PopSugar

The Love Letter Project Embraces the City of Brotherly Love

TresSugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:00:00 -0700

What is it with Philadelphia and quirky outdoor art? On the heels of the new documentary In a Dream, about one man's giant mosaic memoir, comes Love Letter, a massive mural project by artist Steve Powers and the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

The visual love letter plays out across 50 painted walls along Philly's Market Street elevated train. Through the month of August, 40 artists are creating their masterpieces for all to see starting around Labor Day. You can check out the progress so far on the official Love Letter mural. I can't help but love art that loves me back; what do you think?

Philadelphians Are the Highest Tippers

YumSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:00:55 -0700

The City of Brotherly Love is also the city with the most-tipping love. Based on Zagat's newly released Philadelphia survey, the city's residents leave a generous 19.6 percent tip on average, compared to the countrywide average of 19 percent. Diners in New York - long considered the most expensive place to live in the US - only tip equal to the countrywide average, while those in Los Angeles tip below average at 18.4 percent.

Do Philadelphians really possess more love for their fellow citymen? Or is it because of Philadelphia's large number of BYO restaurants? I'm most surprised by the fact that New Yorkers tip such a meager amount. When I lived in Manhattan more than five years ago, it was considered standard to tip 20 percent due to the high cost of living there, and the fact that so many New Yorkers make a living in the service industry. Do these numbers surprise you? Are they in line with what you would normally tip, given decent service?

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Calcium = The Sixth Taste?

partysugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:00:46 -0700

Scientists in Philadelphia have discovered that mice can taste calcium. Since humans and rodents share many of the same genes, the human tongue should taste calcium as well. For centuries the four basic tastes were sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. However when umami, the fifth "savory" taste, was recognized 100 years ago, the door opened to research other tastes. According to Michael Tordoff, a geneticist who participated in the mice study, a human's palate can detect the mineral. It tastes:

Calcium tastes calcium-y, there isn't a better word for it. It is bitter, perhaps even a little sour. But it's much more because there are actual receptors for calcium, not just bitter or sour compounds.

Tordoff claims that the bitterness of certain vegetables, like bok choy or dark greens, is due to high levels of calcium. Although milk is full of calcium, the fats prevent us from tasting it.

Since I've always thought it was crazy that only four basic tastes exist, the discovery is incredibly interesting, and I think that maybe I've tasted calcium. What do you make of the findings? Have you ever tasted calcium?

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Should Tour Guides Be Required to Take a History Test?

LibertySugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:15:59 -0700

Tour guides in Philadelphia think a new city law requiring history tests before they receive a license, violates their right to freedom of speech. This new rule will require guides to pass a written test, or pay a fine, the same requirements for guides in Washington, DC, New Orleans, and Charleston, SC.

Opponents paint the law as making speech conditional on government permission.

If you're paying big bucks for a history lesson, it might be nice to know it's not the history of the guide's imagination. It's pleasant to picture Walt Whitman walking into Philly from New Jersey across the Ben Franklin Bridge (as one guide will assist you with) - but does it matter that the bridge wasn't built until 1926, 30 years after Whitman died?

Do you think Philadelphia is betraying its constitutional roots, or being responsible by making sure those roots are portrayed accurately? Either way, since the law only requires a one-time-test, neither censorship nor accuracy will be guaranteed.

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Philadelphia to Bribe Employers: $10,000 If You Hire an Ex-Con

LibertySugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 06:00:46 -0700

Philadelphia is going to give employers $10,000 for each ex-con they hire. City officials hope that a shot of cash will encourage employers to give those who have made mistakes a second chance, jumpstart crime prevention, and ultimately save the city money.

Each inmate costs Philly $30,000 per year. Considering that approximately two out out three released prisoners are arrested again within three years, this seems like a foolproof investment. I just wonder whether the money is enough to help employers get over the perceived risk of hiring an ex-con.

While some states are making it harder for certain criminals to reintegrate into society, it's exciting to see new solutions offered to address the country's record high prison population. Even so, I will be eager to see some follow-up statistics to figure out if subsidized ex-cons re-offend anyways.

Does it bother you that people who have broken the rules get an advantage over law abiding job applicants? Are there other ways to reduce the stigma and help reduce recidivism?

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Four Philadelphia Cops Involved in Beating Have Been Fired

CitizenSugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 08:00:24 -0700

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey has announced that following the May 5 beating of three suspects in a drug-related triple shooting, four police officers will be fired. The beating was caught on tape by a news helicopter and shows 15 officers descending upon the car. Two of the four being fired were new recruits on probation; the other two, more experienced.

The most senior officer present has been demoted to the rank of police officer and transferred to another district for failing to stop the beating, though the tape shows he had no contact with the suspects. Three other officers were suspended for up to 15 days and and have been transferred to other districts. To see why the beating happened, the response, and the tape, read more.

At the time of the incident, emotions were running high as a fellow officer had been killed two days earlier during a robbery. The men from the car are in custody on attempted murder, assault and firearms charges. The mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, has said he was satisfied by the department’s response to the beating.

However one of the lawyers for the men in the car says, “The only reason these people are not in handcuffs is because they are police officers. They behaved like a pack of wild animals.” Adding to this, the chairwoman of the National Action Network (led by Al Sharpton) said “The position of the citizens of Philadelphia is that the response by Ramsey and Nutter was not enough. We want all the officers prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Is the response enough? Too severe? Did the known danger following the murder of the officer two days prior, inform their response - or send it out of control? Should the officers be treated like civilians, or are cases involving cops inherently different given the situations they face? Since the men in the car are being held on very serious offenses, did they earn severe treatment?

