The Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, PA) articles from December 2005

The Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, PA) archives from December 2005

Would Knight Ridder sale slash jobs, us?
December 1, 2005... Dec. 1--Bankers liken a potential acquisition of newspaper publisher Knight Ridder - the publisher of the Daily News and Inquirer - to buying beachfront property: It's a valuable, hard-to-come-by asset, but it's eroding. They say the...

Here's what you need to know about buying a digital TV.
December 1, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Dec. 1--THE TWO HOUSES of the U.S. Congress remain divided by just four months on a firm "drop dead" date for analog TV. But it's fairly certain that by April 7, 2009 (if not Dec. 31, 2008), your old-line TV set...

Philadelphia Daily News Dan Gross Column.
December 1, 2005... Dec. 1--Why anyone would want to leave the Daily News for the Inqwaster is beyond me. But it's not beyond Kurt Heine. Heine, 50, a veteran People Paper reporter and city editor who left this paper Nov. 18, starts Dec. 12 at the boring...

Backup quarterbacks who play are hot commodities.
December 2, 2005... Byline: Ed Barkowitz PHILADELPHIA _ No player ever did more to boost waiver-wire fury than Kurt Warner in 1999. When Rams starter Trent Green went down in the preseason, the unknown Warner stepped in and threw for 4,353 yards and 41...

Accorsi sticking around with the Giants.
December 2, 2005... Byline: Paul Domowitch PHILADELPHIA _ This was supposed to be Ernie Accorsi's swan song. After eight years as the New York Giants' general manager, he had planned to retire after the season. Was looking forward to it with great...

Hopkins aims to regain what he lost in the ring.
December 2, 2005... Byline: Bernard Fernandez LAS VEGAS _ Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins is no stranger to malaprops. His occasionally mangled syntax is part of what makes him boxing's most entertaining, and lengthy, interview. Asked to outline his...

Activists' bid to block SEPTA repaving is KO'd.
December 2, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Dec. 2--With the trolley rails rising and the Belgian-block street sinking, driving on Germantown Avenue north of Gowen Avenue is an adventure, particularly on a wet or icy day. To fix the dangerous stretch of...

Philadelphia Daily News Jill Porter Column.
December 2, 2005... Byline: Jill Porter Dec. 2--HOW IRONIC. At the moment the spirit of government reform has taken wing in Philadelphia, the most consistent proponent of reform is threatened with destruction: The city's newspapers. Yesterday,...

Nutter: Trump's plan falls short.
December 3, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Dec. 3--Donald Trump may have felt like one of the wannabes on his TV show "The Apprentice" at his meeting yesterday with Councilman Michael Nutter. Nutter said the scope of Trump's plan for a slot parlor on 18...

Residents trade homes for shops.
December 3, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Dec. 3--It's been six years since the residents living near 52nd Street and Columbia Avenue were promised a supermarket. They soon may get what they asked for and then some. The proposal for a modest 80,000...

Clearing the picture.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff The two houses of the U.S. Congress remain divided by just four months on a firm "drop dead" date for analog TV. But it's fairly certain that by April 7, 2009 (if not Dec. 31, 2008), your old-line TV set will no...

Philadelphia Daily News Harry Gross Column.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Harry Gross Dec. 5--DEAR HARRY: My father saved silver certificates back when they were redeemable for silver dollars. He went to New York about 40 years ago and exchanged them for silver bars and pellets. (The pellets were used...

Fate of payday lending in hands of Senate panel.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Dave Davies Dec. 5--The fate of payday lending in Pennsylvania could be decided this week, with consumer groups and state Sen. Vince Fumo hoping to ban the controversial practice, and Gov. Rendell trying to legalize and regulate...

Eagles show no fight on Reggie night.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Sam Donnellon PHILADELPHIA _ His daughter sang the national anthem and a chant followed immediately. "Reggie, Reggie, Reggie," the hopeful, cold fandom chanted at Lincoln Financial Field Monday night, as the flakes began to...

The Chef's Table.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: I enjoy your TV program very much, and I am hoping you can help. My mother told me the history of apple cobbler and I don't remember it. Can you tell me a little bit about the history and maybe...

Black men's sexuality examined in new book.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Jenice M. Armstrong PHILADELPHIA _ Are black men better in bed than white men? And who's better-endowed? Scott Poulson-Bryant, a founding editor of Vibe magazine, tackles this racially charged and sensitive subject in his new...

New scientific test reveals cheaters.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Jenice M. Armstrong Have you ever suspected your man of cheating but not been able to prove it? If so, there's a new kit that's just been introduced that claims to help suspicious spouses gather "scientific" evidence of...

