets of political conventional wisdom have not held true in this election. A city still geographically divided by the artifacts of redlining did not have a campaign reflective of the population's breakdown by race (although the results map [PDF] implies a racial deliniation, with a largely-white Northeast Philadelphia preferring candidate Knox). The candidate with the largest war chest and most TV advertising did not win. Incumbents with various amounts of local name recognition (and even the support of a BIG NAME) could not garner a simple majority of the vote. Tremendous Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) efforts by local labor and the party-machine proved fruitless. And save for some swiftboating and alleged dirty-tricks at the end, the campaign was fought cleanly. Given that, the recently completed Primary Election and Great Expectations for the Next Mayor of the City of Philadelphia may serve as an example of newly-evolving voter behavior, where a brainy policy-wonk is the people's choice versus the usual suspects.

Vicious...you hit me with a flower

adamgreenfield — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 21:11:55 -0800

Three chords and four noble truths: on Philadelphia's legendary Buddhist hardcore band of the 1980s, Ruin.

We'll miss you, Vuk

saladpants — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 11:25:53 -0800

The Philadelphia Phillies, the losingest professional sports franchise in american history, lost again today. Long time coach and member of the 1980 World Series winning team, John Vukovich, died today after a second bout with brain cancer. The Phillies have now lost both their heart and their soul (sorry Mets fans) to brain cancer.

What is Philadelphia's trajectory in 2007?

jacobw — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 13:54:33 -0800

What is Philadelphia's trajectory in 2007? Seven cities are compared: Philadelphia, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh.