On the anniversary of 9/11, the Inquirer considers the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville (John McCain will speak there today), and takes a look at how schools in the area observe the date. Pennsylvania's smoking ban goes into effect today. A 74-year-old grandmother of six was struck by a SEPTA bus Monday at Broad and Oregon. She died yesterday of her injuries. Only hours before her death, a man in a wheelchair was struck......

Image courtesy of the British Library. Londonist explored the hidden basement levels of the British Library.Phillyist wondered whether AT&T was treating them just like everyone else.Bostonist got all worked up about grammar. A local man, member of the Typo Eradication Advancement League and apparent troublemaker, was busted (or is it got busted?) fixing/besmirching an historic sign at the Grand Canyon.Seattlest talked with icanhascheeseburger.com head honcho Ben Huh about the existence of dirty LOLcats and......

A lawsuit by the Philadelphia firm of Cozen O'Connor blaming the government of Saudi Arabia for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks is probably dead in the water now after a federal appeals court ruled yesterday that Saudi Arabia could not be sued for acts of terrorism. A 1-year-old child was slashed in the neck yesterday afternoon at a North Philadelphia home. The suspect is believed to be the child's father, but police are withholding the......

While Editor Jill has been out covering PLAF events and neglecting her regular posts, we've found that some of you have really missed "Monday Manners." With one PLAF diary left for Jill to write, it looked like Phillyist would once again be mannerless this week, until good ol' Bill Hayes stepped in and asked if he could write a post about something Jill's not qualified to cover anyhow. Please enjoy this column – Jill will......

For our parents, it was the assassination of JFK. Ask any of them and they can remember exactly what they were doing at the time they found out JFK had been killed. I never understood that until September 11, 2001. Our generation can remember it like it was yesterday. For us, that moment, frozen in time, is and will always be 9/11. Back then I was in community journalism at a small paper in Bristol,......

Every Tuesday and Thursday, we'll be posting events that are going on sale during the current week. This Tuesday post only collects the early announcements, so definitely check back on Thursday for the latest ticket news. COMEDY Comedy Stop Tropicana Casino, Atlantic City Sat, 9/1/07 - Sun, 9/30/07, many dates and times $30 On sale: Today, 10AM, Ticketmaster Jim Gaffigan Tower Theatre, Upper Darby Sat, 9/29/07, 10PM $39.75 On sale: Wed, 9AM, Ticketmaster Lorna Luft......

Every Tuesday and Thursday, we'll be posting events that are going on sale during the current week. This Thursday post only collects the latest announcements, so definitely check the Tuesday post for any you may have missed. Camp Lo w/Hezekiah The Troc Thu, 8/30/07, 8PM $20 On sale: Today, 12PM, Ticketmaster Heaven and Hell w/Alice Cooper and Queensryche Sovereign Center, Reading Tue, 9/11/07, 6:30PM $39.50-$59.50 Pre-sale: Today, 10AM - 10PM, Ticketmaster On sale: Fri, 12PM,......

Every Tuesday and Thursday, we'll be posting events that are going on sale during the current week. This Tuesday post only collects the early announcements, so definitely check back on Thursday for the latest ticket news. Pnuma Trio and Grimace Federation Chameleon Club, Lancaster Tue, 7/31/07, 8PM $8 On sale: Today, 10AM, Ticketmaster The Used w/Army of Me and Bled House of Blues Atlantic City Tue, 9/11/07, 8PM $23 On sale: Wed, 10AM, Live Nation......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend (and next week). Opening Today Sicko - In the long-awaited follow-up to Fahrenheit 9/11, controversial filmmaker Michael Moore takes on the American healthcare system. Moore is infuriating to some and a champion to others, but his films, even if they are not always entirely factually accurate, do tend, at the very least, to move their audiences to strong emotions. We expect this one will be alternately......

Philadelphia mail carriers took part in an all-day drill yesterday wherein they were timed while delivering empty cardboard boxes to 52,000 homes in three neighborhoods, simulating the delivery of packages of medicine that would take place in the event of an attack involving biological or chemical agents. Rachel Marie Brooks, a U Penn graduate from Broomall, became 2007's Miss Pennsylvania Saturday night, which means she'll represent our fair state in the Miss America competition......

The city's eighth annual "Report Card on the Well-Being of Children and Youth in Philadelphia" has been released, and the news is not good. The city got its worst rating - 5 for "problematic" and "very troubling" - in the category of child safety. D'oh. The city will be spending $1.3 million dollars to fix a mistake made years ago that violates the contract with the firefighters union. The contract states, reasonably enough, that......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. Hooters Dream Girl Challenge (Tue, 8PM-10PM, myTV [WPHL17]) - Watch as sixteen waitresses from everyone's favorite radical feminist restaurant compete for the endless honor of the title of Hooters Dream Girl, and a cover shot on Hooters magazine. The competition takes place on Captiva Island, Florida. Independent Lens (Tue, 10:30PM-11:30PM, PBS [WLVT]) - This week's episode features the documentary film The Cats of Mirikitani, which one Phillyist......