She's jealous of her co-workers.
December 6, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: I'm a 27-year-old woman who works in a mostly male office. I'm not romantically involved with anybody there, but I have to admit I enjoy my role as the cute young thing. Recently, two younger girls were hired, and...

CORRECTION: Nutter: Trump's plan falls short.
December 6, 2005... Byline: Earni Young Dec. 6--The Philadelphia Daily News has moved a correction for the story slugged PD-TRUMP-CASINO filed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News for Dec. 3. In the fifth paragraph, Donald Trump was erroneously reported to...

Eagles' woes began with personnel decisions.
December 7, 2005... Byline: Sam Donnellon PHILADELPHIA _ Stop the season. Now. Before we get so far away from next season, so far away from hope, that we start talking about first picks in the NFL draft. The Eagles, as we knew them, were not blown to...

Make it merry with music.
December 7, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Hey, big spender. Want to thrill and chill a music lover on your holiday shopping list (or maybe yourself)? A great big pile of new, themed music boxes _ filled with CDs, DVDs or combinations thereof _ are ready to...

ABC, ESPN land deal for 8 years, $4.5B.
December 8, 2005... Byline: Bill Fleischman Dec. 8--As expected, NASCAR races are returning to ESPN and ABC. Under an 8-year, $4.48 billion deal that begins in 2007, ESPN and ABC will carry the final 17 Nextel Cup races of the season. ABC will air the 10...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
December 8, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Dec. 8--Strange how agitated some adults become when toy versions of grown-up gadgets fail to perform as well as the originals. Since childhood, this gizmo lover has always been pleased that the darn things work...

Braves land Renteria as baseball meetings close.
December 8, 2005... Byline: Paul Hagen DALLAS _ John Schuerholz was in a hurry. The Atlanta Braves' general manager had a plane to catch and barely a moment to spare. Before he departed the Wyndham Anatole at the conclusion of the annual winter meetings...

Philadelphia Daily News Stu Bykofsky Column.
December 8, 2005... Byline: Stu Bykofsky Dec. 8--If you are like 93.4 percent of Philadelphians, you haven't finished your Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa shopping. (I made up that statistic, but I think it's accurate.) You might as well take your time because...

In Fantasy world, time to examine Colts' backup players.
December 9, 2005... Byline: Ed Barkowitz PHILADELPHIA _ As always, there are a lot of questions heading into fantasy football playoff season. Whether Ryan Moats is worth picking up (hopefully) is not one of them. The more rampant concern is what the...

Collins would be better backup quarterback for McNabb.
December 9, 2005... Byline: Paul Domowitch PHILADELPHIA _ One of the reasons Andy Reid took Donovan McNabb with the second overall pick in the 1999 draft over, say, Daunte Culpepper or Akili Smith, was because he felt the kid was "wired right." ...

McNabb-Owens flap spirals into unwanted racial controversy.
December 9, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ That I disagree with the negative assessment Philadelphia NAACP head Jerry Mondesire made of Donovan McNabb in the Philadelphia Sun is irrelevant. Mondesire, like everyone else, is entitled to his...

Can Katie Couric be a `serious' $20 million journalist?
December 9, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray For days now I've been reading _ everywhere from the Wall Street Journal to the New York Post (which quoted TV Guide) _ that a) Katie Couric would like to be seen as a serious journalist; and b) for $20 million a year...

Bush can make history at Heisman ceremony.
December 9, 2005... Byline: Mike Kern PHILADELPHIA _ Southern California running back Reggie Bush will win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night in New York. Texas quarterback Vince Young will be the runner-up and USC quarterback Matt Leinart, last year's...

Biz-tax cut bill still in Council.
December 9, 2005... Byline: Mark Mcdonald Dec. 9--While City Council apparently has a majority favoring new cuts in the business privilege tax, it has been unable to move a bill to Mayor Street's desk. The fight is over how deep the cuts should be and...

Philadelphia Daily News Joe Sixpack Column.
December 9, 2005... Byline: Joe Sixpack Dec. 9--Nine out of 10 beers consumed in this country are the same dependable American-style lagers. But what about that 10th one? Increasingly, it's India Pale Ale, a style that resides defiantly at the opposite...

Kentucky farm next for Afleet Alex.
December 11, 2005... Byline: Dick Jerardi PHILADELPHIA _ The owners of Afleet Alex have made a deal with a heavy hitter in the horse business and a Kentucky breeding farm that will result in Alex entering stud in Kentucky in January. Afleet Alex will stand...

The Chef's Table.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan My father was not big on waiting. "I waited in line in the Army, I'm not waiting here!" he would say. "Here" could be a restaurant with a five-minute wait. Upon discovering this, no matter how...

