Saturday, March 20 2010, 3:23 AM | Clear, and 47° F | Tomorrow: High: 72 F Low: 50 F Sunny, nice and warm

The student the School District blamed for the violence at South Philadelphia High School shares his story. It's not the same one District officials have been telling.

The Clog

First day of spring = biketopia

by Holly Otterbein

10 hours ago

God, it's nice to remember that biking can be more than a strictly utilitarian way to get around the city again. There are a couple events »»

PHOTO FRIDAY: "Thirsty"

by Neal Santos

12 hours ago

»»

Meal Ticket

Do the Duvel tonight at Devil's Den

by Drew Lazor

13 hours ago

Alexandra Harcharek touched on this in her latest What's Cooking column, but we figured we'd remind you here, too: Tonight at 8, drop by Devil's »»

Kraftwork takes to the web

by Drew Lazor

14 hours ago

Kraftwork, the set-for-April Fishtown bar from Sidecar's Adam Ritter, got its webby game going this week, formally launching a Twitter, a Tumblr »»

Tool Academy

REVIEW: Blood Into Wine

With Merkin Vineyards and the associated Caduceus Cellars, Keenan and partner/mentor Eric Glomski are perched upon "the frontier of viticulture," setting out to prove that the soil can produce good grapes, a task described by one Napa Valley winemaker as "trying to make wine on the moon."

Fold-Up Follies

Tiny two-wheelers race through Fairmount at the Brompton Folder bike race.

"Monty Python meets Tour de France" is what Trophy Bikes co-owner Michael McGettigan keeps calling the Brompton Folder U.S. bike race. The more he talks about it, the more apt the term he coined seems.

Philadelphia Beard and Moustache Competition

Sat., March 20, 8 p.m., $5, Studio 34, 4522 Baltimore Ave., 215-387-3434, studio34yoga.com.

Vandegrift, proudly unshaven for more than six months, invites fellows and females to contend in five non-gendered, audience-judged contests over natural and free-styled full and partial beards, 'staches, fakes and much more.

Popular

Popular Critical Mass Posts

Editor's Letter

Is the PLCB creating a culture of beer fear?

by Brian Howard

"We play by the rules and whatever we perceived to be unlicensed, we immediately took off and sent back. We do everything by the book, no matter how irrational the book is."

Loose Canon

She Got Jobs

"We are perfectly situated to receive a wave of money."

by Bruce Schimmel

Liz Robinson has an interesting problem: She has a growing number of good-paying, light construction jobs with good benefits, and not enough takers.

Feedback

Letters to the Editor

What You Say

"This group is the most inconsistent group of basketball players with high salaries that was ever assembled."

Food

Seuss Chef

Environmental lip service takes a back seat to tasty a.m. fare at Green Eggs Café.

by Trey Popp

Quinoa porridge sounds like an attempt to out-vegan the staunchest eco-Samaritan who ever walked in hemp sandals, but Green Eggs turned it into a $4.50 bowl of luxuriant bliss.

Tool Academy

REVIEW: Blood Into Wine

by Drew Lazor

What's Cooking

Get Out!

by Alexandra Harcharek

Recent Restaurants

These restaurants are recently added or updated

Healthy Bites ToGo | 2521 Christian St.
Average entree $10 - $20

Katie Cavuto Boyle's Healthy Bites meal-delivery service has grown out of its Philly Kitchen Share beginnings and into this storefront, a fresh/local market, café, Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA pickup spot and cooking-class venue. To go: a soup/sandwic »»

Hoof+Fin | 617 S. Third St.
Average entree $10 - $20

Chef Lucas Manteca, who does Quahog's and Sea Salt down the Shore, has introduced this rustic BYO in the space that was Gayle. There are extensive raw bar, appetizer and entrée sections here, but the most interesting aspect of the menu is the "Fro »»

Garces Trading Company | 1111 Locust St.
Average entree $10 - $20

He already monopolizes your restaurant dreams — now Jose Garces is poised to dominate your every dry good-related thought! Garces Trading Company is the Iron Chef's foray into the gourmet market game. Bread, charcuterie, soups, salads, sandwiches, »»

Desi Chaat House | 501 S. 42nd St.
Average entree under $10

A pan-South Asian comfort food, chaat can describe an array of savory snackies and condiments sold from street carts across the subcontinent. Hasan Bukhari — who owns the Desi Village restaurants in King of Prussia and West Philadelphia — opened »»

Photo Galleries

Full Exposure: 2010/03/11

Pavement T-Shirts

Robin Rice Re:view - 2010/03/11

Music : Oh! Pears by John Vettese

Arts

Art

A Woman of Appetites

Kathleen Turner comes to Philly kicking ass and taking names.

by A.D. Amorosi

Written by sister journalists Margaret and Allison Engel, the one-woman play takes on Ivins' brassy wit with a lust-for-life robustness that only Kathleen Turner could handle.

