Restaurant Week 2011

If you’re a “foodie” or just enjoy eating out you will be happy to know that this week is Restaurant Week in Philadelphia. The event is currently running since January 16th until January 21^st and will occur again from the 23-28 of January. This includes a 3 course meal for $35 or a similar lunch option for $20 at some of Philly’s finest restaurants. The much anticipated event began in 2003 and has since then expanded from one to two weeks and includes three times the number of participating restaurants.

The cuisine ranges from Mexican to seafood to steak and everything in between. Just some of the over 100 restaurants include: Alma de Cuba which offers modern Cuban cuisine at 16^th and Walnut, Chima Brazilian Steakhouse located at 1901 JFK Blvd, and Le Castagne which offers Northern Italian cuisine and is located at 19^th and Chestnut. It is nearly impossible to pass up these delectable options that on a normal day could break the bank. The additional lunch option makes this even more affordable for these gourmet restaurants. Also, many of the restaurants suggest BYOB. You can find a full list of participating restaurants at http://centercityphila.org/life/RestaurantWeek.php and make a reservation directly on the website. Be sure to reserve your spot as soon as possible because tables fill up extremely fast!

Has your zodiac sign changed?

An astrological controversy erupted online recently after a newspaper article mistakenly suggested that the dates that determine the Zodiac signs had shifted by about a month. This threw off millions of believers into self-doubt and panic. Fear not: your zodiac sign remains the same. The tilt of the Earth's axis has gradually shifted since the ancient times when the Babylonians determined the dates of the Zodiac. This re-figuring also re-introduced a sign discarded by the Babylonians: Ophiuchus.

But astrologers and astronomers, two groups who usually don’t see eye-to-eye, agree that this news is about 3,000 years old. Western astrologers included the wobble of the Earth's axis in their calculations centuries ago. The Zodiac we are all familiar with is still perfectly valid. Astrologer Susan Miller called the news "ridiculous” and in an interview with ABC News, she said the constellations don't suggest what's coming up, the planets do. She explains that the constellations are a measuring device.

According to CNN, there have always been two zodiacs; the tropical zodiac and the sidereal zodiac. The tropical zodiac is fixed to seasons, while the sidereal zodiac is fixed to constellations and is followed more in Asia. The new reports that the sun is no longer aligned with constellations at the same time of year as it did a long time ago are irrelevant for the tropical zodiac which we follow. The seasonally based astrology was never oriented with the constellations, which is why there is no reason to worry because your zodiac sign has not changed.

The Lost Symbol

The Lost Symbol

Dan Brown’s recent page turner, “The Lost Symbol,” is this year’s thriller. The author of, “The DaVinci Code,” delivers more mind-bending theories. This time around, you'll be wondering “what if” about the forefathers of our country, present day secret Masonic societies, and history’s leading scientists and philosophers along with their connection to a lost ancient wisdom. Robert Langdon, Brown’s famous protagonist, is prompted to uncover the wisdom. In order to do so, he takes us through a maze of symbols and riddles with mystifying solutions.

The book opens with Robert Langdon landing in Washington D.C. to deliver a last minute speech as a favor to his beloved mentor, Peter Solomon. The day’s events take an unexpected turn when it turns out Peter’s been kidnapped. His captor, who becomes increasingly twisted and creepy as we find out more and more about him, believes Langdon to be the one who can deliver what he seeks. He ransoms Peter in exchange for the lost knowledge he thinks Langdon can deliver. The CIA and some important individuals in the Capitol become involved, throwing curve balls of their own. Langdon finds himself working out the mystery along with Peter Solomon’s sister, Dr. Katherine Solomon, who performs unusual top secret research in a scientific field called Noetics. The novel culminates with a major twist that will delight your sense for adventure even more.

Dan Brown was already writing the “Lost Symbol” when “The DaVinci Code’s” success was blossoming. He admits to suffering a crippling moment during writing. Luckily, he was able to pull himself out of it, and deliver explorations into science, religion, and history that serve as interesting explanations of their respective mysteries. In an interview Brown sums up what the book is getting at: “The more science I studied, the more I saw that physics becomes metaphysics and numbers become imaginary numbers. The farther you go into science, the mushier the ground gets. You start to say, ‘Oh, there is an order and a spiritual aspect to science.’” It’s all very interesting, and definitely worth the read. I promise, you won’t want to put it down.

TOMS shoes: The Gift of Giving

During this holiday season, give a gift that will change the life of another. TOMS shoes is a meaningful gift to give for anyone on your list. With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need, which is their “One for One” movement.

I had met the founder of TOMS shoes, Blake Mycoskie, last year and have supported him and his wonderful cause ever since. In 2006, during a visit to Argentina he discovered that the children in the village had no shoes to protect their feet. He wanted to help and was inspired to create shoes with conscience and created TOMS shoes, short for “Shoes for Tomorrow”. The shoes were inspired by slip-ons called alpargatas he saw local farmers and polo players wearing in Argentina. Now these comfy shoes come in variety of colors, designs and fabrics, or you can even get them in white and customize them yourself as a fun project!

As of last September, TOMS has given over one million pairs of shoes to children in need. They have men’s, women’s, and children’s sizes as well as Vegan options for the shoes. This gift will not only change lives but spread joy and brighten holidays for others. Do good this holiday season!

Second Time Around

I always walked by this store but never went in. This past weekend, I was doing some retail therapy with my close friend and we decided to check it out.