Super Mario does the admirable thing.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Ed Moran PHILADELPHIA _ The news was all over the wire services Sunday morning. Mario Lemieux has pulled his name from consideration for Team Canada for the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy. It followed an announcement last week...

Pint-size gizmos for techie kids.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Strange how agitated some adults become when toy versions of grown-up gadgets fail to perform as well as the originals. Since childhood, this gizmo lover has always been pleased that the darn things work at all...

Afleet Alex heading to breeding farm in January.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Dick Jerardi Dec. 12--The owners of Afleet Alex have made a deal with a heavy hitter in the horse business and a Kentucky breeding farm that will result in Alex entering stud in Kentucky in January. Afleet Alex will stand for...

Philadelphia Daily News Harry Gross Column.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Harry Gross Dec. 12--DEAR HARRY: I own a duplex in the Northeast. One apartment has been rented to a couple for the last 16 years. About two years ago, I made arrangements for a Section 8 rental subsidy and rented the other...

TV critic is a holiday flick collector.
December 13, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray I love Christmas like a child, but as a TV critic I've been known to get a little Scroogelike this time of year, with so many shows in reruns and bad made-for-TV movies piling up like yellow snow. Once I've guilted...

McNabb fires back at criticism.
December 13, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ Donovan McNabb reacted with disappointment to criticism from Philadelphia NAACP head J. Whyatt Mondesire. In a column last Sunday in the Philadelphia Sun, Mondesire labeled the Eagles star a...

Don't get too made up, guy.
December 13, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: I've noticed that more guys are doing things like getting manicures and pedicures or getting their hair cut at salons. I know it's the new "metrosexual" style, but do women like this or not? Mia: While I...

Young boxers spawn hopes of a Philly megafight.
December 14, 2005... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ In the 1970s, Philadelphia middleweights Bennie Briscoe, Eugene "Cyclone" Hart, Willie "The Worm" Monroe and Bobby "Boogaloo" Watts all were world-rated at one time or another, and their...

Report: Iverson, casino staff clash over over-payment.
December 14, 2005... Byline: Dan Gross PHILADELPHIA _ Allen Iverson's not a big guy, but around Atlantic City he's known as a whale. That's what they call a gambler who bets major money on each hand played at the tables. On a late-night visit to the Trump...

Change eyed in setting of Philadelphia water rates.
December 14, 2005... Byline: Mark McDonald Dec. 14--With soaring natural-gas and gasoline prices in the news, it's easy to forget that last summer Philadelphia said it would raise its water and sewer rates by 28 percent over a two-year period. Water...

Overpaid at casino, Iverson reportedly gets irate.
December 14, 2005... Byline: Dan Gross PHILADELPHIA _ Allen Iverson's not a big guy, but around Atlantic City he's known as a "whale." That's what they call a gambler who bets major money on each hand. On a late-night visit to the Trump Taj Mahal after the...

Mandatory kill: Gross column.
December 14, 2005... EDITORS: Please kill BOX-GROSS-COLUMN:PD (Gross), which moved earlier today. The story is being held by its source. This is a mandatory kill. ___ (c) 2005, Philadelphia Daily News. Visit Philadelphia Online, the World Wide Web...

Top mayoral hopefuls sound off on business-privilege tax.
December 14, 2005... Dec. 14--City Council is expected to vote tomorrow on a bill that calls for the gradual elimination of the business-privilege tax by 2017. This bill, authored by Councilman Michael Nutter, would get rid of both components of the tax -- on...

I did it, he says of Penn's Landing extortion try.
December 14, 2005... Dec. 14--Leonard Ross, the once-influential friend and fund-raiser of Mayor Street, stood somberly in federal court yesterday and admitted to charges of fraud and conspiracy to commit extortion in connection with Penn's Landing development. ...

Why all the mystery and confusion of scheduling?
December 15, 2005... Byline: Ellen Gray So Variety's now reporting that ABC and Showtime have both had "conversations" with Fox about picking up "Arrested Development" should the network ever get around to officially canceling it. And I probably should be...

Taking Philly's pulse by watching the T.O. gear gather dust.
December 15, 2005... Byline: Sam Donnellon PHILADELPHIA _ Less than two miles from where he once lived, the rack of Terrell Owens jerseys at the Moorestown Mall Boscov's was full. Once priced as high as $49, the shirts now were selling for $9.99. "T.O....

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
December 15, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Dec. 15--THE GIZMO: Video games for the holidays. BEARING GIFTS: While Xbox 360 tops many wish lists this holiday, gift givers will drive themselves crazy trying to find one. Microsoft has admitted problems in...

