Fun around town, for $10 or less: Friday: N It: Enjoy some improv with The N Crowd at The Actors Center (257 N. 3rd), 8PM. $10 Ashley Deekus: Ashley Deekus, Jesse Sparhawk, and Eichen Oaks at Brickbat Books (709 S. 4th), 8PM. Free. Why Do You Build Me Up: Drink Up Buttercup, Moneynotes, Jukebox the Ghost, Modern Skirts, and Madi Diaz at the Khyber (56 S. 2nd), 9PM. $8 Saturday: It’s International Women’s Day: Celebrate......

Climate change has rapidly become part of our national discourse. As early as four or five years ago, the issue was treated by many as a paranoid conspiracy. Now, political figures from governors to presidential candidates to George W. Bush himself seem unable to avoid the fact that not only is our planet becoming warmer, but it is also losing the ability to produce key resources such as oil and clean water. Here’s a look......

On Saturday, members of the Philadelphia Chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), set off to march twenty-five miles from the National Constitution Center to Valley Forge National Historical Park, "to show support for veterans and service members testifying at Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan," an IVAW event occurring in Washington, D.C. March 13-16. The event gets its name from a quote by Thomas Paine, who said that winter soldiers are those who......

I'm a bit of an Anglophile. I love British just-about-everything, except for the food. But I especially love British humor. And after attending and enjoying a staged reading of Roy Smiles' Ying Tong last spring, I figured I'd really love the fully-mounted production at The Wilma Theater. I never thought I'd say this about any production, ever, but I think I liked the staged reading better. There was something charming about the bare-bones production......

The Drexel women (15-11, 10-5) were looking like contenders after three straight wins, including a spanking of William & Mary. But then reality set in, in the form of #10 Old Dominion. The men (11-18, 4-12) didn't have to worry about being exposed as mediocre–everyone knew they stunk. But apparently they still felt compelled to show everyone, in the form of losses to William & Mary and Fairfield. Their regular season will sputter to a......

The president and board chairman of the city-funded nonprofit Philadelphia Safe and Sound testified yesterday that they were forced by Mayor Street and his senior aides to spend an extra $21 million that they knew did not exist in the city budget. It's those expenditures that have forced Safe and Sound to cancel dozens of programs in recent weeks. You can find copies of Safe and Sound's testimony online here and here. Insiders say......

The Drexel Lady Dragons (14-10, 9-4) got a pair of solid home wins this week, topping Delaware and James Madison. Now they'll take the show on the road, heading to William & Mary tomorrow night before a big showdown with #10 Old Dominion on Sunday. Things weren't quite as peachy for the men (11-16, 4-11). They lost a tough double-overtime game to Old Dominion last Thursday. Fortunately, they edged out a win against Delaware over......

Around 2AM yesterday, Joseph Kelly Sr. was driving along the Vine Street Expressway when he saw a homeless man in a wheelchair marooned on the median. He pulled over and crossed three lanes on foot to try to help the man across the street. As one car slowed down to let them pass, another struck that vehicle and then ran into Kelly and the other man, killing them both. A 17-year-old male knocked on the......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. Antiques Roadshow (Mon, 8PM-9PM, WHYY & WLVT) First part of a three part series set in San Antonio, Texas. One of the items examined is a World Series program for the 1905 series between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Athletics. Good Eats (Mon, 8PM-8:30PM, Food Network) Our favorite cooking show takes a look at our favorite vegetable: broccoli! History of the Joke (Mon, 9PM-11PM, History......

Photo by Phillyist's Matt Johnson, SkyscraperSunset.com, December 19, 2007. Phillyist explored an impending implosion and lived to tell the tale.Gothamist marveled at the city's new NYC-branded condom campaign - especially the use of a Toronto landmark in the advertising. (Also, fun fact: Gothamist turned five years old yesterday.)Tired of the worldwide Scientology protests? Torontoist totally isn't: they covered the big downtown protest the day it happened, and followed up with an examination of all......

