Wingette Leslie McKenna... [continue]

Landon Donovan continued to put ’06 in the past with a stellar performance against Mexico last night. He capped off USA’s victory with a blistering charge through midfield, in which he shed two defenders before deftly turning to the left to avoid keeper Oswaldo Sanchez and slamming the ball home to make it 2-0 at the 90 minute mark. In his last two games he has 3 goals after going 18 international appearances without a... [continue]

Spoken word is usually not for us. Quality artists are few and far between, with most seeming to be about performing, rather than the words themselves. The artists add weight to dull selections through tone and inflection, but left alone on the page, their words become tepid. Thankfully then, the Kelly Writers House is welcoming one of the premiere spoken word artists tonight, someone whose work is equally admired live as upon the page. A... [continue]

The Second Coming wasn’t supposed to be like this. On his return to Philadelphia, the Flyers seemed set to dominate the league. Prior to the NHL returning from the 2004-2005 season, Bob Clarke assembled what had appeared to be a sure Cup contender. Former 30-plus goal scorer Mike Knuble was added along with versatile forward Turner Stevenson. The signing of massive and proven defensemen Mike Rathje and Derian Hatcher was announced on the same day... [continue]

When one door closes, a window opens... Saturday. Rounding the corner at 10th and Race, the ground was littered with tiny strips of shredded red cardboard, remnants of a clamor that had popped off while I slept. A store opening is a beautiful thing in Chinatown. Drums are pounded in rhythmic fashion and dancers bring a dragon to life, amidst the ecstatic crackling of raucous fireworks. Regretting that I had missed the dramatic proceedings,... [continue]

It usually takes a lot to bother me. Complaining is something that I always felt was left for other people. And when you’re complaining about SEPTA, the unquestioned juggernaut of Philadelphia transportation, it’s pretty damn pointless. But, returning late from lunch yesterday, something positive happened. Usually when running for a bus about to pull away from a stop, the driver will look at you and keep going as if you weren’t even there. But yesterday,... [continue]

Besides offering a concise and appropriate representation of the times, some quotes are so incisive that they make a step back from the clarity of the moment nearly impossible. “The Iranian government should remember what is happening in China. Nearly 30 thousand people are currently employed to control Chinese weblogs."      - Iranian blogger's response to new laws requiring websites and blogs to be registered with the government When the people in Tehran think you're worse... [continue]

Every so often I might wander over to CNN. But just to glance the top headlines. To catch up if I've been out of touch - I don't own a TV. Mostly though, even that duty has been relegated to MSN and even, the BBC. Besides CNN.com's systematic dumbing down in the last year - continued reporting on all things inane, ranging from Suri Cruise to Lindsay Lohan, as well as the introduction of Cliff's... [continue]

The National Team In a very meaningless game that we somehow ended up watching in its entirety, team USA erased a 1-0 deficit with 3 goals to start their post-World Cup campaign off right. That’s right, post-World Cup, as in it has taken them that long to finally play a game. Denmark scored first on an excellent header from Dennis Sorenson. Landon Donovan equalized from the spot after jersey-tugging/body-checking type fouls were sustained by... [continue]

Finally, more than six months since the last World Cup, team USA is going to return to the pitch Saturday against Denmark. While squads all over the world have been active in international play numerous times in recent months, we have remained dormant, oblivious to the mistakes of the past. European football came back to life not too long after the World Cup finale with the start of European Qualifying in August. Adding to that... [continue]

A computer science grad from Stanford and a Cisco Systems employee for two years, Vienna Teng left the programming world behind to pursue her true love. Trained at the piano since the age of five, Ms. Teng adds an overwhelmingly lovely voice to her playing, which is both beautiful and ethereal. Her influences range from classical to James Taylor to Elton John and Tori Amos. While it is easy to hear shades of Amos or... [continue]

Given the low cure rate for many cancers and the fact that cancer will affect one in three people in their lifetimes, Lance Armstrong is looking to create a massive lobbying group for and by the people to ensure the improvement of cancer care, treatment, and research, while ensuring that such programs receive the requisite funding. As we are still behind in diagnosing, preventing, and treating this pervasive disease, it needs to be placed higher... [continue]

Though MLS hopes to create a revolution in American sports with the signing of David Beckham to the L.A. Galaxy, it's more likely the move will have much more modest results. Über-celebrity that he is, one has to keep in mind that Beckham’s best playing days are behind him. As of today, it seems doubtful he’ll see any playing time with Real Madrid’s first team during the remaining 6 months of his contract with the... [continue]

There are several questions that will rattle around in our heads for a while, tormenting us while seeing highlights of the remainder of the playoffs, particularly while at whatever dispirited Super Bowl party we attend, telling ourselves it's about being with friends instead of "the game." The 2.5 million dollar commercials will be funny at times, there’ll be lots of beer, some disgusting nacho dip that defies ocular sense by tasting good, and maybe it’ll... [continue]

Game Time: Saturday, January 13th at 8pm The Saints will have Hollis Thomas back after a 4 game suspension. WR Joe Horn is questionable for game day. Horn burnt the Eagles for 6 catches, 110yds, and 2 TDs (14,48yds) in their 27-24 Week 6 win. The groin injury that kept him out the last four games restricted his time on the practice field this past week. Even if he plays you can’t expect him... [continue]

Surprisingly, its not the usual bouquet of aged urine, fecal matter, and assorted garbage left to ferment. The Subway actually smells nice. In the last week and a half, I've seen crews at work at 30th, 11th, and 8th street stations actually mopping. Other times I've come across a slowly drying non-urine film accompanied by yellow signs telling me "Caution Wet Floor" and something or other in Spanish. Yes, they were mopping the subway.... [continue]

The Eagles have come a long way. After being left for dead in late November - they lost McNabb in a 31-13 loss to the Titans, which was followed by a 45-21 loss to the Colts - they reeled off five straight wins with a quarterback that all the NFL considered a washout after showing some ability in San Francisco. The super undead Eagles - coach Reid himself, as well as several players, was... [continue]

What better place to be lulled into an ethereal state than the World Cafe Live. The downstairs theater, with its plush feel, red tinged ambient lighting, and stylish back bar easily add to the transitory experience of attending a good concert. With his performance of This Binary Universe, BT took things much further, as sight and sound were blended together for a lush emotive romp through both human experience and possibility. The album's inspiration... [continue]

Though I expected the Eagles to win, all the imbibed Sam Adams Winter Brews, along with the frenzied conversation shared with my relatives, made the game play out like a dream, as they ran away with the game in the second half. Literally. The Eagles 204 yds rushing was three more than the Cowboys total offensive output. They ended the day with 426 yds of total offensive. But what was most impressive was how they... [continue]

Merry Christmas to All, and to all a good night of watching the Eagles kill the Cowboys. This stretch - three division games in a row ON THE ROAD - was the part of the season where I figured we would run into trouble. But given the team dropped close games earlier on in the season as well as games they should have won, they realized they had to take control of their own... [continue]