Minority group wins option on Philadelphia casino site.
December 15, 2005... Byline: Chris Brennan Dec. 15--A group of politically connected investors won an option yesterday to develop the former city incinerator site as a riverside casino, run by Planet Hollywood, if it can secure a state license. Mayor...

Montgomery's penalty should make baseball cheaters shudder.
December 16, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood The Major League Baseball Players Association didn't become the most powerful union in sports by being stupid. So while some might look at the MLPBA as having suffered a rare loss by giving in to commissioner Bud...

It's Colts vs. history as season winds down.
December 16, 2005... Byline: Paul Domowitch PHILADELPHIA _ A year ago, Andy Reid found himself with a similar December dilemma to the one currently facing the Colts' Tony Dungy. While history wasn't a part of the equation as it is with Dungy, Reid's Eagles...

Checking the Fantasy League sleepers for 2006.
December 16, 2005... Byline: Ed Barkowitz PHILADELPHIA _ The official stats list Kansas City running back Larry Johnson as having 26 carries last week, but that's not totally accurate. Johnson, a mid- to late-round pick, continued to carry a host of...

Street poised to veto bill to cut biz tax.
December 16, 2005... Byline: MARK McDONALD Dec. 16--Mayor Street is all but certain to veto a bill to cut the business-privilege tax should City Council pass it at a special session next week. In the strongest language yet, Street yesterday disparaged the...

7,600 lacking heat; PGW sounds cold.
December 16, 2005... Byline: Dan Geringer Dec. 16--As Code-Blue cold keeps the city in a glacial deep freeze, the Philadelphia Gas Works announced yesterday that 7,600 shut-off residents remain without heat. PGW spokesman Doug Oliver said the city-owned...

Pa. OKs $20M for home-heat bills.
December 17, 2005... Byline: Dan Geringer Dec. 17--Gov. Rendell signed into law yesterday a state commitment to provide up to $20 million for the underfunded federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). By providing hundreds of dollars to...

Investors go grocery shopping -- for Acme stores.
December 17, 2005... Byline: Mary Flannery Dec. 17--Just 72 hours after its union workers ratified a three-year contract, Acme Markets is on the verge of being sold. An investment group including Cerberus Capital, Kimco Realty Corp. and Minnesota-based...

The Chef's Table.
December 19, 2005... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: I am hosting my husband's family this Christmas Eve _ 15 people will be present. I want to make a beef tenderloin, but my problem is that no one likes their meat cooked the same. My...

Can't find Xbox? Try these systems instead.
December 19, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMO: Video games for the holidays. BEARING GIFTS: While Xbox 360 tops many wish lists this holiday, gift givers will drive themselves crazy trying to find one. Microsoft has admitted problems in getting...

What's next for Bernard Hopkins?
December 20, 2005... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ Former middleweight champion Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins claims the accusations and innuendo throughout the boxing community have stung him more than any punches he received in his rematch...

Try a guy? She's confused about her same-sex relationship.
December 20, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: I'm a woman in my late 20s who has been in a same-sex relationship for about two years. I've only had one heterosexual relationship, which lasted a few weeks when I was 18. It was not something I enjoyed. But...

Hall of Fame voting could come down to hanging chads.
December 21, 2005... Byline: Bill Conlin PHILADELPHIA _ Running down the Hall of Fame ballot for the Cooperstown class of 2006, I found myself instinctively checking to see if Al Gore and George W. Bush were eligible. Yep, it's one of those rare years when...

Bryant on his way back.
December 22, 2005... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ Whether this was either predictable or good is open to debate, but it is happening. Slowly, almost silently _ except, of course, when he drops 62 on somebody and does it in three quarters, as he did to...

Anne Hathaway grows up in a trio of films aimed at adults.
December 22, 2005... Byline: Howard Gensler NEW YORK _ When you burst onto movie screens as a 17-year-old unknown in "The Princess Diaries," a sleeper comedy that goes on to gross a whopping $108 million, the movie (and the part of sweet, clumsy Princess Mia)...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
December 22, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Dec. 22--THE GIZMO: Last-minute gift ideas. Santa's already dropped off the big-screen TV, the DVD recorder, the digital camera, the portable video game player, the satellite radio. Check. So here are some...

Iverson's loyalty should be rewarded by USA Basketball.
December 23, 2005... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ Last week, USA Basketball general manager Jerry Colangelo told the Philadelphia Daily News that 76ers guard Allen Iverson was on a preliminary list of players being considered to try out for the...

