Dear Facebook people who I maybe knew a little in grade school,

Stop sending me friend requests. We weren’t friends then, we weren’t even really acquaintances. Okay, okay, maybe we shared some laughs in the fourth or fifth grade, but we haven’t spoken since then. Some of you I don’t even remember, not at all. What do you do, go through our entire high school list and send friend request to everybody? If weren’t friends then, why would we be now. It’s not like we live near each other and we see each other when were out. We’re most likely never going to see each other again. Why the hell would I want somebody that I don’t know, and never really did know, reading my posts, and finding out what me, and my friends, and family are doing. That’s just weird, and actually it’s kinda creepy. Some of you have sent me requests multiple times. If I ignored it the first time, I’m probably going to do it the next, and the next, so just stop it already.

When I was a child, my grandfather would roast cashews and peanuts every year around the holidays. Nothing beat those things. In recent years, my mother has done her best to pick up where he left off. This year, along with the rest of the Christmas bounty, I received a batch of fresh roasted peanuts in the mail from my mother. These things kill anything you can buy in the store.

So… What else are we missing out on as a result of our “give it to me, NOW!” culture. As we’ve grown more and more lazy and accept marginal replacements for the real thing, what have we given up? Craft beers and homemade root beer are another great example of what we stand to lose when we opt for the convenience and affordability of mass-produced goods. Any others?

When you’ve had the opportunity to live along the Chesapeake and you make the move west, you quickly realize that nobody can compete with the mid-Atlantic when it comes to crab dishes. The Chesapeake Blue Crab cannot be beat. In order to get a quick fix, my wife and I recently made some Maryland-style crab pretzels at home.

Check these out – homemade soft pretzels, a bit of Phillips crab meat, some cheeses and spices… Like being back home again. EAST COAST!

I have a hard time thinking of any other person currently making music who I respect more than Joan Jett. Check out this very cool Replacements cover. Extra points if you catch the special cameo.

Hey, and when you are through here and you’ve learned something, go delete from your ipod all of that crap you’re trying to pass off as music these days… Oh, and knock it off with the horned hand already. That shit’s just stupid.

Pop’s playground is located on the corner of E. Huntington St. and Trenton Ave. in the Fishtown / Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. Like many old public parks in Philadelphia, Pop’s was your standard run down, abandoned, forgotten, neighborhood park that had been plagued by the things that people do in these types of places. Also like other neighborhoods in Philly the local residents made a decision to clean up the park and make it a better, safer place. Part of this clean up was also to give the kids something, and since there hasn’t been a legal skateboard park in Philadelphia, Laura Semmelroth from the New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) got in touch with Steve Miller who is the owner of Exit Skateshop, to try to get some info on how to make this happen.

Steve, being the young whippersnapper that he is got friend Jessie Clayton involved, and together they not only did most of the design, they organized volunteer laborers, as well as all of the fundraising for the park. The city did not pay for this park. The money has all come from private donations, in fact $25,000 in donations. Fortunately for the skate community, Steve and Jessie had a couple tricks up their sleeves. Somehow they were able to secure a $10,000 grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation, and were also able to get $2500 from Boost Mobile for helping them put on an event. That leaves $12,500 that was all raised the old fashion way of passing around the bucket, putting on benefit art shows, and of course the Philly way, you guessed it, a Beef and Beer.

This project has taken almost exactly one year. In my opinion that’s pretty impressive for a DIY park, however those who have been involved from the beginning think that this has taken an eternity. At the beginning there was very little money, so they could only build a tiny bit at a time. Then there is the problem of finding volunteers that had the skills to do things like laying bricks, and welding. Then there was the winter, and then the most frustrating was probably the spring. Mostly everything was ready for concrete but the most rainy Spring that I can remember had them miss about 10 different concrete pours.

The city has apparently been very impressed with the way this project has gone and has approved the build of at least ten other additional parks throughout out the city. This will of course depend again on the ability to raise funds and get volunteers. One unique feature you will be able to find in all of these DIY parks is the re-design of a Philly skate spot. This time it’s the Afro Banks. Along with that you’ll find a very street oriented park with a mix between small ledges, small transition no higher than 4’, a gap, and what Steve calls the whoopty, we all know what that is.

The grand opening is set for July 25^th at 3:00 pm. It will be your standard ribbon cutting, but mostly shredding. It’s not a big park, and they are expecting a big turn out, so expect to get a wristband, which will determine when you can skate. Don’t worry this will just be for the first day.

If you’re looking for more info or you want to get involved with future projects don’t hesitate to call Exit Skateshop. You can also check them out on Facebook.

POP’s Skatepark Grand Opening 7/25/09 from Exit Philadelphia on Vimeo.

NEW YORK (CNN) — A 26-foot-long dying shark washed ashore Tuesday on a Long Island beach, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation said.

The male basking shark, which weighed an estimated 5,000 pounds and was measured at 26 feet, 6 inches, died shortly after authorities arrived on the scene, according to marine educator Tracy Marcus of the Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Marcus, who was at the beach at the time, said there were no outer abrasions on the shark, ruling out of the possibility of a boat strike, and the cause of the shark’s death was unknown to investigators.

Basking sharks can grow up to 35 feet in length and are the second-largest fish in the oceans after the whale shark, Marcus said.

The basking shark, which is non-threatening to humans, feeds mostly on plankton and smaller fish.

This particular species spends the summer months off America’s Northeast coast and then migrates to the warm waters off South America for summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

Video: Jaws washes ashore

Alright.  Here’s my new creation, The Keystone Burgher.  I’ve lived all over PA so I wanted to grill up a burger that was representative of the entire state.  I have to admit that coming up with something from Pittsburgh was pretty difficult so just make sure you use Heinz Ketchup.

First off, you’re going to need to cook your self up some Broccoli Rabe (Wassup South Philly).  I never did this before so I actually just looked at a couple recipes on the Food Network site to get an idea of how to properly do it.  First, cut the stems off.  The key too making sure it’s not too bitter is to boil it in heavily salted water for about three minutes. When the three minutes are up drain the water. After that just throw it in a heavy skillet with some olive oil, a few chopped garlic cloves and about a 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper.  Sauté it up until it’s really cooked down.  Time to make the Burgers.

Everybody makes a burger a little differently, but this is my way.  Don’t tell anyone because it’s a secret.  We’re going to start with about 2 pounds of ground beef. Make sure you’re using 80/20.  You want the fat to keep the burger juicy and help keep the burger from sticking on the grill.  Iron Chef Bobby Flay says to not mix any seasonings into the meat but what does he know. In fact, Throwdown Bobby? Mix in about a tablespoon of Heinz Ketchup (Yeah Pittsburgh), a 1/2-teaspoon of kosher salt, a 1/2-teaspoon of freshly ground pepper, a dash of my secret ingredient, and one egg. Really mix it up good, use your hands.  Then just shape them into patties.  You should have four. Time to grill.

Throw these suckers on a grill that’s been pre-heated to medium-high heat. Keep the lid up.  We’re not baking we’re grilling.  Cook them on each side for about 5 minutes, give or take. Just make sure they’re cooked the way you like them.  On burgers I’m a medium-well guy.  When they look like they’re finished throw some provolone (South Philly Son) on top and shut the lid.  Yes we’re shutting the lid, but just for a minute to really melt the cheese.  When the cheese is melted throw the burger on a toasted Martin’s potato roll (Chambersburg, PA) that already has some ketchup on the bottom of the roll.  Put some of the broccoli rabe on top of the burger and there you have it.  The Keystone Burgher Brah!

If you can find them I suggest a side of some kettle cooked Martin’s potato chips (Eagleville, PA), and a Lions Head beer (Wilkes-Barre, PA).

That’s what’s up.