NEWS
June 8, 2013 | By Mari A. Schaefer, Inquirer Staff Writer
The cracks in Delaware County's tenuous animal-control plan are widening. Some municipalities, chafing under the cost and inconvenience of shipping their strays to Chester County - in an arrangement brokered by the Delaware County Animal Protection Board - have approached a local pet store to take in their stray dogs and cats, the owner said. Michael Gill of We Love Pets, in Media and Springfield - which has been tied to the puppy-mill industry - said he could do the job for less and had looked into applying for a state kennel license.
NEWS
June 7, 2013
By Jerry Buckley Within three weeks of starting as chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania SPCA, I was deeply involved in the tragic cases of Hercules and Chloe, dogs who were set on fire and severely burned. When Hercules was found in North Philadelphia, the pit bull puppy was more flesh than fur, suffering from burns covering more than 75 percent of his body. Chloe died after being doused with accelerant and set aflame. This heartbreaking on-the-job training showed me exactly what I would need to know to help the countless vulnerable and voiceless animals entrusted to our care.
NEWS
June 7, 2013 | By Monica Peters, For The Inquirer
Have some presummer fun as the Ninth Annual Sugar Cane Festival, hosted by Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha and cosponsored by Peco, returns on Saturday with a day of information and activities on Fifth Street between Berks and Norris Streets. The day will offer community presentations, face painting, animals from the Philadelphia Zoo, and more. Performances include the Kensington CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) Drum Corps, Fuego Dance Company, urban pop duo Domino Saints, and singer Franco Olivo.
NEWS
May 24, 2013 | BY GARY THOMPSON, Daily News Staff Writer thompsg@phillynews.com, 215-854-5992
A LITTLE MORE MAGIC, a little less action, and the animated adventure "Epic" might have better lived up to its title. The movie is adapted from William Joyce's lavishly illustrated books about the invisible army of enchanted creatures who live within a forest and keep it alive. The creative team from the "Ice Age" movies takes Joyce's starting point and layers over it the story of jaded teen MK (Amanda Seyfried) forced to spend the summer with her estranged father (Jason Sudeikis)
NEWS
May 24, 2013 | By Steven Rea, Inquirer Movie Critic
Next time you go for a walk in the country, or in the park, or in your garden if you have one, watch out for the teensy-weensie folk dressed like Robin Hood, zipping through the blades of grass, whooshing this way and that on the backs of hummingbirds. Watch for the talking micro-snails and slugs, too, the jolly caterpillars and sinister Boggans with their pointy teeth and animal cowls, and the beautiful faerie princess-type - you definitely don't want to step on her. Or, you could just go see Epic , a hyperactive CG cartoon, very loosely adapted from children's book author and artist William Joyce's The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs.
NEWS
May 20, 2013
Q: Our dog will sometimes come into the bedroom and be startled at the sight of herself in our mirrored closet doors. Sometimes she'll even bark. Other times she takes no notice of her reflection at all. Does she recognize that it's her? Or think it's another dog? A: The answer is actually a little more complex. In psychology circles, the mirror test is considered an important evaluation of self-awareness in animals and a sign of the normal development of cognitive skills in children.
NEWS
May 11, 2013 | By Ellen Dunkel, Inquirer Staff Writer
Pennsylvania Ballet revived Carnival of the Animals on Thursday at the Academy of Music, and it continues to be a delightful, colorful piece that, like ballet, transforms characters into other beings. Written and narrated on stage by John Lithgow, and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon to music by Camille Saint-Saëns, Carnival is the story of a boy, Oliver Pendleton Percy the Third (the personable Lucas Tischler, notable in winters past as both Fritz and the Nutcracker Prince)
SPORTS
April 12, 2013 | By Marcus Hayes, Daily News Staff Writer
AUGUSTA, Ga. - Sumeth Budhraja is a 40-year-old golf nut from Bangkok, a 3-handicap with a nice short game. In October, he won a local tournament at Siam Country Club in Pattaya, a beach resort about 70 miles south of the capital city. He shot 78 in the first flight. Barclays, the international finance monolith, sponsored the tournament. First prize: a trip to the Masters. Budhraja is a Sikh, bearded and pleasant, so proud of his heritage that he not only wore a blue turban on Thursday but also a T-shirt that explained the reasons why he wore it. (Final reason: It makes him look good.)
NEWS
April 12, 2013
THURSDAY they treated me like an animal. OK - I'm an animal every day, and you are, too, so don't be giggling behind your hairless paw. You may think you're something special, but to biologists you are an animal, a mammal to be precise. Yes, yes, you have a really big brain, but most of it you don't use. Yes, yes, you have an opposable thumb, a high order of communication and the ability to theorize, but, really, you're just an animal. Thinking about animals leads to the zoo, and this is a big weekend for the Philadelphia Zoo, America's first.
NEWS
April 10, 2013 | By Matt Katz and Chris Mondics, Inquirer Trenton Bureau
The Rutgers basketball scandal bounced into the political arena Monday, with Gov. Christie calling the coach an "animal" even as he disagreed with Democratic calls for hearings and the dismissal of another top official. The Republican governor repeatedly expressed support for Rutgers President Robert Barchi as he fielded more than a dozen questions about the topic in his first appearance before reporters since videos showing Coach Mike Rice throwing basketballs at players and using anti-gay slurs went public last week.