BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY I’m pretty sure I’d never been to Chester before. But all good things must come to an end, so I went to see the Union open their new home park on Sunday. I took my son Torin, who’s almost five but not particularly into sports. He usually likes to root for the white team, which would prove impossible in this green-vs-blue matchup. We were running late due to the three-headed monster of: Stayed too long at the pool Dealing with young children Wife never fills the gas tank So we pulled into Chester about twenty […]
KITCHEN BITCH: Eggplant Without The ‘Yuck Face’
BY MAVIS LINNEMANN One of my new favorite magazines is Cooking Light, because it offers foodies like me ways to cut calories and fat in all my favorite dishes. There’s even a way to make donuts more healthful! (Keep that oil at 375?F to keep your donuts from getting greasy.) I spied a Parmesan and Eggplant Souffle recipe in CL’s June 2010 issue, but it seemed a little off. I’ve spent a lot of time with Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and, if you know anything about French cooking, you know that the French really know how […]
STUDY: ‘Bacterial Monsters’ Spawning Inside Sharks
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: Our leftover medicines are spawning drug-resistant “bacterial monsters” that thrive inside sharks, scientists say.The finding suggests antibiotics such as penicillin may be leaching into the environment and spurring drug-resistant bacteria to evolve and multiply in the oceans. “Bacteria have sex, basically. They can transfer genetic material,” said study leader Mark Mitchell, professor of veterinary clinical medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mitchell and colleagues found antibiotic-resistant bacteria in seven species of shark—such as bull sharks, lemon sharks, and nurse sharks—as well as the redfish Sciaenops ocellata. The fish live in coastal waters off Belize, Florida, Louisiana, […]
FACT CHECK: Who’s Afraid Of Elena Kagan?
[illustration by KERRY WAGHORN] Myth: Kagan banned military recruiters from Harvard Myth: Kagan is “anti-military” Myth: Kagan is “radical” Myth: Kagan’s praise for an Israeli Supreme Court justice shows she’s a radical (NEW) Myth: Kagan’s thesis shows she’s a socialist Myth: Conservatives can credibly argue that Kagan’s personal and political views are relevant to confirmation process Myth: “Kagan Standard” means Kagan must answer questions about issues that will come before the Supreme Court Myth: Kagan’s Goldman Sachs role taints her nomination Myth: Conservative opposition is based on the substance of Kagan’s nomination Myth: Obama used “empathy” standard rather than fealty […]
REVIEW: The Gaslight Anthem’s American Slang
Back in the day, the only bad thing I could think of to say about The Gaslight Anthem was that they might have too much of a Bruce Springsteen fascination going on. This was okay, because A) I never listened to that much Springsteen anyway and B) because the songs were just so brilliant. They were poetic in an old timey greaser sort of way (like The Killers tried, less successfully on Sam’s Town), which made for some seriously sad, beautiful songs; and all of this combined with a Strummer-inspired punk aesthetic, made me feel like I was listening to […]
JEFF TWEEDY: Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Just wanted take this opportunity to remind you that Mr. Tweedy will be performing at the Philadelphia Folk Festival this year, and you can secure tickets by clicking HERE. That is all.
MEDIA: Philly Mag Editor Larry Platt Ousted Over Testicular Cyst; Dave Weigel Out At WaPo Over Emails
DAN GROSS: Philadelphia magazine on Thursday parted ways with editor Larry Platt, who was at its helm for nearly eight years. Platt’s contract with the magazine is up in August, but after returning to work Thursday following shoulder surgery, he was informed that he would not stay on, we’re told. Sources tell us the decision was largely due to Platt’s history of inappropriate and unprofessional remarks and jokes to his employees that closely resembled the behavior of fictional “The Office” boss Michael Scott. Platt’s recent gift of a framed photo of a cyst removed from his testicle to a departing […]
CINEMA: The End Is Near
COLLAPSE (2009, directed by Chris Smith, 82 minutes, U.S.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC Have you ever heard the 1970 LP Criswell Predicts? The narrator of Plan Nine From Outer Space and one-time Johnny Carson regular, Criswell predicts that the future will bring marijuana that can change your sex, nude funerals and a woman at the head of every nation. It’s a real hoot! Collapse, director Chris Smith’s latest film, just out on DVD, features one-time LAPD investigator and independent reporter Michael Ruppert making lots of predictions as well. It is not a hoot. Ruppert makes his case that darn […]
PAPERBOY: Slow-Jamming The Alt-Weeklies
BY DAVE ALLEN Like time, news waits for no man. Keeping up with the funny papers has always been an all-day job, even in the pre-Internets era. These days, however, it’s a two-man job. That’s right, these days you need someone to do your reading for you, or risk falling hopelessly behind and, as a result, increasing your chances of dying lonely and somewhat bitter. That’s why every week PAPERBOY does your alt-weekly reading for you. We pore over those time-consuming cover stories and give you the takeaway, suss out the cover art, warn you off the ink-wasters and steer […]
NEWS CLUES: Like A Taser Of Truth
TASERED TEEN GETS PROBATION FOR BUMRUSHING THE PHILLIES SHOW Steven Consalvi, the Montgomery County teenager tasered by a Philadelphia cop after he ran onto the field during a May 3 Phillies game, was sentenced yesterday to probation for the stunt. Consalvi, 17, of Gilbertsville, was ordered by a Philadelphia Family Court judge to remain on probation for six months and to perform 80 hours of community service. If Consalvi successfully completes the sentence his record will be expunged. He was charged with defiant trespass, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after his little escapade at a game against the St. Louis […]
SCRAPPLE NEWS: Piggie Of The Week
Let’s just say it’s got something to do with Haliburton drilling in your Marcellus Shale hole and lighting your tap water on fire. That kind of thing.
CONTEST: Win Two Tix To See Passion Pit
We’re gonna be giving away tickets all summer for cool shows at the Mann! Why? Because we love you! Now, we know that it is human nature to follow the path of least resistance, so to start off let’s make it real, real easy: first person to email us at feed@phawker.com wins TWO TICKETS TO SEE PASSION PIT AT THE MANN MUSIC CENTER ON SUNDAY. Please include a daytime phone number for confirmation. What are you waiting for? On a related note, we wanted to tell you about a pretty cool promotion AEG Live has come up with to promote […]
REPORT: 25,914 Sickened By Visits To PA Hospitals
INQUIRER: Hospitals in the Philadelphia region fared poorly in so-called hospital-acquired infections in 2009, according to a new report issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Overall, 250 hospitals across the commonwealth reported that 25,914 patients contracted infection during the course of their care. The report due out Tuesday afternoon detailed the number of infections at each of the hospitals and included a detailed examination of two common types of infections – catheter-associated urinary tract infections and central-line-associated bloodstream infections. […] Medical experts say that many of these so-called hospital-acquired infections can be prevented, saving lives, unnecessary illness and millions […]