Located at 1728 Chestnut St, Second Time Around promises to be a treasure trove of fashion goodies every time you walk through the door. Second Time Around is an upscale consignment company that carries new and almost new designer clothing and accessories. With 2,700 square feet of merchandise, they feature high end brand name designers, better brand names, and a room full of clothing and accessories priced at $20.00 or less. Not only that, but they also carry mens apparel and accessories, so your boyfriend can browse and shop for himself while you do the rounds.

They really do have great merchandise, and everything was very organized and easy to find. The store is divided up by sizes and categories, which makes it relatively simple for customers to browse.

Not only is it a great place to find a bargain, but it is also a fantastic way to make some money for clearing out your closet! They make it really easy to consign. Customers can either call a location to schedule an in-store appointment, schedule an in-store appointment online, or they can fill out an online consignment form and mail them the items. Some other important information on consigning with Second Time Around: the items are placed on the sales floor for 90 days, customers will receive 40% of the final selling price, and items are priced at 25%-30% of their original retail value.

I am going to recycle my unwanted clothes and accessories, and I hope to earn some money for them! Scheduling a consignment visit with Second Time Around shortly…!

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: Nostalgia Vs. Guilt

Every year on Thanksgiving, being the nostalgic, tradition junkie that I am, I sit down with my family in the morning to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Stemming from traditions seen in Europe, the first parade was put on by Macy’s employees who were first-generation immigrants wanting to have festivals similar to the ones their families experienced growing up in Europe. The parade runs for a whopping three hours, stuffed with overly cheesy holiday music, gigantic floats, marching bands, dancers, celebrities, large cartoon helium balloons and Broadway Show performers. While I admit that I may be getting a little old for this tradition, there are certain things that will always be comforting and take me back to a time when things were a bit simpler and a lot less stressful. I am definitely a sucker for this time of the year and all of the bells and whistles that come along with it. With that said, as I get older, and as a design student, I start to get agitated by certain parade elements that never would have bothered me at a young age. For example, the lip-synching can get pretty terrible and leaves you wondering what would be so wrong with live performances. When you’re young, the performers lip movements being somewhat inconsistent with their singing doesn’t really register in your mind. It’s all magical and flawless and nothing can change that. Nowadays, as I become more and more educated and aware, there is a new emotion that creeps up when watching such an indulgent form of entertainment: GUILT. When you become aware of just how much energy has to be wasted to put on a production of this size, especially at a time when the environment needs as much as help as it can get, your mind starts to wander to these issues as the cast of Sesame Street waves intensely on the screen. Recently a new issue brings this guilt to a higher level; the world is running out of helium. Helium is the world’s second lightest element and is a non-renewable resource. While helium is notorious for making the fun cartoon balloons float high in the sky for the duration of the Macy’s parade, it had also been used to make our voices sound funny (don’t try this at home kiddies), and to help deep sea divers breathe under water. However, putting these entertaining uses aside, Helium is a very important gas that is used for airships, rockets, telescopes and most importantly MRI Scanners. As the Helium runs out, scientists predict that it may run out completely within the next 20 years, leaving the world without a very important resource and possibly leaving hospitals void of the ability to use MRI Scanners. In 2006, the parade production team learned of this issue and limited the amount of balloons they used, but couldn’t rid of them completely due to popular demand. As a society, we seem to care more about entertainment than the well being of the universe, which is probably what causes environmental deterioration in the first place. I can’t help but feel guilty as I giggle watching a gigantic Smurf balloon float down 34^th street. So what ultimately wins out? Do I boycott the parade in favor of the Helium or do I stick to my annual familial traditions and hope that the parade team will eventually make changes? …Until next year, Happy Holidays!

Nancy Dubuc Comes to Drexel...

When Project Runway went to Lifetime Television in 2009 I was incredibly pessimistic. Lifetime Television has always been a channel associated with the victimization of women portrayed in overly dramatic series and movies. Of course this is a stereotype of the channel’s content but it is a general understanding among audience members. When I watched the premier of the 6^th season my worries were confirmed, as the focus seemed to shift from the innovative designs to the dramatic personalities on the show. Since then I have stopped watching the show all together, I was never one for much television anyway.

Last March Nancy Dubuc took on Lifetime Television with plans to revamp its image. I attended a lecture hosted by Dubuc last week at Drexel University’s College of Media Arts and Design. Beyond being extremely accomplished and hardworking, Dubuc seemed very down-to-earth and personable. She discussed her work as the president of the History Channel where she has successfully managed to broaden the audience without sacrificing the interest of her original viewers. Shows like Ice Road Truckers and Pawn Stars have appealed to younger viewers and made them excited about history, which was her main goal all along. During the lecture Dubuc explained how her focus for the History Channel was to make it entertaining, because after all, television is about entertainment.

As for Lifetime Television, Dubuc wants to create a channel that empowers women. She hopes to create a channel where female protagonists act based on their own motivations rather than the dictations of men. Her solution is so obvious and yet not previously addressed. Of all channels, Lifetime which serves as the “women’s channel”, should of course promote female power and self-worth. Why would women want to watch them selves constantly behave as victims? To sum up her plans Dubuc showed the new promotion for Project Runway, which exudes sex appeal. Her ambitious plans mean exciting changes for women in television, and perhaps a revival of my addiction to Project Runway.