Remember that call for writers we put out a few weeks ago? Well, the intrepid Tony Iantosca was one of the first people to respond to it, so it makes sense that he'd also be the first new writer from our new batch to post on Phillyist. Tony is a recent graduate of Johnson State College in Vermont and moved to Philly on a whim. He's still getting to know the ropes around Philadelphia, but......

The Inquirer takes a close look at Mayor Nutter's first budget proposal. The subtitle of the article is: "The $3.98 billion plan seeks bonds for pensions and a kitty for unions." Awww, that's nice! He's getting a kitty for the unions! We hope it's a cute kitty. David C. Sicoli, a Philadelphia priest with "a long history of abusive and manipulative relationships with adolescents," according to a grand jury report, has finally been defrocked by......

Drexel had one of those ho-hum weeks. The women (12-10, 7-4) split their games this week. They beat up on Georgia State before falling short against VCU. The men (10-15, 3-10) couldn't keep up with George Mason, but bounced back with a solid win over Towson. Tomorrow night, the Lady Dragons will be promoting breast cancer awareness at their home game against Delaware. The players will be wearing pink headbands and wristbands, and fans who......

The Sixers are still going (for now) as they seek to match their season-high four game winning streak (they’ve won at home against Washington 101-96, Miami 101-84, and the LA Clippers 101-80) with a win over the Dallas Mavericks tonight at 7PM at the Wach (get tickets or watch here). They will host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday at 7PM at the Wach (get tickets or watch here). If you’re going to that game, get......

Photograph of Michael Strahan, coach Tom Coughlin (holding the Vince Lombardi trophy) and quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning by Tien Mao Gothamist was amazed after the Giants won the Super Bowl, the city went wild, and it witnessed a ticker-tape parade.Barack Obama drew 20,000+ ahead of Seattle’s Saturday caucus.Londonist had Super Tuesday too.Elusive guerrilla street artist Banksy revisits Los Angeles.After the Patriots lost the Super Bowl and came this close to making......

Berks County is featured in one the strangest hauntings regarding road-related weirdness. At Hawk Sanctuary Mountain there is a legend that a shining, ten-feet tall apparition spooks drivers travelling along the two-road lane which ascends the mountain. The mountain, situated between Ecksville and Bailey's Crossing, is also allegedly haunted by the spirits of settlers who were killed by Indians during the 1700s. Meanwhile Bristol - located in the extreme south of Bucks County, northeast of......

The Drexel Lady Dragons (11-9, 6-3) split their games this week, losing at Northeastern before coming away with a solid road win at Hofstra. In both games, the Dragons got a big contribution from sophomore forward Gabriela Marginean, who was named Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week for her efforts. The men (9-14, 2-9) went 0-2 (again) this week, dropping games to Georgia State and Northeastern. The two losses brings the Dragons' losing streak......

The Sixers lost to the Orlando Magic Saturday in an excruciatingly close game (108-106). They will try to regroup tomorrow night against the Washington Wizards at 7PM at the Wach (get tickets or watch here), and the Miami Heat on Thursday at 7PM at the Wach (get tickets or watch here). The Flyers fared better, beating the Anaheim Ducks Saturday (3-0). They host the Washington Capitals on Wednesday at 7PM at the Wach (get tickets......

The Drexel hoopsters had a rough week. The men (9-12, 2-7) dropped an overtime game at home to William & Mary last Wednesday, then got whooped by VCU on the road. The women (10-8, 5-2) saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end with an overtime loss of their own, against Towson. Then they couldn't seal the deal against William & Mary, and ended up giving up a late lead to lose their second......

Philadelphian Karen Kilimnik has been selected as one of the artists for the 2008 Whitney Biennial, an exhibition of recent American art at the Whitney Museum of American Art in NYC. (Via Jill, via Lenny) Frank Funaro, who runs a nightclub and a real estate business on South Street in Philadelphia, was robbed of $40,000 yesterday morning at his home in Washington Township, New Jersey. A gunman, apparently deliberately targeting the family, was hiding in......

