Would many LGBT folks actually support McCain in the first place? Not that we don't love an Obama presence at OutFest. Shame he won't be there himself, but if you have $2,300… A sad reminder that burying cops is getting to be mundane around these parts. The stealth economy of South Philly = ticket scalping. At least there are ways of working with them. We’re not too fond of Christine Flowers, and Isaiah Thompson's comparison......

Local HIV activist William Brawner makes good on some poor choices and helps HIV-positive teens. A recap of GreenFest Philly detailing local businesses helping you be eco-friendly. Keep your eyes peeled in four years: a local teen hopes to box his way to gold. So much for moving beyond race and all that: A mixed-race couple gets a face full of hate crime at Triangle Tavern in SoPhil. If the worst happens in November,......

Looking back on a week's worth of local Craigslist hijinks... With this weather lately, it kind of feels like fall—and when we think of fall, we think of Halloween. Apparently, so does this guy, who's ready to trade in fun summer lovin' for some blood-curdling connections. Perhaps it's naivete, but we can't figure out if this person really wants to film you getting pied in the face, or if it's a euphemism for something else.......

As if we weren’t already anticipating the hell out of Live Arts/Fringe, this piece on Kate Watson-Wallace and her work Car has got us buckling up. If you’re still making up your schedule, they have some suggestions. An ancient Mexican snack makes its way to South Philly, and helps out indigenous farmers. “Is the world ready for composted human feces?” We’re going to say “No,” but then we’re not anarchists. We’ve got hips and tits,......

Three Philadelphia Tour Guides are up-in-arms due to a City Council bill that says all guides must be certified by obtaining a license. The license is given after the guides pass an exam that tests their knowledge of Philadelphia history. They feel this is in violation of their rights and have filed a lawsuit against the city. Phillyist has obtained a copy of the guides' original complaint to City Council President Anna C. Verna: Dear......

Yesterday, a South Philly cop was shot in the arm while pursuing a suspect in the murder of a young teacher. He kept chase, and caught the shooter despite his injuries. "I was just determined I was going to run him down," he told NBC10. The Phillies lost for the sixth time in a row, making this their longest losing streak since 2006. C'mon team. We can beat that record! Toilet pipe thefts are up......

A steaming hot pile of our favorite things from around the internets. We usually try to avoid plugging our -ist brethren here, because it makes us feel dirty, but we really enjoyed this survey of how much various items cost per gallon from Chicagoist, and Gothamist's article about the crazy Telectroscope thing supposedly connecting London to New York. Flickr user tommitude spent two days in April 2006 walking the length of Philadelphia snapping a picture......

Perhaps we're a little biased, given our close proximity to the Italian Market and our obsession with delicious things like cheese, sausage, pasta, and cannoli. Still, we think this is pretty much the best weekend of the entire year. There's food, beer and wine as far as the eye can see, plus music, games, crafts, a kitschy-yet-serious parade of saints and plenty of great people watching. 9th Street will be closed from Fitzwater to......

Phillyist VIP: Matt Nelson...

Beginnings “Let me first say that it was not my intention to be a Pain in the Ass. I was far too lazy, arrogant and insecure to think I could ever be one. Apparently I was halfway there. “I had friends who never wanted anything more than to be Pains in the Asses. Their fathers were Pains in the Asses, and their grandfathers before them. My friend Lou learned how to be one from......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: London Calling: Free dance party featuring Brit Rock from the '60s to today spun by DJs Jared Styles and Jim McGuinn at World Café Live (3025 Walnut), 6PM. Free (pre-registration required) Exit A: Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead, reads from his latest book Exit A at the Penn Bookstore (3601 Walnut), 7PM. Free Deep Breath: Introduction to Buddhist meditation presented by the Menlha Buddhist Center at the Ethical......

Looking back on a week's worth of local Craigslist hijinks. Someone please take this guy's shit and give him a car. He must really need one to be offering up his nerdhood like that. A South Philly man was (and still is!) taking bids on his nerdhood... err, uh, sweet Death Star Painting. ...While another, ahem, "man" (who will NEVER be confused with Cat Stevens), begins the hunt for a "sexy time specialist" Sexy time......

If you haven’t noticed, the Philadelphia sports climate is pretty bleak these days. The Sixers suck. The Eagles are golfing. The Flyers are irrelevant. And the Phillies are currently nickel-and-diming perhaps the greatest slugger in a generation, hoping that an arbitrator will make him play for a relative pittance. So there is pretty much no reason to go to an arena or stadium near you to watch our local pituitary cases compete in the......

...so go make one happen. Want to speak out about the violence in your neighborhood? Have concerns about drug sales conducted in broad daylight? What else is on your mind? Take it out of your mind and put it in the lap of (in all likelihood) future Mayor Michael Nutter. Tonight there's a town hall meeting in South Philadelphia where you can bend the good man's ear. Have at it. Nothing changes if you don't......

An update on the Chester High School shooting: the victim was scheduled to be released yesterday from the hospital; the bullet went in and out of his leg and he didn't need surgery. Meanwhile, the suspect surrendered to detectives on Wednesday and was charged as an adult with attempted homicide and aggravated assault. The new principal of the school is trying to deal with the fallout, and change the perception of his school. Meanwhile, the......

