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Archive: March, 2009
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| Penguin, $18 |
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There hasn't been a family that's simultaneously captured America's attention and disgusted us so since the Mansons. In Coll's new book, he outlines the history of the bin Ladens, including the childhood of Osama. Here's what Shaun Brady had to say about the book in this week's Agenda section:
The New Yorker scribe tells that story with epic sweep, exhaustive research and a touch of irreverence, making for a page-turner that is nonetheless crammed with densely packed detail. It reads like a mirror history of the 20th century, alternately reflecting, echoing and rebutting the familiar western narrative. The 54 children of Mohammed bin Laden almost inevitably form a microcosm of Saudi society and undertake the same struggle between the strictures of Islam and the temptations of modernity that define the region.
The tale unfolds as a series of parallels: the rising power of the al-Saud family comes to shape the rags-to-riches journey of patriarch Mohamed bin Laden; his death leaves his sons to trace divergent paths, exemplified by his profligate, freewheeling eldest, Salem, and the black sheep you-know-who.
Tue., March 31, 7:30 p.m., free, Free Library, Central Branch, 1901 Vine St., 215-567-4341, freelibrary.org
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In my ninth grade English class, I got lucky. While my friends' teachers believed that reading Little Women and Wuthering Heights was a good enough introduction to women writers, my own thought otherwise he had us read several works by Joan Didion, including "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream" and "Goodbye to All That." The first inspired me to pursue journalism (which, at the time, meant writing articles about why the drinking age should be lowered to 18); the second made me want to pack up my bags and move to New York City.
Didion's great strength is being able to write beautifully about the darkest aspects of life, without being macabre or exploitative in her coverage of a small-town murder in "Some Dreamers...," she somehow employs symbolism and foreshadowing into a news piece without it appearing forced. She's also got a knack for extraordinary, biting sentences, like "It is the season of suicide and divorce and prickly dread, wherever the wind blows." At tonight's reading, though, she likely won't be discussing her '60s and '70s works. Instead, I bet she'll read from her book The Year of Magical Thinking, which covers the untimely deaths of both her husband and daughter. Always a tough broad, Didion shows her unyielding emotional strength in this work which, contrary to my initial guess, is far from depressing.
Mon, March 30, 6:30pm; Tue, March 31, 10:30am, free, Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk, 215-573-WRIT.
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After you've downed a couple brewskies, frolicked in the warm weather and maybe even rolled down a few hills because of all Vitamin D-happiness you're enjoying, you should consider heading over to The Rotunda. The Penn Queer Student Alliance is putting on their annual drag show as part of Q-Penn Week, which celebrates the "best, brightest and queerest at Penn's campus," as intern Katie Karas says.
As far as we know, the folks in drag will be students which is unique because, let's just be honest here, most drag queens have long since reached drinking age. (Not sayin' that's a bad thing, of course. Just a different vibe.) The afta-party is at X.O. (1418 Rodman St.), which will top off the week with a candy-themed blowout. Yum.
Fri., March 27, 7 p.m., $5-$7, The Rotunda, 508 S. 5th St., 215-413-0999, therotunda.org.
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| Eh, I still buy it. |
I have to agree with the Republicans on one thing the country's love for President Obama is sometimes a little, um, cult-y. As Matt Dineen, a Philadelphian and founding collective member of Aid and Abet, a cooperative booking agency for radical activists and artists, says, this poses some challenges:
How do movements for social change express their visions and concerns without alienating allies in D.C. and around the world who would be joyfully celebrating on January 21st? As Obama began announcing a number of neoliberal, Clinton-era cabinet appointments to ostensibly offer their expertise in solving the worsening financial crisis and faltering wars abroad, discussion began of strategically voicing dissent at the inauguration and beyond.
In Dinnen's discussion tonight, he will address how the lack of dissent at Obama's inauguration is both a good and bad thing it means that we've got more people on our team, but don't know how far left we can push them until they quit the game completely. Check out Dineen's article on it here. Or just go to the discussion tonight. You can't call yourself an activist if you just sit at home reading all the time.
Thu, March 26, 7-9 p.m., free, Wooden Shoe Books, 508 S. 5th St., 215-413-0999, woodenshoebooks.com.
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For its second event, GWG is partnering with Philadelphia Futures, a local nonprofit that provides high school students with adult mentors and academic support. The cost of entry will be one thumb drive or a packet of school supplies for the students, and GWG hopes that attendees will consider becoming mentors Philadelphia Futures will have staff and applications on hand.
"It's really easy to drink some drinks and do some good," LaFleur says. "And geeks party harder than anyone I know."
Unfortunately, in the paper, we listed this as taking place tonight, from 6-9 p.m. That is totally wrong. Geeks Who Give Game Night is on April 2, 6-9 p.m. Our bad entirely.
