Category Archives: Philadelphia

The sport of kings, and of corporate welfare

Posted on September 19, 2013 by oddmanout215

Most non-fans of horse-racing, if they think of the sport at all, probably picture frantic racetrack patrons at ticket windows, or at computers, placing last-minute bets as horses and jockeys mosey up to the starting gate. But an article on … Continue reading →

Posted in casinos, Philadelphia, sports, taxes, The New Depression | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Yo, Daily News! Bike theft more than ‘pesky’

Posted on September 5, 2013 by oddmanout215

From Tuesday’s Philadelphia Daily News: Cops in Center City are trying an unusual approach to thwarting bike thieves: They’re letting them steal bikes. Undercover cops… set up stings – like the one Aug. 15 observed by the Daily News – … Continue reading →

Posted in bicycling, life in the big city, mainstream media, Philadelphia | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bagel bomber busted at Vital Records

Posted on August 31, 2013 by oddmanout215

My plan was to hitchhike from Tinicum swamp past the junkyards and into Philly through the backdoor. My friend Swamp Rabbit tried to discourage me, but I had no choice, a temp agency was insisting on proof that I really … Continue reading →

Posted in humor, life in the big city, mainstream media, Philadelphia, police state | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Walter White, working-class hero

Posted on August 26, 2013 by oddmanout215

Last week the Philadelphia Daily News ran a story about unemployment with a photo of a middle-aged man in a business suit — a former office worker out of luck and money — begging for a job on a streetcorner … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, globalization, Goldman Sachs, Great Recession, humor, mainstream media, Philadelphia, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

When life feels like ‘Groundhog Day’

Posted on April 7, 2013 by oddmanout215

I was biking through a school-free drug zone, on my way to a temp job, cultivating bad habits. Not overtly bad habits — Marlboros and meth, and so on — but rather those drab little habits meant to ensure the … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, humor, Iraq war, life in the big city, mainstream media, movies, Philadelphia, pop music | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Shoeshine boys debate job creation

Posted on March 17, 2013 by oddmanout215

[The job creators] have no intention of creating jobs now or in the future. They don’t have to create jobs and there’s nobody out there to make them do it. They simply will reduce the number of jobs they have … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, Great Compression, life in the big city, mainstream media, Philadelphia, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Being white in Philly Mag

Posted on March 10, 2013 by oddmanout215

[Update: I walked into a South Philly CVS and saw that headline again, screaming at me in bold white caps, and I thought oh no, race war, end of the world!] It’s hard to read Philadelphia Magazine‘s March cover piece, … Continue reading →

Posted in history, life in the big city, mainstream media, Philadelphia | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

We hate you, big government. Love you, too.

Posted on November 4, 2012 by oddmanout215

An old friend just moved to an amorphous suburb of Philly, way out there in Whiteland, and was dismayed but not surprised to see Romney-for-president signs on the lawns of many of his new neighbors. “Who do these guys think … Continue reading →

Posted in humor, mainstream media, Mitt Romney, Philadelphia, taxes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The whims of Frankenstorm

Posted on October 30, 2012 by oddmanout215

So I was holding my breath for about 24 hours as Frankenstorm surged and tried to decide where to strike next. Even in my zombie funk I knew that, if the Weather Channel was accurate and the weather gods so … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, life in the big city, mainstream media, NJ, Philadelphia | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Defacing is for fascists

Posted on July 4, 2012 by oddmanout215

From the July 2 Philly.com: A vandal lobbed black paint at a mural of former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo in the Italian Market over the weekend and sprayed “fascista” in red beneath him. Police said they received a report on … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, life in the big city, Philadelphia, Politics | Tagged , , | 5 Comments