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Archive: November, 2010
Each week Critical Mass puts together a rundown of book-centric events that'll keep you "lit" all week long.
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Filed Under: Ice Cubes
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| photo | Scott Weiner |
| President Obama emerges from AF1 at 10:58 a.m. at PHL's Atlantic Aviation landing runway and greets a line of people including, at the front, US Sen Arlen Specter, Mayor Michael Nutter, US Sen Robert Casey, PA State Reps Dwight Evans and Josh Shapiro on Oct. 30. © Scott Weiner |
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| photo | Scott Weiner |
| J Woww and Richie Rich pictured at Dusk Nightclub at Caesars Casino in Atlantic City, NJ on Oct. 30. © Scott Weiner 2010 |
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| Grand Central Publishing, 304 pp., $27.00, Nov.2 |
In an episode of Strangers with Candy, what was the name of the clitoris piercing given to Jerri by her friend Nico?
UPDATE: The answer is LIBERTY BELL. Thanks to those of you who played, and congrats to Frank and Jenn. Your books should be arriving soon. Enjoy!
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Every Tuesday, Critical Mass pokes around the blog world so you don't have to.
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| qween_meeh |
- Before the election results come in, read Phawker's mish-mash of opinions on what we can expect from Congress for the next few years with the GOP poised to take the House.
- The Walrus shares some pretty sick footage of The Octopus Project performing at Art in the Age. The performance of "Hallucinists" seems like good music to watch leaves fall to.
- It's the baseball offseason again, so what's a blog like The Fightins to do in their downtime? Endless, endless, criticism. Here's their year in review for the Phils.
- Phrequency gives us a look into any city's social mainstays: stoop sitters. Here we have a short film dedicated to Zen of stoops.
Filed Under: Just Opened
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| washcyclelaundry.com |
- making sure that the planet is better off
- making sure people are better off
- making sure that we turn a profit so that we can keep on growing
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| us, too! |
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| newmexicoindependent.com |
- He understands that support for the arts and culture scene is pivotal to a thriving economy by "creating jobs and strengthening communities."
- He supports a woman's right to choose
- He supports civil rights for the LGBTQ community
- He has a strong voting record for gender equality
- There are also four ballot measures, including one that would expand the City Charter's ban on discrimination, which currently bans companies from making employment decisions based on race, color, religion, or national origin. If the law passes, ancestry, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, and disability would also be added to that list. That'd be pretty cool, huh? Vote!
Filed Under: Critical Mass
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| Photos | Sean Kearney |
| The photo shoot |
Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer
Kerry is my son and I'm very proud of what he has accomplished in his years as a skateboarder. When he came to me and his mom and said he was going to california to find a sponsor we didn't know what to think and we left him go to follow his dream. That was when he was 19 and he's done so much with all the opportunities that the sport has to offer. This should be a no brainer for the people of Philly to get this thing rolling as fast as possible. It will promote the sport not only in Philly bit up and down the entire east coast. Like Kerry has said many times you guys are missing the boat because this sport is much bigger than you think. So get this project moving. Don Getz
That piece of land was given to Franklins Paine 10 years ago and so far there have been 2 different signs on the site with 2 different skate park designs on them. $100,000 each. I'm calling foul on this whole thing. Why does this skate park cost 10 times more than your average, world-class high quality skate park anywhere in the country? I really hope none of these FP people ever received a single cent for any of this, because they have barely done a thing except talk a lot of bullshit, throw parties, fund raise, and raise awareness. Maybe they gave some money to refurbish an old tennis court in the NE, or gave some money to the fdr skaters, but not a single thing on the land that they were given 10 years ago, the land that they based their whole scheme off of. They made sure that the Fairmount Park Commission gave it to them before they fenced Love Park off and remodeled aka skate stopped it. And then nothing. Years and years go by. Nothing. Meanwhile, the Love Park ledges with the chess boards on them sit in storage for ten years + collecting dust. Heres an idea; lay a bunch of plywood on the grass, get those ledges and put them on top of the plywood. It would be a thousand times better than anything FP has ever built and would cost almost nothing. Anyone aligning themselves with FP, professional skateboarder or not, is either stupid or gullible because they never intend to build anything on that site and they used the remodeling of Love Park to obtain it from the city in the first place. And being a skateboarder from the area, Kerry Getz should know this already. I'm embarrassed for him for being involved in this, he should know better. FP should be investigated, they should be held accountable for the money that they have received in the 10 + years they have been receiving it, and show where it went. And no, skate parks in Jenkintown don't count. Jenkintown is not Philadelphia. And $200,000 is too much for designs that they don't use, sorry. Mismanagement of funds right there. Clair Lavar, quit your position, you failed miserably. Josh Nims, failure. All of you, total failures. All of you need to quit and let people who this thing actually matters to fill this position, not urban planners and wannabee lawyers who just want to write "Fundraiser" on their resume. They don't care about building that skate park. Seriously people, go bowling or drink beer or something, let the people who ride skateboards make the skate parks. Kerry- either take total control of this project if you can, and give positions to people you know are capable of action, or prepare to drag your own name through the mud right along with FP. I like how she says the crowd was diverse. Good spin Clair. What that really means everyone, is that out of the 40 or so people that showed up to this crap, only about a half a dozen even ride skateboards. The rest, randoms. You want to know why? Take a fucking guess.
