Philadelphia Dreaming

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A new survey shows that nearly a fourth of workers have left a job due to a bad commute.

Eagles Nation ‘Travels Strong’, Fans Take Over Flight To Nashville

The survey titled ‘U.S. Workers Hit the Road” comes from global staffing firm, Robert Half.

Thirty-nine percent of professionals reported that while their travel to and from their workplace has improved in the last five years, 22 percent say their trip has actually gotten worse.

“You lose time for your life,” says one driver.

“The traveling was too far. Too much,” another driver said

Credit: Robert Half

Of those who were unhappy with their commutes, 60 percent said that their companies weren’t taking steps to relieve the burden placed on employees by a bad commute.

Respondents in Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Francisco were the most likely to quit for that reason.

Credit: Robert Half

Mütter Museum Commemorates 1918 Flu Pandemic With Free Flu Shots

Younger people were more likely than their older counterparts to leave a job due to a negative commute.

Assistant professor Dr. Ravi Kudesia at Temple’s Human Resources Management Department says there are ways companies can ease their workers’ stress of getting to work…

“The one thing that companies can do that’s good for the company and good for the employee is to encourage what we called ‘active commuting,’” says Kudesia.

Like walking or biking to your job.

“Letting people set their hours to some extent based on their schedules,” adds Kudesia.

And if that’s not possible.

“Make it a psychological break from your work,” says Kudesia.

The survey also found that women were less likely to quit their job for such a reason compared to men.

The Eagles’ defense left much to be desired against the Cowboys in Week 10, and despite a few much-needed three-and-outs, there were some glaring issues. Sure, the cornerback position was thin to begin with, but once Ronald Darby went out with a torn ACL in the third quarter, things went from bad to bleak.

Eagles fans have lined up with their tar and feathers, and are making a beeline for the team’s defensive coordinator.

Jim Schwartz spoke to the media on Tuesday afternoon, and here’s what the DC had to say:

On CB depth and future plans

Schwartz opened by addressing the state of the cornerback position, and he noted not to get cliche, but “it is what it is”. He went on to say that they’ve got some guys who are hurt, some guys who are working hard to get back, and some young guys who need to fill in and make their way in the league. The DC also noted that they have guys who aren’t able to come back this season, like Ronald Darby and Rodney McLeod.

He went on to say that their job as coaches is to put together the best plan for the group of guys that they do have and finding ways to be successful, noting that things might look different than they did when they were at 100% strength.

Later on he was asked about Rasul Douglas and what the team needs from him in order to take on a bigger role in the defense and how he performed against the Cowboys. Schwartz said that Douglas played like a 27-20 loss on Sunday — he elaborated that that’s how the team played, how the defense played, and how Douglas as an individual played. He also said that would be the analysis for any of the guys who took snaps on defense on Sunday.

“We all need to play better. We all need to play the pass better. We all need to tackle better.”

Schwartz did however say that Douglas has a lot of pride and a lot of confidence, and he’ll bounce back.

He also said there wasn’t too much to the rotation at safety between Tre Sullivan and Corey Graham. Schwartz explained that with Graham coming back from a hamstring injury, they didn’t want to overload him with too many snaps right in a row.

Schwartz was later asked if they get Sidney Jones back this week, if they’d line him up in the nickel or on the outside, and the DC noted that they’ll cross that bridge when they come to it. They’ll have to see where he is in practice this week, but he does have experience in both.

On failures against Dallas

He was asked about the fourth-quarter scoring the past few weeks, and how they can prevent that late-game push. Schwartz pointed to so many of those being the results of a single play in a drive, and that they are typically things that they can stop but aren’t making the plays.

Schwartz went on to say that some of these trends are just happen-stance — citing trends of giving up points in the first half during 2016, and being better at home vs. away — but that the overall trend of giving up points in the fourth quarter is that they need to find a way to finish.

He also said they need to make the plays when they count, something they haven’t done this season, and that’s why they are 4-5. He continued that whether it’s against Carolina or last week against Dallas, the players need to make plays and finish strong.

Schwartz also admitted that the Eagles defense wasn’t lined up and ready to go during Dallas’ QB sneak on Sunday. He went on to say that they didn’t have proper coverage of the A and B gaps and there was some misalignment as well that gave them an easy score. That particular play was hard to swallow for the DC because it wasn’t due to being overpowered, but rather them just not being set — and it wasn’t a timing thing, he said they had plenty of time to make the call, but they weren’t able to get it all set.

Later on, he said that he thought they had rushed really well on Sunday. Schwartz went on to say that there were a lot of blitzes in their gameplan that he later on ended up scratching because they didn’t make sense, and they needed more help in coverage.

