"Now," he said, "what would 8 percent of 250 be?"
There was a long silence. Eight percent of 250? How would one even begin to divine this mystery? Davidson looked down at his overhead projector, preparing to reveal his secret, but as he did, a single adolescent voice rose up from the crowd.
"Twenty," it said.
"I got the chills," Davidson recalls. It was a 12-year-old boy who, just two years prior, had been living in a small village in China. His name was Sheng Kai.

For CP's annual writing contest, it's imperative to honor that silent pact with your reader: I'm not making this up.

by Duane Swierczynski

The life of a city depends on its immigrants.

by Nathaniel Popkin

What was the Duchess of Dotage doing at StoryCorps?

by Bruce Schimmel

What You Say

The story starts to sound like something out of a Green Lantern comic book. According to Sly, each Slyly is responsible for finding the next, and it has become a tradition to fill the position with an American.

Well, the consensus is in and the majority of y'all talking about that Aussie children's toy stuffed with 1,4-Butanediol — the chem that metabolizes into ol' anesthetic GHB — were of two minds. One: If this were the '90s, Aqua Dots parties would be on, and raging and raving with Wink and Level 13. Two: Have you seen 'em? Could I give you 20 bucks for one?

I assume I inspired  Benjamin Franklin's Numbers: An Unsung Mathematical Odyssey (Princeton University Press), which details Franklin's less-chronicled interest in mathematics, namely his fondness for so-called "magic squares," which I gather are kind of like Sudoku, but less pointless.

"He died of a heart attack while waiting for a train." So reads Andrew Burke's makeshift memorial, which is posted on the front door of El Azteca II.

Locals hope a pair of City Council bills will bring peace to Manayunk.

by Jason Tomassini

If you don't think cop killers deserve to die, there's something wrong with you.

by Brian Hickey

Why a house vote about the transparency of government documents won't be happening. Plus, the latest on the Kelly/Oh race.

by Mary F. Patel

Jeb Kreager of New Paradise gets physical in Mr. Marmalade.

by A.D. Amorosi

Good Eats | Charles Bronson | The World Without Us | West River Drive

A lot of Mr. Marmalade is shocking and hilarious. But its concept wears thing.

by David Anthony Fox

There are many reasons to revive An Empty Plate in the Cafè du Grand Boeuf, but the Arden's new revival misses the most important one.

by Mark Cofta

by Mark Cofta

The Martha Graham Dance Co. presented a retrospective montage that covered Martha's artistic career, from its beginnings right up to her late works

by Janet Anderson

It is not entirely inappropriate that the musical score was the star of this beautiful soun