And, while FP spills this nonsense, skateboarders in the city are having guns pointed at them by police, getting hit by cars in rush hour traffic being chased by bike cops, breaking their ankles running from plain clothed cops at city hall, and having countless skateboards stolen by the cops never to be seen again. Is that what the city finds to be a priority downtown? To enforce no skateboarding at the Twin Tent Cities they call Dilworth and JFK Plaza? City Hall and Love Park are two gigantic port-a-potties and drug dens, and the cops chase us from there for skating. The public should be appalled. Franklins Paine- take note, the people who skateboard downtown need that park. You know, the ones who you even now still say on your website that you started this whole thing for. Not 12 year olds in Jenkintown. Not costume wearing FDR scenesters. Not tennis court quarter pipe pumpers. Not Tattooed Moms barstool fillers. Not internet skate bloggers and twitterers. And certainly not for self important "urban planners" and failed lawyers to use as a resume builder for their next self important, soon to be failed job.
There is seriously some shady stuff going on with FP. Totally agree that FP needs to be investigated. 10 years,no park, shady.
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Here is Franklins Paines 2008 990 tax form, looks like they spent over $20,000 on an Urban Outfitters party, more than double what they gave to a skatepark that same year. Good job guys. Also some girl named Jamie Elfant, who undoubtedly has never skated a day in her life, got paid close to $30,000. For nothing. To throw a party at a hipster clothing store that she shops at. To "raise awareness". And a Nick Orso received almost $20,000. So, $30,000 for Jamie Elfant, $20,000 for Nick Orso, oh and a "Brian Moore" received $7,500. Total, with the party = $77,500. For a party. It took three of them to organize that party, it was such a blast I bet. Who the fuck are these people? They are no one, they don't skate, they don't build parks, they collect money and throw parties. for the most part anyway. Sure they gave $8500 to a skatepark and $2500 to a young skater program, but add those together and its a fraction of what they received in donations. The majority of it went to their paychecks and a party. I guess its legal for people who work for non profits to get salaries? http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org/990_pdf_archive/201/201020630/201020630_200812_990EZ.pdf
Great time. Great turnout, Franklin's Paine. Had to leave early to tend to the parking meter. We'll be shredding this park soon. Zeb, go direct your negativity to the nearest brick wall.
WORD. BIG MONEY MESS> DIY OR DIE.
Geez louise! Living in the past means you are doomed to repeat it. Each new day is a new opportunity to do something, not just say something. This argument is like a broken record, money scam, the streets, etc. We are entitled to nothing, and if we want a better outcome we have to build it from the ground up. Complaining about what was or could have been leads to nothing productive and fosters ill will and bad feelings. Sure its been a long time, but when the building finishes and we are shredding in whatever way you enjoy, all the negativity will seem foolish. The awesome thing about skateboarding is that it can be so many different things to so many different people. The wonderful freedom of street skating needs to be nurtured as much as transition and "caged" parks. Any skating is better than no skating. For all the time and effort spent fighting the system, we could get smart and work within it. I feel like the only thing holding us back is the stereotypical attitude "anonymous" brings to the conversation. If you care so much about the plight of inner city skateboarders, you would do, not say.
Wheres the park? Do we have to wait another 10 years? Can I get some of that party money?
Hi, my name is Josh Nims. I have a job and a family, and since I'm the person that this Anonymous has publicly deemed a "failure" I guess I should say something. For your information, I am actually very happy with my life, thank you. I work hard every day to put food on the table for my wife and daughter and I try to find time to skate a couple times a week. Anonymous, please get in touch any time to talk about these concerns in person (Office number is 267-402-2041) instead of sharing your incorrect and incredibly negative opinions of us and our work with everybody else in the media universe first. Personal attacks signed anonymously are not a very good barometer of the character of the writer. Perhaps you would appreciate a tour of the office and an overview of the current projects we are working on. Of course, you won't be Anonymous anymore. But, there is always room for forgiveness when you know that you are working hard and doing the right thing, no matter what some anonymous blogger says about you. Just to clarify, the Urban Outfitters event was funded through grants and donations solicited specifically for that event. When you ask people to work for 40 hours a week on something, you usually pay them. You see,"non-profit" means there is no profit for the organization to reinvest or pay dividends to shareholders above the cost of running the business (like paying people for their hard work, paying rent for an office, and having paper and ink for the printer). It doesn't mean everybody works for free for years at a time. That would be silly. Something to think about: why would we honestly report all that info you quoted on our 990 if we thought we were doing something dishonest? That would also be silly. I am proud of our work right now and of the people who have worked hard- paid and unpaid- throughout the years. I stand behind our work here and into the future: www.franklinspaine.com
