Marty June 21st, 2006
I know that it’s early in the season. I know that the Phillies are in the midst of tossing the season down the tubes. And I know that Albert Pujols is injured. But the more I see of Ryan Howard, the more that I like the guy - and think that he might be a major part of the Phillies for some time to come. Continue Reading »
Marty April 23rd, 2006
Amur Leopard
Panthera pardus orientalis
Shari and I went to the zoo today to see if we could add to the donated pictures we are giving to them.
This leopard was beautiful, taking in the attention without really paying too much mind to it. However, I was able to get his focus for just long enough here…
Marty February 15th, 2006
This is Dakota, one of the three new mountain lion cubs at the Philadelphia Zoo. Dakota is the only male, while there are two females, Cinnabar and Sage. All three were extremely cute playing in their enclosure today.
All three were orphaned when their mother was shot during a puma hunt in Montana. Luckily, someone found the cubs or they would have probably starved or become prey for other animals. They ended up here where they will become part of the Zoo’s new carnivore exhibit scheduled to open this summer.
Marty July 4th, 2005
First off, I have to say that I was highly impressed by how well Philly managed to pull off Live 8 on Saturday. The trains were all beautifully managed (well, at least the PATCO side - I heard grumbling about SEPTA), the helpers and city workers were all on the same page, and best of all, the people were all … well, particularly un-Philly like.
We had a caravan (19 people) heading in from Jersey, including 5 teenagers and 5 little kids, and were able to make it to the 2nd big screen with little effort. The trip itself was fun as we got to show off a little of the city - particularly to the kids - while admiring the spectacle around us ourselves. The sights were great to see - people smiling, a great vibe and and around the whole place, the activists, the inactivists, the young, the old, the parents, the practicing to be parents - it was all there to behold and left you with little to do but smile.
Although the shows themselves were a teensy bit disappointing (most of the acts were on for less than 15 minutes), it was still a great time. The Kaiser Chiefs started off very promising, putting on a heck of a set, followed by a very energetic and likeable Black-Eyed Peas. Then Bon Jovi came on to rev up his local crowd.
After that, the ’show’ started to lose momentum throught the sets of Destiny’s Child and Kayne West who were enjoyable if not exactly pumping up the crowd. However, Will Smith really got everyone into the vibe with his set and pulling at the emotions of his hometown crowd. From there it was a mixed bag - Dave Matthews Band was disappointing, as was Alicia Keys - although the disappointment with her was that she didn’t play longer. Toby Keith was in there, and I remember thinking that he wasn’t bad, if again, not entirely entralling. One of the best sets of the night was that of Linkin Park and Jay-Z. They were energetic, they were fun, they were loud and they probably had the most raw passion of any act there. Awesome - I really need to see them live sometime.
Def Leppard was a joke - they came on late, and to be frank could have missed their set entirely. Many of the later bands like Jars of Clay and Keith Urban were okay but not very memorable. Even Sarah McLachlan was somewhat underimpressive - though her duet with Josh Groban was pretty good. And I think that the last two acts - Maroon 5 and perenially excellent performer Stevie Wonder were both excellent but a bit too short.
In the end, I think that might have been one of the major short-comings of this show - there was no time for the crowd to start getting into the often too-short performances. I wasn’t a fan of some of the acts, but I could have been just as happy relaxing (read:napping) through a 30-45 minute set of Destiny’s Child as I was through a 15-minute set. I see no reason why they couldn’t have taken this show into the evening, and adding some of the other acts that were rumored to be coming (including Bob Dylan, Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones and most especially Bruce Springsteen. It would have also been nice to see some of the local acts like The Roots or even Love Seed Mama Jump play. Heck, what about a Hooters reunion 20 years later? Okay, maybe not.
Still, the music was only part of the spectacle, and the other part was the people and the environs. We had a good time in that respect - the people-watching was excellent, as my wife’s Flickrstream can attest. There were those out for the Live 8 theme, as well as those out for their own reasons (many of whom really need to take remedial English classes). The food was a bit steep, but not excessively so considering the stranglehold they really had over us - we brought our own drinks and still spent $60+ on food and drink while we were there (did I mention that it was hot).
But in the end, after 8+ hours on the grass along the Ben Franklin Parkway, we were all satisfied with the experience. My son and his friends were enjoying the sun and fun, if not as much the music (not their favorite bands, I guess). My mother-in-law and other newly-met relatives from my wife’s side seemed to be enjoying the Philly area that they were being exposed to. And my new cousins (actually my wife’s cousins, but who’s counting) were having a ball - and made their way into the paper.
