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November 5

Well that’s an interesting idea: The Fare Strike

Reader James DiMartino of the Southwark/Passyunk Square area wrote this morning with this interesting alternative to a full-on transit strike:

The SEPTA strike is a great inconvenience to the general population. I am sure that the Septa board Members and the Union Leadership are not similarly inconvenienced by the lack of public transportation. Just look at the army of SUVs around the Bellevue during the talks.

I would like to suggest another approach to the union action. Instead of walking off the job, why not continue to operate the system as usual only REFUSE TO COLLECT FARES.

This would have a two-fold impact; 1. Put a halt to the revenue stream while 2. Retaining the popular support of the people whose livelihoods depend on reliable public transportation.

Each time SEPTA has gone on strike, they have actually lost ridership.

Why not take an action that helps the people as well as yourselves, guys? Would that not be enlightened self interest?

Please Adivise.

Thoughts?


November 3

Phils win, commuters lose, bike the strike

As if you didn’t know: The Phillies won a tense game 5, forcing a game 6 tomorrow night in New York wherein Pedro Martinez will get a second chance to end the “who’s your daddy?” chants once and for all.

Also, SEPTA called an audible, announcing a 3 a.m. strike shutting down all city subway, bus and trolley service, essentially holding true to the letter of their word to not striking during the World Series home games. Yes, yes, we support the union’s right to strike, but tell it to the people waiting at bus stops at 5:30 this morning.

So we’ll take this opportunity to share a word with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia who suggest you “Bike the Strike”:

PHILADELPHIA - November 3, 2009 - The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia urges SEPTA travelers to bike instead of driving. Commuters who bike will win out over those stuck in traffic jams of epic proportions.”Avoid the crush and bike the strike,” says Alex Doty, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. “Bike the Strike to save time, money and help shrink your waistline.  Plus, I guarantee you will have more fun than anyone trying to drive during the strike.”

In cooperation with Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation and Utilities, the Bicycle Coalition has established a Bike the Strike station at City Hall (Dillworth Plaza). The station has bike parking corrals, free coffee, bike maps and Bicycle Ambassadors on hand to give tips on bike commuting and personalized route planning.

Keeping safe while bicycling is critical.  “Bicycles are considered vehicles, so we also urge all bicyclists to obey the rules of the road,” said Education Director Breen Goodwin.  “It’s important for all bicyclists to be civil, courteous and comply with traffic laws, such as walking their bikes on sidewalks and stopping at all signals, to ensure the everyone’s safety.”

More biking tips after the jump: (more…)


November 2

What we <3: Jim Horwat’s 2009 Phillies print

Jim Horwat
Click image to see full print.

Jim Horwat, our favorite Phillies-loving, smile-crazy illustrator — the man behind last year’s championship-celebrating tribute/collage — is back with a 2009 print featuring all the stars of this year’s run and Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett. Oh, and it’s also got HK and the Phanatic done up like some kind of Mayan priest.

This year’s print is full color and available in a signed and numbered first edition on Horwat’s web site. Do some early x-mas shopping and maybe buy the Phils a little karma tonight.


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Crumblin’ Down: Game 4 a microcosm of Phils season

Dunno if it was the shaky first inning by Joe Blanton, the continued struggles of Ryan Howard vs. lefties, the reliance on the solo home run, the uncanny ability to convert a 2-on-nobody-out opportunity into a goose egg, or the almost comically preordained bullpen collapse that was most emblematic of the Phils season.

Last night’s World Series game 4 had a little bit of everything for your local neighborhood Phils cynic. Let’s not forget that while the Phillies are indeed a very formidable team, they’ve got their weaknesses — and almost all of them were exposed against the best power pitching and power hitting money can buy.

  • CC Sabathia — his inability to do anything with Chase Utley notwithstanding — continued to make Phils lefties Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez look look like Rico Brogna and Travis Lee.
  • Joe Blanton, a yeoman 4th starter, despite a sick run from the second inning into the fifth where he painted the corners deftly, was undone in a fifth inning where nobody hit the ball all that hard, but, given Blanton’s lack of an out pitch, was unable to drop the hammer and end an ill timed two-run rally.
  • Charlie Manuel, despite finding himself in a situation — tied at 4 in the ninth after an improbable Pedro Feliz tying shot — where he might be facing extra innings, decided to not try to get another inning out of his best/most durable reliever, Ryan Madson, and went to Brad Lidge in a situation that called for perfection.
  • In a bit of irony too rich for words, when the Phils employed a severe defensive shift against Mark Teixeira — the same one used so often against their own Ryan Howard — they got burned on a steal of second wherein Johnny Damon kept running right on down to an uncovered third base.
  • Of course, then there’s the mystery of why Brad Lidge stopped throwing his slider — his best pitch and possibly the best pitch on the entire staff — while facing Johnny Damon in the first place, but Brad Lidge mysteries could fill a book at this point.