Source

When In Philly. . . . Hillary Compares Herself to Rocky!

CitizenSugar — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:55:56 -0700

Hillary Clinton just spoke in Philly, and compared herself to that great Philadelphian - not Alexander Hamilton - Rocky Balboa. She said,

"Well, could you imagine if Rocky Balboa had gotten half way up those Art Museum steps and said, 'Well, I guess that’s about far enough? Let me tell you something, when it comes to finishing the fight, Rocky and I have a lot in common. I never quit. I never give up. And neither do the American people."

Great sentiment! Though the boys in the booth are telling me Rocky, um, lost that fight. Shoot. (The not giving up part is nice though. Let's concentrate on that. . . .)

Why Can't US Cities Connect to Free Internet?

LibertySugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:00:49 -0700

Philadelphia just became another major US city to hit a connection snag in their plan to offer citywide free Wi-Fi. Earthlink, the private company working with Philly, has just announced its intention to pull the figurative plug on Philly's operating project. Why the pull-out? Money. The New York Times reports that: "The conclusion that such ventures would not be profitable led to sudden withdrawals by service providers like EarthLink, the Internet company that had effectively cornered the market on the efforts by the larger cities."

The virtual age is making internet a utility rather than a luxury, so with all the other services cities offer - libraries, parks, public transportation, and water - many realize the necessity to provide citizens with free municipal wireless internet. It's been three years since Philadelphia announced its plan to become the city of wireless love, bringing free internet to all residents and the poor are feeling the pinch.

Tons of other cities, like Chicago, Houston, and San Francisco, realize the need and have decided to follow suit - but wireless for the masses is still just a pipe dream. Massive technological problems, faulty business models, politics, and of course, money, have resulted in a bad connection between the cities and their internet provider partners. To see the impact of this disconnection, read more.

Living without the internet can be an insurmountable disadvantage to the already struggling. This day in age, the internet is used for almost everything, from finding a job, to completing a high school research paper.

Is the internet a luxury, or a citizen's right? Would it be best to let the private sector continue to cut prices, and separately subsidize those who still cannot afford a connection? How can residents find out about all the other great city services, if they can't even google them? Are you in favor of free Wi-Fi?

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Can a Business Choose To Be "English-Only"?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:00:00 -0700

According to a new ruling by the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, businesses are allowed to post signs insisting that customers speak English. They ruled that Geno's Steaks restaurant that placed a sign informing customers, "This is America. When ordering speak English," had done nothing to violate discrimination rules.

The sign inspired a larger debate about immigration and freedom of speech. The owner of the restaurant said his right to free speech had been violated by the complaint. The commission ruled that since the sign did not say that non-English speaking diners would be refused service, the restaurant owner was within his rights.

Geno's Steaks is one of Philly's most famous cheese steak shops - and apparently even if you're ordering in English, there's a protocol:

Be prepared and know how to order, because the service is fast and the line keeps moving. For example, on a cheese steak with onions specify which kind of cheese you'd like (Provolone, American or Cheese [sic] Whiz.)

I don't know, I'm a little skeptical that "Cheez Whiz" counts as an English word.

Do you agree with the commission's ruling? Is posting this sign within the rights of a business owner?

What to Netflix: Denzel Deja Vu

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:15:20 -0800

Denzel Washington's latest sci-fi/action film, Deja Vu, opened on November 22nd to mixed reviews. The overall impression seems to be that Denzel's grounded and emotionally pitch-perfect performance saves the murky plot from being a total let-down. In fact, Denzel could take virtually any half-baked movie premise and make it engaging, so have a little deja vu with one of Hollywood's most talented actors and put these old favorites in your Netflix queue.

The Preacher's Wife
This is probably my favorite Denzel movie of all time, as cheesy as that sounds. He's just so darn charming, funny, and handsome. He plays an angel sent from God to help the Reverend Henry Biggs, who is struggling to keep his marriage to Julia (Whitney Houston) intact while property developer Joe Hamilton (Gregory Hines) is threatening to destroy his church and build a funky new mega-church. Because this movie is called The Preacher's Wife and has Whitney Houston in it, it is largely about her, but Denzel is the truly divine member of this cast. Also, its great music and holiday setting make this an especially fun movie to watch now.

For two more Denzel films, read more

Man On Fire
In this movie, we are treated to both Denzel-the-tough-guy and Denzel-the-softhearted-dad-type. Set in Mexico City, the movie has Denzel playing John Creasy, a haggard, alcoholic ex-assassin for the CIA who, for lack of anything else to do, agrees to serve as the bodyguard for industrialist Samuel Ramos' daughter Pita, played by Dakota Fanning. Fanning is at her precocious best here and succeeds in worming her way into Creasy's heart. When she is kidnapped, Creasy is frantic to find her and swears vengeance on anyone involved in the abduction. While it isn't the happiest of movies, it is worth watching if only to see the sweet relationship between Creasy and Pita develop.

Philadelphia

Though Tom Hanks took the Oscar for his performance in Philadelphia, many argue that Denzel deserved one as well. Denzel plays Joe Miller, a homophobic lawyer who helps fellow attorney, gay HIV-positive Andrew Beckett (Hanks), make a wrongful termination case against his conservative law firm. Over time, Joe and Andy form a friendship, and Joe races against time to try and win Andy's case before AIDS can take over Andy's body. This is one of those "important" movies about the power of love over prejudice.