Like I said, I had a good time. I can think of ways to make it better, but overall I have to say that the day was a huge success. Philly should be proud of the way that it came off in this thing.
Other opinions
A different view - Village Voice
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Marty June 26th, 2005
You know, there has been a distince lack of originality in entertainment in recent times. Bands are using other bands styles or doing straight covers, NBC raping great comedies from BBC, and most especially in movies, where nearly every movie out this year will be a sequel, a remake or a derivation of a TV Show or book.
When I heard about Live8 coming back to Philly, I was excited - and we are going to have a good line-up, as well. But it struck me today - this is just another example of lack of originality isn’t. After all, isn’t this Live Aid - the Sequel?
But I’ll still be there, nonetheless…
Marty January 5th, 2005
When I went to the Mummers Parade on New Year’s Day, I had the opportunity to get some other great shots as well. Now I’m not a fan of Mayor Street by any stretch of the imagination, but I think that the Philly mural program has to be called a great success. Numerous buildings have been greatly beautified by magnificent murals, some of them in less-than-wonderful areas. Here are some of the ones I saw on our walk through the city.
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Marty January 3rd, 2005
For New Years, I did something that I have only joked about in the past - I went to the Mummer’s Parade.
I wouldn’t have gone except for the fact that my brother-in-law, nieces and nephew were all involved with the B. Love comedy troop, so we had to go visit and see what this was all about. Well, I have to admit, it was a lot of fun.
As usual, we were a little late and they were already working their way up Broad St. when we got there. A few hasty photographs and then we had to rush to get to the judging area in front of them. Of course, the judging stand was crowded and I never really got to see them there, so I’m thankful for the pictures I got before then. The troop looked like they were all having a great time, and they eventually placed 2nd in the Comedy Group of the Comedy Division. Not too bad.
Hanging out with them after they were finished allowed my wife, son and mother-in-law to go see more of the parade as we went from bar to bar in the South Philly area. Fado’s, Copa Too! and of course Ray’s Tavern were all stops along the way, as was the parade route to see the string bands as we headed back to their staging area. The weather was gorgeous (Jan. 1 and 60+ degrees), and walking around the city was a lot of fun. I got some great Mummers shots as well as quite a few good shots of the city itself. I haven’t gotten them uploaded, but I’ll update this post when I do.
Here are the pictures of those Mummer folks:
to see more of B. Love, click here.
More more general Mummer’s pictures, visit my flickr set.
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Marty September 10th, 2004
Well, it finally happened. Howard Eskin’s big mouth finally is going to cost him - big time. As of yesterday, “The King of Bling” will not be heard on Philly’s 610 WIP sports talk radio until October 14th, after he lost a lawsuit for defamation of character. It seems that Howard took it upon himself to accuse Richard Sprague - Allen Iverson’s lawyer - of paying off witnesses and corrupting justice in AI’s wanton terrorizing of an apartment in the summer of 2002.It seems to me that the biggest problem here wasn’t Eskin’s comments - which are usually abrasive and inflammatory to begin with - but with this simple arrogance in the face of being wrong. His comments and questions about Sprague are borderline libel, but I’m sure that when confronted with the lawsuit, his usual haughty attitude and holier-than-thou tone offended not only Sprague and his attorneys, but most likely the judge, arbitor or jury as well.
Eskin is not a universally-loved man in this town, as feeling are either wholly positive or totally negative, and any jury in this town would have some pre-conceived impressions of the sports talk personality, known for belittling those who call into his show.Nor is Eskin a stranger to controversy. According to the Philly.com article (need a login now - sorry!), Eskin has been sued in the past for his comments and suspended other times for run-ins with other employees. Rumor is that Mike Missinelli - one of WIP’s stronger hosts - left because he couldn’t work with Eskin anymore.
Other rumors abound, and there are repeated incidents in which Eskin finds himself on the loser end (100+ mph on Rt. 561 in Voorhees, sending flowers to another man’s wife). This guy - much like the NBA star he maligns quite often - is out of control, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see WIP phase his ass out in the near future. Eskin has never been the best guy on the station - just the most recognizable. His 30-day suspension won’t affect his stint on NBC 10, but I think that it might signal that the management at WIP has finally figured out that he is a loose cannon just waiting to go off. I expect to see Glen MacNow take the afternoon drive spot permanently by the end of the year. How do you like them apples, cuz? Am I getting through to you NOW, moron?
Other diversions and amusements