PhillyGayCalendar and TLBTB present Gay Prom 2007 this Saturday. The theme this year is "Under The Sea," and it will take place at PURE nightclub. They're promising a great time; the description says, "Think your high school prom...only bigger, sexier, and this time, you don't have to sneak the booze in!" Pink drinks are $2, as are the Coors Lights, and there are $1 shots from 9-11 pm. Cheap booze is totally the way......

Today is the anniversary of an awful event in recent American history (and the mainstream media is determined not to let us forget it). If you, unlike Phillyist, are not overwhelmed by what we are increasingly hearing referred to as "9/11 porn," you may be interested to know that there is a free screening of the film "Saint of 9/11" tonight at 7:30 PM at Penn's Landing. Phillyist thinks it's important that we remember......

Our weekly look into the odd, strange and bizarre at one .org. Shouldn’t you always touch up right after, just in case? Well, good for you. Now go f*** yourself. Jeepers! It’s the fuzz! They’ve been reading my column! A Philadelphia Parking Authority oh, SNAP! of the week. But, really, there are much better reasons to move to Jersey. Topic of the week: The ABC docudrama about 9/11. Discuss. Sex in public! Sex in......

The School of the Future is opening today! The school, which has been aided by Microsoft, is in Parkside near the Zoo, and is supposed to have lots of cool features, like a laptop for every student instead of textbooks or notebooks (they hope it "will become the nation's first urban public school to be paperless"), an environmentally friendly building, a flexible class schedule that starts later in the day, and lots of help......

A steaming hot pile of our favorite things from around the internets. You've all seen remixed movie trailers and know how funny they can be, but maybe now you're getting a little tired of them, and you want to say to us, "Phillyist! For God's sake, don't link us to another remixed movie trailer!" But we must, we must! Because this one made us laugh so hard we cried, and we just know you'll like......

Seattlest saw a house party get senselessly attacked with a shotgun and end in seven dead. A local senator is debated and their version of the big dig is investigated. To truly get to the bottom of it they interview the writer Jonathan Raban. Bostonist has its first birthday party and investigates how to attach more gambling dollars to the Red Sox. Benjamin Franklin is celebrated and Johnny Damon is not. Image by Ethan Bagley......

The answer, of course, is applause. This week's quote comes from the musical Applause, a musical adaptation of All About Eve. In this scene, a group of gypsies relate how difficult their lives are, but say the payoff is in the applause. We're sure the actors in the productions below would agree. Now, on with the listings! The Boys - One more world premiere for Philadelphia theatre – this one a family drama. January 28-February......

We’ve had Into the Woods stuck in our heads all week. The featured quote is from the gluttonous Little Red Riding Hood. Now, on with the listings! Psychopathia Sexualis - Fetishes and analysts and egos, oh my! At the Allens Lane Art Center, January 20-February 4. Reservations can be made online. American Sublime - Things in America aren’t always as they seem. Especially in families affected by 9/11. January 20-February 19. For more information, call......

by Sarah M. GranlundWhen Ed Bacon planned Independence Mall, it was lauded as visionary. It was to be a green, open space in the middle of the city's historic district, providing an area for public gathering and a place to view the historic buildings of the area. But, as with many of Bacon's visions, Independence Mall did not stand the test of time as well as it could have. Soon after it was built,......

by Vin Varstin Don't let the end of summer getcha down. Here's a quick overview of some of the best shows comin' at you in the next 24 days. Follow the links for details and on-line ticketing. 9/9 - Idlewild will be back at the TLA pimpin' their third album, Warnings/Promises, which sees a US release three days earlier. While they've edged away from their harsher punk revival inclinations over the years, their latest effort......

“This is Shakespeare, not the Sopranos.” So says Diana (Glenn Close), at the beginning of Heights, critiquing a pair of Macbeth-modernizing acting students for replacing the traditional dagger with a revolver. The Scottish Play provides a leitmotif for the film, filled as it is with secret plots and pacts entered into by New Yorkers seeking power, opportunity, or pleasure. And while the story that follows features neither stabbing nor shooting, it is amply stocked with......

We spread ourselves across the Ben Franklin Parkway on Saturday, all for you. Well, we kind of wanted to be there, but we also wanted to give you the scoop on what we saw at and what we thought of Philly's big cultural event. Live 8 went off without a hitch, seemingly, but it wasn't perfect. We give you the good, the bad, and the SEPTA. Below are 8 key questions on Live 8 with......