Philadelphia
With Philadelphia on the brink of its second major winter storm in a week – and third of the season – I was reminded of this photo I made there after the Blizzard of 1996 – still the city’s all-time greatest [...]
Last week after Senator Shelby, Republican of Alabama, shocked the sensibilities of the nation by placing a hold on some 70 executive nominations, Paul Krugman penned a short note comparing our dysfunctional Senate to Polish-Lithuanian Sejm.
Here's Krugman's brief historical overview:
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Polish legislature, the [...]Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama released holds on most of the Obama administration nominees he has been blocking, the Washington Post reports, citing a statement from Shelby's office:
"The purpose of placing numerous holds was to get the White House's attention on two issues that are critical to our national" [...]beta testing live? Yea, its still somewhat in progress of working out all of the features, at the same time that we get bugs squashed. But, its been 5 weeks from the date of the launch, and things have moved in the right direction. We are working on some of [...]
This Sunday, February 14th, several couples will say “I do” in Reading Terminal Market’s Center Court. A Valentine’s Day tradition since 2002, each year the market selects a handful of couples to be [...]
Suite at the Sofitel Philadelphia Hotel
Right now, the Sofitel Philadelphia Hotel is running an auction on eBay for a special ‘Love is Priceless’ Valentine’s Day Hotel Package, valued at $4000.
The winner will receive a VIP welcome, in room Valentine’s Day dinner with [...]
We have a snow day here in Philadelphia, so I’m home from work, as I no doubt will be by Wednesday as well if the prediction of Blizzard: the Return is accurate. By any standard, two feet and change in a single storm is a pile, and with an extra [...]
The Huffington Post has the story.
As a top ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and a member of Congress since 1974, Murtha was a powerful player. His past was often marked by scandal but he certainly knoew how to get things done for [...]
Photo by K. Ciappa for GPTMC
With Winter Olympics quickly approaching, the Franklin Institute is getting into the spirit of things, and hosting their own competition… the 2010 Brain Olympics.
During the Brain Olympics, visitors will learn about the Rubik’s Cube, play [...]
Though I know it, I'm always a bit surprised when I'm reminded how young the DC Metro system is.Dr. Crazy has a post in response to Tenured Radical’s post about class size and its effect on one’s ability to teach, and, more importantly, students’ ability to learn. I have a couple of responses to both posts, and some to the comments. I’ll try to make them [...]
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is hosting a special event this Thursday, entitled Cougars, Playas, and Baby Mama Drama in the Ancient World. You heard me.
Hosted by the Young Friends of the [...]
In case you didn't know it, the foreclosure crisis isn't even close to being over.
Smith's Playplace in the Park, Photo courtesy Smith's
This weekend, the Philadelphia Zoo is stopping by Smith’s Playplace in the Park for a mini Valentine’s Day celebration.
On Saturday, February 13th, from 1am to 1pm, the Philadelphia Zoo’s ‘Zoo on Wheels’ program is setting up a [...]
Creating dinosaur art @ Paleopalooza, Photo courtesy the Academy of Natural Sciences
Paleopalooza is back at the Academy of Natural Sciences this weekend, bringing a weekend full of drawing lessons, rare fossils, prominent lecturers, and trilobite races with it.
More than 60 percent of Iowans think gay marriage "does not deserve the Legislature's limited time" this session, according to the latest poll conducted by Selzer and Associates for the Des Moines Register.
The poll surveyed 805 Iowa adults from January 31 to Feburary 3, with a margin of [...]
From Patrick Kerkstra at the Philadelphia Inquirer:
This is a fairly common thing. Conservatives often misconstrue (or misrepresent, the stupid or lying debate never goes away) derision with outrage.
Elizabeth Pitcairn, Photo courtesy the Kimmel Center
On Valentine’s Day, the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra kicks off a three-part concert series at the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall.
The group will perform Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche, Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7, and Bruch’s [...]
Last week I told The Man that I might officially subscribe to my first conspiracy theory. 
2 hour delays are lame. Viv is going to go into kindergarten, take off her jacket and then put it on and get in line to go home.
If Murdered… – thanks Mel/Jenny Axe Cop – thanks Mel/Jenny xkcd – Trimester Every Violent Act in [...]
...while she's on the news saying that Sarah Palin needs to brush up and not get her facts wrong. 
Patti Sapone/The Star Ledger Governor Chris Christie speaks during a press conference during his first day of work in Trenton
From Claire Heininger at the Newark Star-Ledger:
Gov. Chris Christie and lawmakers of both parties will unveil a series of sweeping pension and benefit reforms Monday [...]
President Obama has proposed holding a bipartisan summit on February 25th at the White House in the hopes of restarting the now seemingly sidetracked health care reform packages. The event would be televised presumably on C-Span but perhaps as well by the cable news networks.
I caught one of the commercials flipping channels. All I could think was, wtf? Fortunately, we have Echidne.
[...] Laura Chinchilla of the ruling Partido de Liberación Nacional, traditionally a social-democratic party but one that has adopted a neo-liberal economic programme, won a decisive first round victory winning 46.8 percent of the vote in a four-way race. Her margin of victory was wider than expected. A former Vice President, [...]
1) Name the 14th state admitted to the Union. Vermont was admitted to the Union on March 4, 1791 becoming the 14th state.
2) How many men have served as President? While President Obama is the 44th President, he is only the 43rd man to hold the office since [...]
We are approaching the two-week anniversary of the worst Supreme Court ruling since the Dred Scott decision in 1857. I speak, of course, of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in which the court's nihilist justices gave carte blanche to corporations to buy politicians out in [...] 
Ann Althouse is pretending we haven't seen her stupid movies before.
The results of tonight's sporting competition confirm and validate all of my opinions about the electorate.
[...] 
That's a good thing, because our educators seem to be getting [...]
But the Dick Whisperer loves him 
enjoy
[...] 
10-18 more inches of snow on the way.
enjoy
About time!
But CNN has the 
watching the super bowl and working on 95
[...] 
