Good Grief!

What’s this? Why,it’s an animated Christmas light Jesus flogging. Frankly, I find this display a disconcerting piece of Americana.
The above picture is part of an annual spectacle in Blue Springs, Missouri. Guided by smiling gingerbread men, visitors drive through a subdivision and see lights that depict the life of Jesus—everything from his […]

Becky S is out of the office and will be returning in 2005. If you need immediate assistance, please browse the archives. Enjoy the holiday season and check out some selections from A Christmas Spanking, a Christmas album from the ever amazing Asylum Street Spankers.

arts asylum street spankers christmas holiday music Newsy

Pictured above is the 2004 Center City Philadelphia Lord & Taylor holiday light show (formerly the Wanamaker light show). Wouldn’t it look better with a big magic Christmas tree, some colored fountains, and a Santa train with animated wheels?
I think so too. Alas, for the past few years we’ve watched […]

As promised, this will be the last cheese-related entry for a while. Unfortunately, my instructions for last week’s cheese quiz were slightly ambiguous, and some people took the snooty British quiz, which insulted them with accusations of purchasing pre-grated cheese. Two people, however, took my version of the cheese quiz and scored 100%. Sassy J, […]

Now with more injuries!
Soup Exchange I was such a success that Animated A–who lives in an unthinkably beautiful and spacious apartment–hosted a second round. The soup gang now has fridges full of roasted corn, mushroom barley, chocolate chili, farro (grain of legions), and black bean soup.
You know how some vegetarian soups are bland and […]

A few weeks ago, Philadelphia made national news by being the second city in the United States to boast a Cereality location. In case you missed it, Cereality is a fast food place that specializes in, uh, cereal. Not surprisingly, both the Philadelphia Cereality and the original Cereality in Arizona are located on or near […]

The Market Report is a weekly column written by Ken Klein of Klein’s Supermarket in Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood. He writes the column for the Art Museum Area News and kindly allows me to post it here.
The report is a fascinating look at the forces that drive the quality and price of our food; if […]

I haven’t seen Short-Shorts Guy at the gym in several months. I have visions of him being rushed to the emergency room, circulation cut off by tiny workout clothes of questionable taste. I even looked up the perfect Short-Shorts Guy diagnosis (I can do this kind of valuable research because I work for a […]

When preparing for last weekend’s festivities, I got excited and bought way too much food. I mean, who among us can exercise self-control around the lovely men of South Philly’s Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese ? As for the beer, the store-bought supply paled in comparison to the homebrew provided by my […]

Today’s arts pick is a masterpiece that represents some of society’s most troubling problems. Though constructed of material commonly associated with childhood and innocence, the piece is an abstraction of the segregation and bigotry that pervade our culture.
The artist has chosen an unusual medium for this picture, one originally intended to act as a harmonious, […]