The defensive coordinator said he wasn’t as disappointed in the pass rush throughout the game as he was in the run defense. He elaborated that his issues weren’t just with the defensive line, but also with the linebackers and defensive backs, and the defensive coordinator and position coaches. If anything, the run defense was the most disappointing and the area where it probably most-looked like they were getting run over.

A reporter then noted that “from my vantage point” the tackling hasn’t been as good this season, and Schwartz quipped, “you’ve got a pretty good vantage point”. And before the reporter could even get out the question about whether Schwartz agreed, the DC said “yes”.

Schwartz went on to say that tackling is made up of a few different things, like playing fast and playing with confidence, so when they aren’t doing those things the tackling suffers.

He went on to say that last year they probably missed the same number of tackles, but the difference is that they were flying around so fast and guys were covering each other up, that you were getting different results. He pointed out that he doesn’t just look at one-on-one matchups when evaluating tackles, but also assesses who is around to help in those situations as well.

On (lack of) turnovers

He was asked what he attributes to the lack of forced turnovers this season, but Schwartz noted that while reporters were focused on turnovers, he was focused on stopping the run.

Later on he emphasized that turnovers were one of his two most important stats, and did talk about Kamu’s change to have a pick-6 early in the game — despite him playing with a half cast. Schwartz pointed to that as an opportunity to really get the momentum on their side, and they weren’t able to make it happen.

He went on to clarify that they can’t go hunting for those plays — when you do, you start looking bad in coverage and opening up gaps —, but that they need to make them when they present themselves.

He was asked how they plan to stop Drew Brees who has an incredibly low incompletion and sack rate this season. Schwartz noted that Brees is playing at an elite level right now, but that it’s also indicative of the way the NFL is trending.

The DC went on to explain that when he was a kid, quarterbacks who made 50% of their passes and had an even touchdown to interception ratio were considered good. But he noted that Brees is part of the reason that the trend now considers a 70% completion rate successful.

Schwartz went on to list all the attributes that make Brees an elite quarterback, and mentioned that he’s smart and still has decent mobility. He also pointed to the talent that he has around him, and noted that lost in the shuffle is that they are a great run offense too — and lauded the Saints offensive line and both of their rushers.

He went on to say that it’s no wonder they are the No. 1 scoring offense in the league right now.

On his play-calling evaluations

One thing of note, Schwartz mentioned that he always watches the film back three times. The first time he evaluates the scheme, the second time he pays attention to individual players and how they play within the scheme, and then the third time he looks at each call and whether it was effective and whether there was a better option.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correctly reflect the cause of the explosion at a West Philadelphia apartment complex. Police initially said it was caused by a mixture of dynamite and gun powder, but later confirmed that it was caused by a firework. In addition, police retracted their statement that additional explosives were found inside the apartment of the man who caused the blast.

Police say a man lit a firework that sparked an explosion inside a West Philadelphia apartment complex Saturday night.

Police responded to the 5-story complex on the 4900 block of Spruce Street shortly around 11 p.m. When they arrived, they found a 56-year-old man with cuts to his face caused by glass, Philadelphia Police Capt. Drew Techner said.

Authorities initially said they found live explosives and ammunition in the apartment, but later retracted that statement and said no additional explosives were found.

The blast happened after the man got into an argument with two acquaintances, PPD spokeswoman Tanya Little said. During the course of the argument, the man told authorities, he lit a "quarter stick of dynamite" that he bought at a fireworks store.

The man told police that the firework went off quicker than he expected, which caused the explosion, Little said. Damage was contained to only the man's apartment.

Authorities initially said the blast was caused by a mixture of dynamite and gunpowder, but later confirmed that it was caused by the firework going off.

The PPD bomb squad cleared the scene before allowing some 20 or so evacuated residents to return to their homes.

The man who set off the explosion was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center to be treated for cuts to his face, broken ribs and "several other injuries," Little said.

Authorities continue to investigate the blast and the man has not been formally charged.

Source: https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Explosion-Rocks-West-Philadelphia-Apartment-Complex-501729852.html

(Copyright ©2019 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.)

Chef Elijah Milligan, recently back in his hometown of Philadelphia after a few years running restaurants in northern California, is taking over the kitchen at South, with big plans for the Bynum brothers’ North Broad restaurant and jazz club. Milligan, who made his name working for celebrated restaurateurs Georges Perrier, Greg Vernick, and Nick Elmi, is giving South a modern upgrade with a new menu focused around the wood-fired oven and grill. A few of his dishes are debuting now during Center City District’s restaurant week, with the rest slowly rolling out over the coming weeks. It’s a welcome home party, he says.

“I’m coming back to Philadelphia and showcasing what I’ve put together over the years,” Milligan says. “My goal is to do some things not currently done here, and source some items not normally available. I did that in California — the first time I put scrapple on a menu, people were going crazy about it.”

