When the United States finally gained its freedom from King George III, the Founding Fathers went down to the historic City Tavern and got wasted on Thomas Jefferson’s special ale and Ben Franklin’s “Poor Richard’s Shooters." OK, not really, but freedom from tyranny is a damn good reason to celebrate with a drink. That is why Cube Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar is offering complimentary "Cuba Libre" cocktails from Sunday, February 24 to Thursday, February......

City Council members will review minority-inclusion plans today, which they demanded in December from the Building Trade unions. If they don't approve those plans today, it could jeopardize the financial viability of the whole Convention Center expansion project. Britt Reid is scheduled to be released from jail today. Next he'll be entering a drug court treatment program. The state House of Representatives could vote as early as today on legislation that would require all records......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. State of the Union Address (Mon, 9PM-10:30PM, All network stations, among others) - W gives us the traditional load of bullshit in front of a joint session of Congress. Kansas governor Kathleen Sibelius will give the Democratic response. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Mon, 10PM-10:30PM, Food Network) - This time they're taking a tour of New Jersey diners, including restaurants in Long Beach Island, Hackensack, Lake Hopatcong, Livingston,......

Just a reminder to all those folks who aren’t lucky enough to have an enlightened workplace: Monday is MLK Day, and local transit is adjusting their schedules a bit. PATCO will be running trains every 10-12 minutes during the day (6AM-7PM), which is only a real change for the rush hour (usually it’s 4-5 minutes, at least in theory). SEPTA has listings for various bus routes that will be affected; the El and the Subway......

The grandnephew of former Mayor W. Wilson Goode - a 24-year-old named Timothy J. Goode - was shot and killed late Friday by police during what they're describing as a drug bust. Police say Goode pulled a gun on them, and that the weapon has been recovered, but Goode's mother says that's not true and that her son was shot twice in the back. The tapes from surveillance cameras at the scene may be......

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. Fiction Plane Chameleon Club, Lancaster Mon, 12/10/07, 6PM $8 On sale: Today, 10AM, Ticketmaster Howard Jones Dennis Flyer Memorial Theatre, Blackwood, NJ Fri, 1/18/08, 8PM $25 On sale: Today, 10AM, Ticketmaster August Burns Red Chameleon Club, Lancaster Fri, 12/28/07,......

Ah, Turkey Day. The official kick-off of six weeks of too much eating, too much drinking, and probably a little too much carousing. If you're like Phillyist, part of this weekend will be devoted to making sure all the Thanksgiving fixings are squared away in the pantry (or else, trying to find someone who will feed you that day). In the rush of the holidays, though, it's easy to forget those that can't stock up......

A tall, icy glass of our favorite internet junk, just for you. Turns out when making a bus ad graphic, you might want to consider where on your image certain parts of the bus will be sticking out... (Via Jason) Nintendo clarified some details about their upcoming WiiWare service, saying that there's not really a cap on the size of games developed for it, developers are just being encouraged to make smaller, more compact games.......

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. Valencia The Troc Thu, 12/27/07, 6PM $15 On sale: Today, 12PM, Ticketmaster Your Sweet Uncertainty The Troc Wed, 12/5/07, 6:30PM $10 On sale: Wed, 12PM, Ticketmaster Q102 Jingle Ball 2007 Tweeter Center at the Waterfront, Camden Sun, 12/16/07, 6PM......

"A former lawmaker has returned $79,000 he was paid to serve as litigator for House Republicans." But the state Ethics Commission still has to decide whether his contract violated Pennsylvania law, in which case he might have to pay fines equal to three times that amount. The 90-year-old woman who was beaten and robbed outside her Port Richmond home last month has now died from her injuries. The police are asking for help in......

75-year-old Maximo Jurado escaped from a New Jersey prison in 1979 and has been on the run ever since - until he was captured by police last night in Philadelphia at the home of an ex-girlfriend, who had known him for a over a year but had never discovered the truth about his past. The Daily News story we linked to the other day about the bloated Parking Authority pay roll has caused Ed Rendell......

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. The Moody Blues Poland Spring Arena at the Ritacco Center, Toms River, NJ Sat, 10/27/07, 8PM $35-$125 Pre-sale: Wed, 12PM - Thu, 10PM, Ticketmaster On sale: Fri, 10AM, Ticketmaster T.S.U. The Troc Fri, 10/5/07, 6:30PM $15 On sale: Thu,......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. Fat March (Mon, 9PM-10PM, ABC) - Here's a lovely show where they make fat people walk long distances, and force them to complete challenges of various sorts. This episode brings them to our area, as they leave Millstone, NJ bound for Philadelphia, to be reached via Lancaster County. Their "Amish challenge" will see them harvesting cabbages under a hot sun, and in another challenge they will have......

Remember to pack your bottled water and bug spray. Most of the concerts this week are outdoors. Thursday Pack a picnic dinner and hear the Lukens Band, Chester County's oldest continuous concert band featuring patriotic songs, show tunes, and marches. Myrick Conservation Center; 7:30 PM; FREE Friday The Byers Choice Family Concert Series presents an evening of Classical Music in its beautiful Byers' Choice gardens. Byers' Choice Gardens; 6:30 PM; FREE Saturday Want another garden......

We love when we get the opportunity to see a ton of bands in one shot. We love it even more when a couple of the bands are old favorites of ours and others are bands we've never heard of, because it gives us the chance to check out some new music, and if we don't like what we hear, we can always go back to the stuff we know and be completely satisfied.......