Did I miss anything?




October 30

Stars of the Photostream: Sunny <3’s CP

Photo | Lucinda Lunacy
Frank and Charlie and CP

Received a flurry of texts/tweets/fb messages last night informing me that our dear newspaper had a cameo in last night’s episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

I get all my Sunny on Hulu these days, so I’ve got a seven-day wait for the full episode featuring Carolyn Huckabay’s May 28 cover on the lovely and talented T. Desiree Hines. Molly Eichel has the deets over on Critical Mass.


October 29

Stars of the Photostream: Blessed Are The Phillies For They Shall Inherit The Championship

Photo | Ray Skwire

Today’s Star of the Photostream comes from friend of the Clog Ray Skwire, whose Flickr photo stream and blogs Philly Bits and Scene in Philly you should check now and often.

Submit your Philly photo to City Paper’s photostream here.


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CP in the community: The future of news media in Philadelphia

CP founder/Loose Canon columnist Bruce Schimmel will take part in a panel discussion being thrown by Young Involved Philadelphia and Technically Philly with the goal of gleaning The Future of News Media in Philadelphia.

Schimmel’s panel mates will be:

The discussion will be moderated by WHYY’s Executive Director of News and Civic Dialogue Chris Satullo.

The discussion, scheduled or 6-7:30 p.m. at the WHYY Civic Space at 6th and Arch, will attempt to answer such questions as:

- What is the state of the current crisis in Philadelphia’s news industry?

- Where would you get your local news if the Inquirer and the Daily News ceased to exist?

- How has social media already begun to change the way we receive our “news�

Fittingly, you can RSVP for the event on Facebook.


October 28

World Series Predictatron/Phillies T-shirthoodie of the day: Beat NY

Hoodie | Birdland/The Fightins
Beat NY: What they can’t buy, we’re gonna take

Running a little behind on this, but tell us who’s gonna win the World Series and how:

Survey



CP on the Radio: E. James Beale talks Phillies on Radio Times

Yesterday our own contributing sports editor  E. James Beale sat down with Daily News sports editor Josh Barnett on Marty Moss-Coane’s Radio Times to talk about the World Series. Listen below.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.


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October 27

Shut up, Windmill

I enjoyed this ad by the League of Young Voters Education Fund because windmills are scary, what with their tallness, their sharp points and their robot looks.




Stars of the Photo Stream: Posing with Sarah

Photo | Anyablove

October 26

Phillies Meme Watch: Kurt Vile/Chooch Train

We wholeheartedly endorse any zeitgeist-riding/meme-fucking that involves turning Kurt Vile’s “Freak Train” into a paean to Carlos Ruiz. Extra credit for the Matador/Black Taco logo mashup.

(h/t Jon Solomon)


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CP on the Radio: Andrew Thompson on WHYY

CP contributor Andrew Thompson was featured in a WHYY piece by health and science reporter Kerry Grens about the travails of the uninsured.

Grens: Up to what limit are you willing to pay for insurance?

Thompson: I would say that $150 is the maximum I would pay.

That’s $150 a month. Few, if any, plans available to individuals are that cheap — especially for someone with pre-existing conditions.

Listen to Grens’ report.




Stars of the Photostream: WFCII

Photo | AWD44
Road to Another Championship

As of last week, Photostream will no longer appear as a regular print feature in City Paper. Stars of the Photostream, however, will become a regular feature on The Clog. To submit your city photo, visit citypaper.net/photostream.

Today’s photo comes from AWD44.


October 23

Bring It On: Who do you want the Phils to face in the World Series?

Survey

Last night’s game 5 between the Angels and the Yankees was a thriller, a back-and-forth affair reminiscent of game 4 of the NLDS between Philadelphia and Colorado.

It also popped a big ugly hole in the mystique that the American League teams are somehow inherently better than their National League counterparts. This was a game riddled with sloppy play, bizarre managerial decisions and bullpens as shaky and flaky as, well, as the Phils’ was most of the year.

How afraid are you of a manager who’ll pull his ace starter in the 7th to let Darren F. Oliver (Darren Oliver!) face Mark Teixeira?

How afraid are you of a manager who’ll pull his most dangerous hitter — and one who’s actually pretty fast — for a pinch runner in the top of the ninth while trailing by a run and when his run would only tie the game?

How afraid are you of Brian Fuentes? Of Phil Hughes? Of C.C. Sabathia for that matter?





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