The food at South will still be influenced by the cuisines of the American South, he says, but “I’m gutting the entire menu. We’re going to focus on the beautiful wood-fired oven and wood-fired grill, with fresh, local seafood and more vegetables. Southern cuisine is a melting pot, with so many techniques and flavors behind it. We’re keeping gumbo and jambalaya and etouffee, but with a much more modern approach.”

Since getting back to Philly, Milligan joined up with Kurt Evans to put together Cooking for the Culture, a collaborative dinner series highlighting talented black chefs in the city. South, where Evans was already a sous chef, signed on to be the venue for the first and second dinners in the series (the third event is October 1 at Fine Palate). After weeks of conversations with South’s Robert and Benjamin Bynum, Milligan was convinced to stay.

The chef brought in Gregory Headen and Malik Ali. Like Milligan, Headen, who’s coming from Stephen Starr’s Dandelion, also spent time working under Georges Perrier. Ali got his start at Joncarl Lachman’s Noord, then went on to open Lachman’s now-closed Neuf.

“I’ve known Kurt since he first decided to get into the culinary industry, and Malik too. And we all cooked together for Cooking for the Culture,” Milligan says. “Greg, he worked for Perrier as well — anyone who worked for Perrier, you’re almost like family. If you worked for him, it shows, in how your food is and how you handle the pressure.”

Milligan’s own restaurant background goes back all the way: His parents run three branches of a soul food restaurant, Just to Serve You, in West Philly, Olney, and Wilmington, Delaware, and he started cooking as a teenager. He went on to hone his skills at Perrier’s famed Le Bec-Fin.

Part of the deal at South was Milligan would have complete control over the menu. He’s adjusting the classic appetizer-and-entrée lineup, adding several smaller plates and a few dishes made for two, like whole fish with a citrus and herb stuffing or a 32-ounce rib-eye steak with a garlic-charcoal rub and bone marrow custard. That etoufee he mentioned will come with lobster, sea urchin foam, and watercress puree. There’s also an oxtail pappardelle with hen of the woods mushrooms and a crispy chicken roulade with smoked and dirty grains. For dessert: hummingbird cake.

Look for new menu items to be released in batches, as the old dishes are phased out. Milligan also has a venture in the works back in California and his Philly residence may not be permanent — so get to South now.

I’ve been thinking about starting a new series on the blog. I get questions from my readers & city visitors all the time asking for my advice about a certain Philly thing. Whether it’s ideas for where to take your parents, what you must see on a trip, or actual physical help with finding a job, apartment, or realtor, I love that people read my blog and trust my opinion enough to help shape something they plan to do!

I thought by answering these questions on my site (with permission from the asker, of course), it could serve as a resource for other women who may have the same inquiry. But, since I have not experienced everything there is to do in this city of ours (shocker), if you’ve been somewhere I haven’t, share what you know in the comments! I’d love these posts to become the ultimate guides with opinions from a lot of experienced Philly ladies.

Let’s jump in to our first reader question!

Hi Emily!

I am looking to book a blo/out and make-up application in Center City. Have you been to Blo/Out bar in Rittenhouse? If so, would you recommend it? Also, where would you recommend getting make-up done? Sephora? Appreciate your help in advance!

Thanks!
Rachel

P.s. – It’s for my bday/bachelorette weekend next month �

Hi Rachel!

I have not been to BLO/OUT (1804 Chestnut Street) personally. I have been to Drybar (1701 Market Street) when they first opened, and I’d say my style did not stay as I’d have preferred it, but it was when they were new. My best experiences with blowouts have been at salons themselves – I would definitely suggest picking your favorite salon and starting there! I’ve also heard good things about Priv – they are a mobile service that comes to you! �

As far as makeup, makeovers at Sephora (1714 Chestnut Street) are a great option. They’re complimentary with the $50 spend – which is so easy to do in there obv! Appointments might be tough to get on a weekend, so I’d jump on that soon! The absolute best (hands down) makeup application I’ve ever received was from The Rittenhouse Spa (210 West Rittenhouse Square) right on the square. Like, it was incredible. I think the Rittenhouse is around $70 ish. Definitely for a special occasion, but it was flawless.

If you wanted to get hair and makeup done together, I’d also check out Heads & Tails (265 South 19th Street). I go there for waxing, but they have a very loyal client base for blowouts & makeup, and I believe it’s pretty affordable.

I hope you have an amazing birthday & bachelorette weekend! Enjoy your time & soak it up! xx

Thanks Rachel for starting us off! And thanks to everyone on Instagram stories who helped me with what I should call this series. I’m still thinking it should have something to do with Philly in it – so I’d love to hear your ideas! And if you have a question you’d like answered in a future blog post – shoot me a note & let’s chat!