Tuesday Join the Bucks County Choral Society for their open Summer Sing of Orff's 'Carmina Burana.' Trinity Episcopal Church (6587 Upper York Rd., Solebury); 7:30 PM; $10 Wednesday The Holy Trinity's brown bag lunch series continues with the Father John D'Amico Jazz Trio. Holy Trinity Rittenhouse Square; 12:30 PM; FREE Friday The Haddonfield Players continue their run of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance. 957 E Atlantic Ave, Haddonfield, NJ; 8 PM; $18......

Those who routinely fly in and out of Philadelphia International may have noticed some recent changes in both the arrival and departure flight paths. An exhaustive list of documents on the motivations and effects of possible flight path changes, part of a redesign of the larger NY/NJ/PHL airspace, is given on the FAA website. Basically, the FAA is trying to reduce noise impacts on the region while improving arrival and departure capacity of the......

Wednesday The Holy Trinity Rittenhouse Square is going strong with their brown bag lunch concerts. This week features Tom Meany and Michael Simmons, Flute and Guitar duo. Holly Trinity (Rittenhouse Square); 12:30 PM; FREE Thursday The Philadelphia Orchestra recovers from their Free Neighborhood Concert series with an evening of Wagner, Beethoven, and Dvorak. Mann Center; 8 PM: $10-$50 Friday In case you need another dose of Gilbert and Sullivan silliness, the Haddonfield players give their......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Mon, 10PM-10:30PM, Food Network) - This week, amongst other restaurants, this show visits the Bay Way Diner in Linden, NJ and tries their Philly cheesesteaks. Saving Grace (Mon, 10PM-11PM, TNT) - TNT has a new cop drama, and this one stars Holly Hunter as a hard-living Oklahoma City detective who, in this first episode alone, gets involved in a deadly drunken-driving accident, becomes......

Sometimes kids can be so frustrating that parents might want to throw them to the sharks. Well, on July 29th and 30th they'll get the chance to do just that. In celebration of Shark Week, the Adventure Aquarium is hosting a unique event at its Delaware Waterfront location. Breakfast With the Sharks serves up a hot buffet breakfast from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM, followed by a scavenger hunt, a 'meet and greet' with aquarium......

Banner week for SFist as the site's new editor introduced himself -- hooray for Brock! While the NY Times weighed in on SF's mayoral race, only SFist had the (insert tongue firmly into cheek) hard-hitting latest on candidate/activist Josh Wolf. Coverage of a protest vs. gentrification spawned a fantastic debate amongst SFist's readers. Finally, from the sublime to the ridiculous: video of a man that confused a Board of Supes meeting with "open mic......

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. Aztek Trip and Hidden Soul Crocodile Rock, Allentown Thu, 8/16/07, 7PM $10 On sale: Wed, 10AM, Ticketmaster The Bouncing Souls w/Lifetime, Ergs, and Static Radio NJ Electric Factory Fri, 8/17/07, 8PM $18 ($20 day of show) On sale: Fri,......

When you go to New York or Princeton, are you tired of taking the R7 to Trenton? Do you find the schedule isn’t always convenient or the train gets so delayed you miss the New Jersey Transit train? If you don’t want to risk life and limb on a Chinatown bus, there is another option that is much cheaper and runs more frequently, but the downside is that you have to go to Camden.......

Oops - 21 students, a teacher, and two chaperones on a field trip from a NJ elementary school got left behind in Philly yesterday. Apparently their duck boat got back late, and the bus they were supposed to be on left on time when nobody noticed they were all missing. Uh... how do you not notice that you're missing 24 people?! A woman from Germantown had her home invaded and was robbed and raped......

Summer can be hard in the city, what with the smog and humidity and the cement oven beneath our feet. Phillyist plans to balance sticky subway air with some getting back to nature, and you can too. Greater Phildelphia Cares has a bunch of volunteer opportunities that will connect you with the soil. Which we hear is nice and cool once you dig down a few inches. GPC has recently moved their orientation online,......

Even though we kinda just bitched you out for not going to smaller venues and supporting smaller artists, we would love it if you joined us tonight over the bridge at Camden's large outdoor venue, The Tweeter Center. Yes, we're sure there will be a lot of emo and punk kids there but for whatever it's worth, it's going to be an experience and hopefully a fun one. The 2007 Honda Civic Tour features five......

Many things that had to wait while PA and NJ were in their impasse about dredging the Delaware can now move forward. One of those things is repainting the Ben Franklin Bridge. This holiday weekend, lots of folks were getting in as much fun as they could at the Jersey shore, despite the fact that, in Surf City at least, there was the possibility of blowing up. A beach replenishment project ended up digging up......

Good news for those of you planning on heading down the shore this summer: the beaches are in excellent shape. Our fair neighboring state of NJ is getting close to banning sex offenders from using the internet. Woah. We're not sure how to feel about that. John Carter (the one who used to run the Independence Seaport Museum, not the one who went to Mars) has been charged with stealing more than $1 million......

Negotiations are over, and the Delaware River will now indeed be dredged and the channel deepened, which means the Delaware River Port Authority board can finally meet again after 17 months (Rendell had refused to call a meeting of the board until the dispute was settled). Philadelphia corrections officer Christopher Davidson has been arrested after going on a crazy rampage on an ATV in East Germantown on Tuesday evening. He drove all over a......

Pretty much all the news today is about the six arrests made yesterday in an alleged plot to attack Fort Dix. ABCNEWS.com reveals to us that the terrorist attack was to involve Super Mario's pizza. No lie! The father of one of the attackers owns Super Mario's Restaurant near the base, which often makes deliveries there, and consequently has a map of the place "used by pizza delivery men to find their way around......