The recent death of a baseball great but a human sleaze got me thinking about that guy who… Hey, what was his name anyway? I wonder if Pat would know? I’ve been leaning on her a lot lately to remind me of the names of folks that I used to work with. It’s not that … Continue reading Tom and Pete
Philadelphia
Elia, Eva, and Frank
Having just mentioned an Elia Kazan movie, I wanted to direct your attention to a recent Fresh Air episode that has interviews not only with Kazan, but also with Eva Marie Saint. Film Icons: Elia Kazan / Eva Marie Saint We begin our series celebrating classic movies with Terry Gross' 1988 interview with On the … Continue reading Elia, Eva, and Frank
Washington Square
I had been worried that August would be another 90+°F for the entire month, so I was delighted when the weather broke and we had some pleasant days. On my way over to Nuts to You (a place to buy all kinds of nutty products), I decided to take a slight detour and stroll around … Continue reading Washington Square
Don’t Blame Me, I Didn’t Vote for Her
At least not in the primary, which is the one that counts. Philadelphia is saddled once again with a stupid mayor. I wonder if she’s capable of learning. Generally when they’re that dumb and that arrogant, the answer is no. For no good reason Mayor Cherelle Parker mandated that all city employees must return to … Continue reading Don’t Blame Me, I Didn’t Vote for Her
Working Families Party Wins Two Seats on Philly City Council
When I wasn’t looking, the Working Families Party seems to have actually become a semi-viable third party. I remember back in the presidential election of 1976 when I had to choose between the Republican Gerald Ford and the Democrat Jimmy Carter, and I didn’t particularly like either one. Well, actually I loathed Gerald Ford. I … Continue reading Working Families Party Wins Two Seats on Philly City Council
A Quality of Mercy
There was an excellent article in yesterday’s nytimes about Philadelphia youths who were given life sentences under cruel and aggressively punitive DA Lynne Abraham, and who have now had their sentences reduced under the more enlightened leadership of Larry Krasner. We’re talking about people who were clearly guilty of their crimes, not wrongly convicted, so … Continue reading A Quality of Mercy
How’s the Smoke in Philly?
I initially thought the smoke drifting from our Canadian neighbors was not too big a deal. Yes, at times the smell was yucky and I kept my windows closed even when the temperature would otherwise have allowed me to open them, so my AC got more usage than usual, but I didn’t notice much more … Continue reading How’s the Smoke in Philly?
Barbara Gittings Way
On my walk back from Trader Joe’s yesterday I went past Barbara Gittings Way at 13th and Locust where they have newly laid out rainbow crosswalks. The city has painted rainbows on the crosswalks several times previously, but they’ve always faded quickly, so this time they used a different technique using thermoplastic that’s … Continue reading Barbara Gittings Way
And the Winner Is…
Former City Councilmember Cherelle Parker is the winner of the Democratic mayoral primary and unless hell freezes over the next mayor of Philadelphia.
The Primary
Today is the day of the Primary Election here in Philadelphia and it couldn’t have come a moment too soon. As I’ve previously mentioned, I voted for Helen Gym for mayor and I certainly hope she wins. But now that the Election Day is here, I should finally stop getting those infuriating text messages from … Continue reading The Primary