Archive: February, 2009

LAST MINUTE lecture: In the future, how will global warming go down in Philly?

POSTED: Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 7:51 PM

Filed Under: End of Days | News | philly madness

The end of days.

weblogs.newsday.com

According to scientists, pretty badly. Personally, I'm picturing an even more dystopic version of when the Phillies won. Frat boys will flip cars, burn their underwear and loot stores — but there won't be a parade or cleaning crews to make it all better the next day. Just a countdown to doomsday. Here's what Nels Johnson, a Nature Conservancy scientist, says about it:

Today, Philadelphia sees 20 days of 90 degrees or warmer. Under some of the climate change scenarios — the more extreme ones especially — if [we] don’t really do much to control emissions over the next several decades, we could be seeing as many as 70 or more days of 90 degrees.

Hold on, 70 days of 90 degrees is a bad thing? It's hard to think of it like that when there are dozens of sundresses in my closet collecting dust. But seriously, folks, there isn't enough Arctic Splash in the whole of Phildelphia to make that level of climate change OK. Find out how you can curb your CO2 emissions to save the city at Johnson's lecture with Wayne Klockner, vice president of the Nature Conservany.

Tue., Feb. 10, 3:30-4:50pm, free, Mitchell Auditorium, Bossone Research Enterprise Center, 32nd & Market sts., 215-895-2000, drexel.edu/sustainability/speakerseries.htm

Posted by Holly Otterbein @ 7:51 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Recessive traits in Fishtown

POSTED: Monday, February 9, 2009, 5:00 PM

Filed Under: Arts | Philaphemera

Her first buyer's remorse.

While cruising Frankord Avenue's First Friday this weekend, I came across a batch of quirky trading cards in Rocket Cat Cafe and Highwire Gallery. Called "Recessive Traits" cards, they juxtapose illustrations of children's book characters with images of M&Ms and supermodels. What makes 'em interesting are the witty captions at the bottom, which comment on the allure of commercial products and the transition from childhood to adulthood.

For instance, below a picture of a little boy looking eagerly at two cartons of cigarettes, the caption reads, "It was then that Billy made the choice that would haunt him forever: Winston or Marlboro." Or, describing a toddler with Reese's candy in his lap: "He would miss his family, that was true, but now he had something far sweeter to love."

The artist who's responsible for this work is Ken Miller, a Philadelphian and member of Highwire Gallery. You can buy his T-shirts, bags and greeting cards on recessivetraits.com, but the trading cards are nowhere to be found online. I'd like to do what the back of the cards tell me to and "Collect them all!" Clog readers, do you know where else I could find them?

Ken B. Miller

Posted 2009-02-09 22:06:11

Thanks for the mention in your blog! I've given out hundreds of those trading cards over the past few years. I don't sell them but I give them out at shows and when people buy my stuff. I also sell my shirts and greeting cards at Mew Gallery, 906 Christian St in South Philly. But, I'll make sure to leave more trading cards around town and at Highwire now that I know people are actually collecting them!

Posted by Holly Otterbein @ 5:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Night Moves: Rent at the Academy of Music

POSTED: Tuesday, February 3, 2009, 10:23 PM

Filed Under: Arts | Night Moves

Goodbye, love.

siteforrent.com

Don't know what to do tonight? Don't worry, we've got you covered.

Remember when Jonathan Larson's rock musical Rent was a youthful, fresh take on living with AIDS in New York City? And how innovative it was that Larson based it off of La Bohème, meshing the roughed-up city with Pucinni's flawless opera? Well, the production just turned 15, oldie. (And if that doesn't make you feel old, consider this quote from Larson: "[My dream is] to bring musical theater to the MTV generation." What would that mean today — a Hills musical?) Anyway, it's not on Broadway anymore. Thankfully, though, it's returning to the Academy of Music for five more nights, with three original cast members performing. Check it out before MTV — and Rent, for that matter — become relics of the past.

Tue, Feb. 3, 7:30 p.m., $25-$80, Academy of Music, Broad & Locust sts., 215-893-1930, kimmelcenter.org.

Posted by Holly Otterbein @ 10:23 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Night Moves: Craftivity

POSTED: Monday, February 2, 2009, 10:13 PM

Filed Under: Night Moves

A past Craftivity project, which is probably not appropriate for this month's V-Day theme.

Don't know what to do tonight? Don't worry, we've got you covered.

In this week's Agenda section, A.D. told you about Malcolm Gladwell's reading of Outliers: The Story of Success at the Free Library tonight. I'm a big fan of Gladwell's ability to squeeze a complex, esoteric theory into a neatly-packaged idea for the masses, but I'm just not in the mood for pop psychology. If you're in the same boat as me, head to Germ Book's "Craftivity." This monthly craft group is very hands-on, and has indulged in "stencil-making silliness," wheat-pasting demos and puppet monologues in the past. This week's theme is V-Day gifts — for people who'd rather receive a UFO encounter than roses.

Mon. Feb. 2, 6:30 p.m., free, Germ Books, 2005 Frankford Ave., 215-423-5002, germbooks.com

Posted by Holly Otterbein @ 10:13 PM Permalink | Post a comment

1 | 2

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Philly politicians receive generous gifts — but did they disclose it all?
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Philly Mag cover: Whites should criticize blacks

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