Drexel's Lady Dragons (10-6, 5-0) ran their winning streak up to nine games with a win over UNC-Wilmington on Sunday. They'll visit conference co-leading Towson tomorrow night, then host William & Mary on Sunday. The men (9-10, 2-5) spit their past couple matchups. They beat last-place Georgia State but then dropped their home game to Hofstra. Hopefully, they'll have a better showing at home tonight against William & Mary. And then they get to go......

Drexel's Lady Dragons (8-6, 3-0), led by Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week Narissa Suber, extended their winning streak to seven games, beating Delaware and George Mason on the road. Now they'll look to keep up the winning ways at home, hosting Northeastern tomorrow night and UNC-Wilmington Sunday afternoon. The men (8-9, 1-4), on the other hand, look to stop their three-game skid as they face a couple of their fellow CAA cellar-dwellers at......

The Sixers weren’t able to pull it out against the Bulls, losing with a disappointing 100-97 score. Unfortunately it seems the Inqy is right: they’re not such a great team this year. The Flyers made up a two-goal deficit in the third period and got the game against the Bruins into overtime; sadly, overtime lasted 43 seconds and gave the win to Boston with a score of 4-3. The boys did better on the......

Such is the title of the latest book from equally adored/abhored author Dave Eggers. Hear him discuss What Is the What tonight at the Central Library. His book is the choice for this year's One Book, One Philadelphia program, which aims to increase awareness about literacy and libraries. Eggers is the literary darling that some people love to hate. We admit that his ubiquitous presence around the time that A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: New Year’s Eve: Last Chance: It’s the last day of free admission to the Perelman Building, so make the most of it. Perelman Building (Fairmount and Pennsylvania Avenues), 10AM-5PM. Free Pants!: Secret Pants presents Manifest Destiny 2008 with Rowan & Hastings, Chris Casey, and DJ Sparkle Groove at the Manhattan Room (15 W. Girard), $10 (21+) Who Better to Spend a Holiday With: The Loved Ones, Weston, Hey......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend Most Likely to Suck & Most Likely to Rule: Alien vs. Predator: Requiem - The sequel to Alien vs. Predator picks up right where the last one ended, with the Predator spaceship, secretly infested with Aliens, leaving Earth. Of course it crashes right back down on our planet almost before the opening credits are over, no doubt leading to the deaths of many attractive young people.......

First of all, we hope you had a merry Christmas! This morning, we have plenty of articles about what happened in town yesterday, not all of them merry. First off, Philly's violence problem didn't stop for Christmas; a man was found shot to death in the 400 block of North 60th Street near Haverford Avenue last night. On the other hand, the Inquirer also has a story about a baby being born on a Philly......

The fact that this morning's article about "Bonnie and Clyde" turning themselves in starts with a story about Kirsch's tits would be funny anyway, but we find it particularly amusing given the focus and title of our post on the subject yesterday. Yesterday's snow storm didn't cause too much trauma, besides a few accidents, some icy roads and sidewalks, and some school delays. The developer working on the Girard Warehouses ("the historic complex of early......

The Inquirer has the story of an American soldier from Bucks County who worked hard in Iraq trying to rebuild the country and is now home for the holidays. Princeton University scientists announced yesterday that they'd discovered a way to reproduce the chemical signals that the bacteria that cause cholera use to communicate with each other, which opens up the possibility of a new way to fight bacteria: talking to them in their own......

Let’s get this out of the way early: The Eagles season is still, for all intents and purposes, OVER. To have a chance at the playoffs, they would have to win every game but one. And that is good because the game against the Patriots can already be put in the books. The team from New England is going to stomp the Eagles like Editor Jill running into a disgusting, yet otherwise harmless, cockroach. When......