Living in Fairmount Has Never Been So Annoying

Between Fourth of July celebrations, the Barnes opening and Jay-Z’s Made in America festival, it might be time to get out of the neighborhood.

When I was growing up, my neighborhood hosted an excellent display of fireworks every Fourth of July. We'd trek up to the Lawncrest Rec Center's giant softball fields with our beach chairs and picnic blankets tucked under our arms, hours before twilight to secure a good spot to watch the show. And so would everyone else in Northeast Philly, approximately 80 bazillion people.

Is the B-Word Still Insulting?

When it’s popping up in the name of network TV shows, it’s time to cross it off the list of curse words.

In 1997, Meredith Brooks released her only real hit single, "Bitch."  The Lilith Fair ladies ate it up with a spoon and the song became an anthem of female empowerment. To a pre-teen Catholic school girl in Northeast Philly, this was the most scandalous thing I had ever heard.

Tour the Bandstand Studios

There's no better way to remember dearly departed Dick Clark than visiting his old (Bristol) stomping grounds. On Saturday between noon and 3 p.m., you can tour the old Bandstand studios. Bring your boogie shoes. [Inquirer]

The 6 Ugliest Pieces of Public Art in Philly

Including the newly installed Barnes Totem and those creepy people at 16th and Vine.

Philadelphia has more outdoor sculpture than any city in the country. This is the kind of fact we Philadelphians like to trot out when we have tourists in town. (Usually between the requisite cheesesteak and Rocky visit.) What we don't mention is that a lot of that public art is downright ugly—including the newest addition to our cultural landscape, the Barnes Totem. Here, a list of other pieces that make our eyes burn and our visitors swoon. Feel free to add your own favorite visual travesties in the comments.

Two Firefighters Killed in Kensington

A five-alarm blaze tore through the abandoned Thomas Buck Hosiery Factory, located near the intersection of Jasper and York Streets at 3:30 this morning. Embers caused the fire to spread to a nearby discount furniture store where five firefighters were working. Two firefighters were killed and the other three were taken to Temple University Hospital for injuries. The Fire Department had the blaze under control around 5:30 a.m. and officials are closely monitoring the remaining warehouse, which may be in danger of collapse. A press conference with Mayor Nutter is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. More as this story develops. [6ABC] UPDATE:...

Katniss Everdeen Is a Strong Female Protagonist. So What?

Women aren’t helping themselves earn equality by pretending that tough female characters are anything other than the norm.

Over the weekend, the New York Times ran yet another piece about the strength of Katniss Everdeen, the female protagonist in the hugely popular Hunger Games series. (For more on Katniss's strength, check out Wired, HuffPo, and every feminist blog ever.) While I take the lyrics of Destiny's Child's "Independent Women" to heart and I appreciate ladies who kick some serious butt as much as the next liberally minded chick, I have to wonder if these peppy little pieces are doing more harm than good. If we want to be treated equally by idiotic politicians and archaically-minded religious institutions and paid equally for busting our tails at work in a down economy, perhaps it's time to stop acting as if strong female characters are an anomaly to be celebrated.

The Most Disgusting Thing to Do in Philadelphia? Ride SEPTA

Vomit and feces and urine—oh my!

On Friday evening, SEPTA reached a deal with transit police to end the nine-day strike. Safety on public transit is great and all, but after what happened to me on the 48 bus this week, I'm less concerned with violence than I am with contracting a communicable disease.

Tom Corbett’s “Close Your Eyes” Comment Wasn’t That Offensive

Well, maybe it was. But the Republican war on women is so exhausting that I can’t bother to feel enraged anymore.

There go the Republicans again—insulting women. In case you missed the most recent idiotic thing to come out of a GOP member’s mouth, on Thursday, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett insulted the female population by responding to  a question about a bill that would require ultrasounds for women seeking to have abortions. He said, “I don’t know how you make anybody watch, OK? Because you just have to close your eyes. As long as it’s on the exterior and not the interior.” Sigh. Another week, another foot in the mouth of a powerful Republican leader.

The Erin Express Turns Philly Into a Disgusting Frat Party

Yearly drink-’til-you-pass-out events suck the fun out of St. Patrick’s Day.

When did St. Patrick’s Day turn into a celebration of debauchery? When I was growing up in Northeast Philly, St. Patrick’s Day usually meant someone’s mom would make Irish potatoes and we’d be allowed to add green accessories to our Catholic school uniforms. Now that I am an adult, St. Patrick’s Day means hopping over puddles of puke on Spring Garden Street, dodging stumbling girls on too-high heels dressed in neon green spandex short shorts, and defending myself against drunken frat guys (or former frat guys) in kelly green polo shirts and flip flops who think that calling each other “bitch” will somehow entice women to make out with them.