Anonymous: I think you can find a more positive way to lend your support to this effort. It is no small thing and none of us, including you, want it to be some ramshackle effort on plywood incorporating historic benches. This is one of the most incredible pieces of land this City has to offer and it requires a vision that is in measure with its surroundings. I think the myopic view that you hold towards this project and the people that are working for it helps create the division that exists between skaters and non-skaters in this City. It reinforces the idea that skaters are a different community than the ones that they are surrounded by. We like to see it differently and that is why we have sought to create the positive relationships with the City that we have. Why else then would they want us to have this stunning 2.5 ACRE site to create a park designed for skaters. Also, the idea that only skaters should be able or capable of working on this project again limits what the park can really be. This is going to be a gateway between the riverfront and the Parkway that will be unforgettable. This is going to be a place where skaters can feel safe and included in the vision we all should share for what this City should be. I have worked on this effort for 4+ yrs without any compensation and can attest to the incredible work ethic shown by everyone involved in this project. I have worked side-by-side with everyone that you malign in your "anonymous" rants. Josh Nims has shown an incredible determination and a perserverance for getting this done when it would have been much easier to spend more time with his family or work towards his career. Jamie Elfant brought her incredible skills for organizing and politicking to the table and left a mark on this organization that will be unforgettable. Claire Laver has a laser-like determination to push this project through to completion. Nick Orso was an early and ardent supporter who has managed projects and carried many heavy loads. Brian Moore provided the framework for an organization entrusted with one of the sweetest pieces of real estate that this city has to offer to manage it in perpetuity. Countless others including Mitch, Jesse, Nancy, Michael, Carla, Steve, Brian N, Jim, Liz, Babette and literally hundreds of other have lent their backs, offered their time and consistently supported those that were doing so that this project might come to be. This is no tiny effort. We want this park to be the proper legacy for the historical spot that Philadelphia should have in the International Skate Community. We want this spot to be the lightning rod to again have an international skate competition here is Philadelphia. We want this park to be the inclusive reminder that Philadelphia wants to be a great city for everyone of its' citizens. I hope that you can find a way to support us. Use your considerable energies for something positive and noteworthy. Good luck!
Plantastic, your rhetoric falls on unwilling ears if you are trying to convince me specifically of something. I've watched the entire thing, from the beginning. if you really believe that you are doing something good by working on this, you have been fleeced. you are one of the stupid or gullible that I previously mentioned. none of the things that any of those people did amounted to anything, do you need anymore proof than the reality that is staring you in the face? all the people that lent their time and effort to this project through the years, sadly, thought they were maybe working towards something. one day, maybe 10 more years from now when there is still no skatepark on that beautiful 2.5 acre plot of land that the city gave you for free, they will undoubtedly regret that they put any time in, you included. besides the ones who got paid, that is. people that don't skate and never have should not be making decisions for people who do regarding the act of skateboarding, in any way at all. that is something that has been known in the skateboard community for decades, and things like this prove that to be a correct way to think about it. and just to be clear, I dont feel entitled to any skatepark. for all I care that land could be a duckboat driveway. what I do feel is pissed off that this group of people used love park to acquire this land 10 years ago, and has been wasting donated money on parties ever since. the reality is, skateparks don't cost 7 million, 5 million, or even 1 million dollars. the reality is, fp has been raising money and spending it on douchebag shit for 10 years, and there is NO SKATE PARK. fucking wake up. heavy loads, what are you even talking about. are you for real? heavy loads of cases of pbr being carried up to the 3rd floor of urban outfitters? and I am not anonymous. if you skated in or had anything to do with skateboarding in philadelphia you would know who I was, which you don't. people come up to me almost every time I go skate and tell me how much they agree with me and how they think fp is some shady bullshit. just not all of them care to waste their time commenting on stupid articles about it, which is a waste of time most definitely. and for your information, philadelphia was once the place to be on the east coast, because of love park. you dont know that because you dont skate or didnt skate back then or just moved here or whatever. and if franklins paine, instead of fighting to get a piece of grass when it was going down, put their effort into talking to the city about embracing love park as a tourist destination, complete with skateboardability intact, and try to make money for the city or whatever, maybe philadelphia would still be the place that you seem to think you are trying to make it for skateboarders. it already was the place you want to try to make it. of course, minus the logos and contests and media friendliness and general douchebagness that has no place in skateboarding. also those "historic" benches you refer to are better ledges than you or any skatepark builder could ever hope to build in your or their heroic, skater saving lives.
and to george, whoever you are, you dont skate. sorry. youre a blogger or stool filler or whatever. youre a poseur and if you have something to say to me come downtown one day and skate and say it to me, I'm there all the time and I would respect you a little more and you can snap a bunch of photos with your iphone and blog about how much street cred you have and how you shredded the city, and all 6 of your fellow non skating skaters that post dick eating comments on haveboard will believe your lies.
anon. if you are the true representative of philly skating....it is no wonder it got shot down. sounds like you got what you deserved. i hope it works out for the rest of philly's skaters and their non-skater poseur friends. clearly, your world is an unfriendly place where most of us wouldn't want to visit on our worst day.
what happened to free speech? what happend to all the comments?
they're still here, anonymous!
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