Dance

SCUBA

Fri., March 19, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., March 20, 2:30 p.m., $22, Conwell Dance Theater, 1801 N. Broad St., 215-546-2552, danceboxoffice.com.

by Deni Kasrel

Imports hail from Minneapolis and San Francisco, presenting pieces inspired by the human nervous system and George Orwell's Animal Farm.

Arts Picks

Macbeth/Midsummer

March 19-May 9, $35, Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, 2111 Sansom St., 215-496-8001, phillyshakespeare.org.

by Mark Cofta

These plays are night and day, but since PST's hired the same actors for both productions, they might not feel so different.

Agenda

Agenda Lead

Fold-Up Follies

Tiny two-wheelers race through Fairmount at the Brompton Folder bike race.

by Julia West

Agenda Picks

Navigating Open Relationships

Fri., March 19, 7 p.m., $20-$30, Sexploratorium, 620 S. Fifth St., 215-829-4986, passion101classes.com.

by Josh Middleton

Sexploratorium instructor Kira Manser believes openly exploring individual sexual needs may initiate an emboldened partnership that exudes honesty and communication.

Agenda Picks

Philadelphia Beard and Moustache Competition

Sat., March 20, 8 p.m., $5, Studio 34, 4522 Baltimore Ave., 215-387-3434, studio34yoga.com.

by Amy Strauss

Half Off Depot

Why live life at full price?

Critical Mass

CONCERT REVIEW: Air @ The Electric Factory, 3/18

by Tom Tiballi

9 hours ago

“Can I lick it?” Outside of the Electric Factory, Philadelphia, 11:30 p.m. Air's Jean-Benoît Dunckel hands a borrowed pen back to my friend »»

PROJECT RUNWAY: Episode 9, Double Team

by Julia West

10 hours ago

We're left now with only eight designers — half of what we began with — and there's still no blood. No major catfights, no name-calling »»

Cover Story

The Fall Guy

The student the School District blamed for the violence at South Philadelphia High School shares his story. It's not the same one District officials have been telling.

by Isaiah Thompson

The Vietnamese student in the middle of the SPHS controversy has his own story to tell — and so far, it's one that hasn't been told, because neither Judge James T. Giles, the police nor any school official has ever bothered to ask him what happened.

News

4,671

That's how many victims Philly's only domestic violence shelter turned away last year.

by Holly Otterbein

"We had no idea it was going to be this bad." Keafer is not referring to the number of employees that WAA had to lay off, or even the crucial children's services that have fallen by the wayside. She's talking about the number of victims looking for an escape that WAA has had to plumb turn away.

Sports

March Madness!

Too soon for "Two Coreys" jokes.

by E. James Beale

While the true sports fan can fend for himself, the other 90 percent needs something to talk about. We're here to provide talking points on the two teams you're going to have to deal with most.

Soapboxer

No, You Can't Have a Pony

It's time to grow up.

by Jeffrey C. Billman

We have a serious problem: that is, the absolute lack of seriousness in our discussions of how we solve these problems.

Music

CD Reviews

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists | The Delgados | Seabear | Gorillaz | Acrassicauda

Music Picks

Fruit Bats

Sun., March 21, 9 p.m., $12, with Blue Giant, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com.

by Brian Howard

James Mercer may be off doing his electro-pop thing with Broken Bells, but that doesn't mean you need to go without oblique, brainy, navel-gazing guitar pop.

Suite Spot

The House Rules

The Academy of Vocal Arts will congratulate itself with — what else? — a whole lot of singing.

by Peter Burwasser

The Academy of Vocal Arts' hall on Spruce Street, Helen Corning Warden Theater, is a most unlikely opera venue, but it is also a wonderful one. AVA will congratulate itself next Wednesday night with, what else, a whole lot of singing.

Movies

Mother

City Paper Grade: A-

by Shaun Brady

Mother plays similar is a gritty policier which also becomes a slapstick comedy, and both a melo- and psycho-drama without ever conceding its whodunit identity.

Repertory Film

Your weekly guide to local film events, festivals and under-the-radar screenings.

Send repertory film listings to molly.eichel@citypaper.net.

Movies In Theaters

Ajami (No Rating) [B+]

Alice in Wonderland (PG) [C-]

The Art of the Steal (No Rating) [B+]

The Bounty Hunter (PG-13)

Brooklyn's Finest (R) [C]

Cop Out (R) [C]

The Crazies (R) [B-]

Crazy Heart (R) [B]