Tis the season for Fantasy Claus.
December 23, 2005... Byline: Ed Barkowitz PHILADELPHIA _ Fanta Claus needs to check his list only once to know who's been nice. There are plenty of presents for Shaun Alexander, Tiki Barber, Larry Johnson, Steve Smith. But there also have been naughty...

Packers' Favre can't go out like this.
December 23, 2005... Byline: Paul Domowitch PHILADELPHIA _ This is what I know: I know that Brett Favre will be playing quarterback again for the Packers in 2006. I know this because this isn't the way Favre wants it to end. Not with a three-win team. Not...

Find some fun accessories for your new gifts.
December 26, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMO: Accessories to buy for your new gifts. Santa dropped off the big-screen TV, the DVD recorder, the digital camera, the portable video game player, the satellite radio. So here are some accessories...

Boxing's big man from Russia could be courtroom bound.
December 27, 2005... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ Nicolay Valuev, the 7-2, 323-pound Russian who now reigns as the WBA heavyweight champion, apparently is returning to the United States as promoter Don King's most outsized attraction. "He's...

`Mountain' or molehill?
December 27, 2005... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: My girlfriend wants to see "Brokeback Mountain," but I don't want to see a movie with two guys having sex. She says I'm being narrow-minded. I say that I don't have a problem with gay people, I just don't want to...

Big 5 Memory.
December 27, 2005... Byline: Bob Vetrone Jr., Philadelphia Daily News Dec. 27--JAN. 11, 1958 Villanova stormed back from a 63-45 deficit with 7 minutes, 30 seconds left to force one overtime... Then the Wildcats' George Emma scored on a layup with one...

Diaper dandies? Heat might hire sumos for Shaq.
December 27, 2005... Byline: Philadelphia Daily News Dec. 27--Shaquille O'Neal laughed at the idea: diaper-clad men of gargantuan size summoned as battering rams to make the NBA's most imposing big man even better. Don't laugh, Shaq. It might happen. Coach...

Dungy greets mourners at son's viewing.
December 27, 2005... Byline: Philadelphia Daily News Dec. 27--Tony Dungy and his wife stood for more than 3 hours last night in Tampa, Fla., greeting hundreds of mourners with handshakes and hugs. From NFL players past and present to well-wishers off the...

EDITORIAL: Bush Whacked.(Editorial)
December 27, 2005... Byline: Philadelphia Daily News Dec. 27--The media and all the ready-to-quote law experts are doing a fine job examining the absurd and apparent illegal way in which President Bush authorized wire tapping here in the United States. But...

EDITORIAL: God In Schools.(Editorial)
December 27, 2005... Byline: Philadelphia Daily News Dec. 27--Let me commend you for reporting that "the Eastern PA Organizing Project, a faith-based and community group..." rebuked the School District of Philadelphia. Faith groups can and should rebuke...

EDITORIAL: Government Without Limits.(Editorial)
December 27, 2005... Byline: Philadelphia Daily News Dec. 27--Michael Crane's letter of Dec. 21 asks "Can someone, anyone... please show me where in the Constitution does it say that the president has the authority to do whatever he wants regardless of the...

EDITORIAL: It Still Lives!(Editorial)
December 27, 2005... Byline: Philadelphia Daily News Dec. 27--ONCE AGAIN, City Council has failed Philadelphia. Given an opportunity to make the city more competitive in the marketplace for jobs and outside investment, it instead decided to check its swing...

EDITORIAL: Savage Injustice.(Editorial)
December 27, 2005... Byline: Philadelphia Daily News Dec. 27--The recent conviction of former boxer Kaboni Savage was a serious blow to the rights every citizen of the United States. The government's "case" against Savage was built primarily on the...

EDITORIAL: Speaking English Is Good Enough.(Editorial)
December 27, 2005... Byline: Philadelphia Daily News Dec. 27--In response to Anne Mahlum's column (Dec. 12) regarding a bill being sponsored in Harrisburg to make English the official language, I'm all for it, and cannot see why Ms. Mahlum would be opposed....

EDITORIAL: Stop The Predators: MAYBE LAWSUIT WILL SUCCEED WHERE LAW HAS FAILED.(Editorial)
December 27, 2005... Byline: Philadelphia Daily News Dec. 27--AT CASH TODAY you can get your credit repaired, your taxes filed, you can even win a flat-screen TV. What you apparently can't get is a fair deal. Cash Today offers payday loans with...

Enrico Noyles, doled out hope.
December 27, 2005... Byline: John F. Morrison, Philadelphia Daily News Dec. 27--WHEN A member of Holy Temple Church of God in Christ had a personal problem, the guy to see was Enrico Ralton Louis Noyles. "He was very good at integrating the spiritual with...