Opinion
-
Features in FishtownOpinion: Why Are We Condemning Naked Rocket Cat Man?
Trigger warning: This articles discusses genitals. Late last Friday afternoon, several members of The Spirit staff were sitting around the office. We were probably drinking beer, casually skimming the news, goofing off…
Joshua Albert | 07/30/2015 -
FeaturesLocal Lens: Philly Jesus has become that other Jesus, the Jesus of Pat Robertson
I once promised myself I wasn’t going to write about Philly Jesus. That all changed when I happened upon a YouTube video of Philly Jesus “baptizing” a man in LOVE…
Thom Nickels | 07/22/2015 -
FeaturesLocal Lens: Earth may not be Utopia, but it doesn’t have to be hell, either.
The Pope 2015 promises to be unlike any other visit by a world leader to the United States. The security industry around the pope’s upcoming visit is at full-tilt, because…
Thom Nickels | 07/15/2015 -
FeaturesThe Local Lens: Gay Marriage
I once worked at a Chester County hospital in the late 1970s. One day, I was sitting with several surgeons in the break room when I heard muffled grunts…
Thom Nickels | 07/09/2015 -
Features in FishtownLetter to the Editor: Update Regarding St. Laurentius Church
Some people question why the Friends of St. Laurentius Church Committee did not meet with Archbishop Chaput before the controversy surrounding the future of St. Laurentius became a public…
John Wisniewski | 07/08/2015 -
CommunityThe Local Lens: The Confederate Flag
As a kid I was a Civil War buff and I loved visiting an old burned out Civil War era chapel near my parents’ house. This old stone chapel was…
Thom Nickels | 07/02/2015 -
OpinionThe Local Lens: Echoes of the Red Guard in Philly Theaters
When two Philadelphia Film Society friends offered me and a friend two free tickets to see Magic Mike XXL at the Prince Theater at 1412 Chestnut St., I had to…
Thom Nickels | 06/26/2015 -
OpinionThe Local Lens: Fortune Tellers and Charles Godfrey Leland
A long time ago, I came into contact with a number of fortune-telling families. Sometimes I’d go into their little Tarot card reading shops and see what the future had…
Thom Nickels | 06/22/2015 -
FeaturesLetter From The Editors: Print Journalism Is Dead
To avoid any confusion, portions of this letter are written sarcastically. Since we haven't yet developed a universal way of communicating sarcasm digitally, I thought it was necessary to say…
Max Pulcini and Matthew Albasi | 06/11/2015 -
CommunityJails: If You Build It, They Will Come – The Local Lens
“If you build it, they will come.” I’m talking about a new prison for the City of Philadelphia in the Holmesburg section of the city. If you’ve ever traveled to…
Thom Nickels | 06/11/2015 -
OpinionThe Local Lens – June 4, 2015
You can thank the Internet for the birth of so many independent Catholic churches. Google the phrase and you will get a huge configuration of church names like Liberal Catholic,…
Thom Nickels | 06/04/2015 -
A&E in FishtownA “Guide” To Getting Drunk For Free During First Friday in Fishtown
First Friday in Fishtown is cause for celebration in and of itself. But falling as it does on the day I pay rent, it is the free music, beers and…
Sean Barrett | 06/03/2015