Once again, nothing new this week, as theatre companies and performers around the city prepare for the Live Arts and Fringe Festivals. Check back here next week for our preview. Meanwhile, to make up for the short listings, here's a longer quote, from 1930s and '40s star of stage and screen Nelson Eddy (the handsome devil you see here): I know, I know the world wants love. I know that the fans want love on......

A Philadelphia police officer shot in 1966 while trying to stop a burglary finally died on Sunday from complications of his injuries, and his death has therefore been ruled a murder. Police are now considering whether to charge the shooter (already sentenced to 10 to 20 years for attempted murder) with the crime. Pacifico Ford in Philadelphia and Springfield Ford in Delco have made an agreement with the government to reimburse African African customers who......

As with last year, Phillyist will be giving separate coverage to Philadelphia Live Arts and Philly Fringe shows, so our listings through the end of the month may look a little sparse. No fear – there’s still plenty of live entertainment around the city. Now, on with the listings! Nunsense - It’s not nonsense. Through September 30. For more information, call 302.475.2313. Wicked - We hear it’s quite “popular.” Through September 9. Tickets online. It......

Things are slowing down right now, in the weeks before the Philadelphia Live Arts and Philly Fringe Festivals. But that doesn't mean that all of the theatres in Philadelphia are dark. Now, on with the listings! Those Were the Days - We think we can safely say: they don’t write ’em like that anymore! Through August 12. Tickets online. Nunsense - It’s not nonsense. Through September 30. For more information, call 302.475.2313. Wicked - We......

This week’s quote comes from a song that actually has nothing to do with theatre, even though it’s been popularized in cabaret clubs and piano bars since Mary Hopkin made it a hit in the 1960s. It’s called “Those Were the Days,” and we’ve had it stuck in our head since we saw the title of the first show listed below. The chorus goes in full: Those were the days, my friend We thought they'd......

This week, we're echoing Juliet's famous line, in honor of the new free production of Romeo and Juliet opening next week. Now, on with the listings! Nunsense - It’s not nonsense. July 27-September 30. For more information, call 302.475.2313. Romeo and Juliet - Impress your date! Show her you’re romantic! Take her to see that play she remembers weeping over in high school! August 1-5. Tickets are free. Wicked - We hear it’s quite “popular.”......

Turns out we've been a bad blog. Thanks to Phillyist Sarah, and the Inquirer, we've found some local news stories that we were supposed to be writing about but haven't. One is the story of Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan getting sued by Chops because, they say, he gave a bad review to their strip steak when he didn't even eat it. However, the receipt from the meal, which he cleverly kept, seems to......

Paul Vallas, former chief executive of the Philadelphia School District, is lucky. His contract states that he has to get his final $180,000 paycheck within 30 days, so he will. But a backlog in the auditing process that determines how much each person is owed means that other former employees of the school district will have to wait months for their money. Yet more information is coming out about that shooting in South Philly (a......

Late last night Governor Rendell made a deal with top lawmakers that ended the budget standoff and the partial shutdown of state government. The Daily News has a run-down of some of the crime that occurred in the city this past weekend, and it includes a story about a potential burglar getting his head caught in a trapdoor and suffocating to death while trying to rob a bar. In other crime news, a man......

We're kind of tired of the whole Mayor Street/iPhone debacle at this point, but the Daily News column Clout did have something vaguely interesting to add: a poll of the top ten local political figures (other than Street) asking if they have or are interested in having an iPhone. The answers were "no" and "no" for everybody. As Clout puts it, "Maybe our mayor is just way ahead of the curve." Neighbors of the Barnes......

Apparently they're even shooting newspaper deliverymen these days. A driver for the Inquirer and Daily News was shot and robbed early this morning. Thankfully, the attack only wounded the man in the neck, and he has already been treated and released from the hospital. His attackers took his wallet, which contained only $15. Leonore Annenberg will receive the 86th Philadelphia Award tonight, the city's highest civic honor. The award is given to "a citizen......

Today and tomorrow, South Philly is celebrating the 9th Annual Sorrento Cheese Italian Market Festival. If you’ve never been to the Italian Market (do you even LIVE in this city?!?), or even it’s just been awhile, this weekend is a great opportunity to go down and get your cuisine on. The festival is a giant block party from 9th and Federal north to 9th and Fitzwater and the fantastic food is a given: olives stuffed......

Here's a very horrifying and surreal story for you: Tuesday night a 10-year-old boy was playing outside near his home on Lindley Avenue near 5th Street in Olney when a 25-year-old man walked up, grabbed the boy, and sliced his throat with a knife. The man was held by the family until police arrived, but he offered no resistance and didn't try to get away. Why he did it is still a mystery. The......

National Park, NJ (Population 3223), is a small borough on the Delaware River with a deceptive name. It's a normal town in Gloucester County, completely enclosed by West Deptford Township and the river, that has no affiliation with the National Park Service. Before National Park was formally incorporated in 1902, its land was the site of Fort Mercer. Along with Fort Mifflin, directly across the river in South Philly, Fort Mercer was created to protect......