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| badluckcity.files.wordpress.com |
In November, Mayor Michael Nutter said that he'd shut down 68 out of the city's 81 swimming pools. But then the people spoke, and Nutter listened (whether that's for the best or not, we have yet to see). Last Thursday, he said that he'd be keeping 46 pools open a big difference from the original 13. This obviously means all sorts of great things: recreational departments like Mander Playground (33rd and Susquehanna) will be able to keep their summer camps robust, community members without AC will have access to a cooling alternative, and crime will likely be reduced because of the 'ol routine activities theory keep people busy, and they won't get into trouble as often.
Or will they?
Caterina Roman, a criminal justice professor at Temple University, has an interesting theory about what may happen as a result of closing some pools and keeping others open. In 2003, she published a study on the effects of shutting down schools and displacing students to education centers in other neighborhoods. "We found that there was an increase in assaults, as a result of placing rival gangs together or just plain rival communities together." While she hasn't completed a study on displacing students or adults as a result of pools, she predicts that it may have the same effect. She emphasized that this was merely conjecture, but still thinks police should take it into consideration once pools open.
She also thinks officials should have thought about this while deciding which pools to close. When I spoke with Alan Joinville, public affairs coordinator for the rec department, a few days ago, he gave me a list of criteria that they used to determine which pools would stay and which would go the pool's attendance, size, age, condition, access and location. He didn't say anything about gangs.
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| St. Martin's Griffin, 432 pp., $14.95 |
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It's no secret that here at City Paper we love the best mythological creature around: zombies. Because we love books a great deal too, Jonathan Maberry's undead tale Patient Zero: A Joe Ledger Novel seems like something out of our wildest, most night terror-inducing dreams.
Well, OK. It's like any other zombie narrative Joe Ledger has to keep terrorists from unleashing a bio-weapon that transforms ordinary people into zombies. But honestly, the zombie formula is pretty hard to mess up.
Plus, it's a bit like a cross between The Wire and 24: "Joe Ledger is a Baltimore detective who has just been secretly recruited to deal with the problems that Homeland Security can't handle." Am I stretching it? Maybe. But what can I say? I'm part of the elite, zombie-biased media.
Tue., March 24, 5:30 p.m., free, Barnes & Noble, 1805 Walnut St., 215-686-1776, jonathanmaberry.com
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| flickr.com/photos/geminiimatt |
| A veg! |
Outside of PETA protests and Trader Joe's, it's probably pretty hard to meet a fellow vegan. (I wouldn't know I was a vegetarian in a past life, but I never could give up cheese.) That's what prompted New Yorkers to form Vegan Drinks, a nationwide meet-up of all sorts of veggies, including the veg-curious, animal rights lawyers and run-of-the-mill vegans (if there is such a thing).
Tonight's event is the second Vegan Drinks to be held in Philly. The first one, held last month, was such a success that Horizons decided to open up the entire restaurant to accommodate all the animal lovers under one roof. Philadelphia Brewing Co.'s veg beer, Walt Wit, will be on tap, along with drinks from Chaddsford Winery and Philadelphia Distilling. And the food is far better than a Morningstar burger, if you happen to be doubting the scope of vegan eats it includes roasted exotic mushrooms with truffle oil, fried pickles with jalapeno beer batter, edamame hummus, Vietnamese bruschetta and buffalo seitan tortilla pizza. The raffle, from which you can win a $50 Whole Foods gift bag, a reiki session and a signed copy of This Crazy Vegan Life, allows you to put your money where your mouth is proceeds go to Humane League of Philadelphia and Chenoa Farm Animal Sanctuary.
Mon., March 23, 5:30-9:30 p.m., free, Horizons, 611 S. Seventh St., 216-923-6117, vegandrinksphilly.blogspot.com
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| Elizabeth Robertson | Inquirer |
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I've loved marching up Topstitch's steep, fairy-tale stairs for the past few years. Browsing through their discounted vintage bin, eyeing up the quirky art they've always got on the walls (including their weird collection of owl trinkets and paintings), and playing with the big, fluffy cat that moseys about the store was cool too. Unfortunately, the Topstitch girls are packing up their bags next Monday and heading to 54 N. Third Street. It's a smaller place, so we assume that their move has something to do with the crappy economy. As a result, they'll be getting rid of a bit of their vintage, men's and baby sections. It's all very bittersweet we won't be able to buy their cute (but not grossly adorable) baby clothes or odd, funky vintage in the future, but this weekend, it's for sale.
Fri.-Sun., March 20-22; silent auction Fri., March 20, 6-8:30 p.m., Topstitch Boutique, 311 Market St., 215-238-8877, topstitchboutique.com
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