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Archive: July, 2010
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Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know our fans are totally loopy. But really, TAUNTR, do you have to make a game about it? "WILL PHUCK FOR TICKETS" along with everything else purposefully misspelled with a "Ph" is not clever, damnit. Saddam Hussein as a Phillies fan is kinda funny though. So is the "Mature: Contains Philadelphia" tag.
OK, fine, the game is a little fun. Play it here.
phag...awfully clever eh?
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Philly City Paper, philly news now. philly news now said: Yawn: TAUNTR game makes fun of our nutty fans: Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know our fans are totally loopy. But really, ... http://bit.ly/aQxC59 [...]
[...] Specter MeetBetter Late Than Never: The Phillies Taze-A-Phreak Video Game Play it at Tauntr. [H/t The Clog] This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 at 12:24 pm. Leave a ReplyYou must be logged in [...]
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| Photo | G. Widman |
For an old queen, the Gayborhood sure has been getting a lot of action lately. To celebrate our gayest enclaves 40th birthday, members of the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus are hosting a two-week extravaganza called Theres No Place Like Home, which runs concurrently with QFest. They hope that the lineup of festivities will draw attention to the growing number of gay-friendly businesses that have opened up in recent years.
To officially kick off the festivities, Mayor Michael Nutter attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday with other gay and straight community leaders, such as QFests Thom Cardwell and Jeff Guaracino from the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. Because of the rain, the event was held at capacity inside Independent Hotel at 12th and Locust streets.
In his speech, Nutter announced the installation of 32 more rainbow street signs throughout the Gayborhood and gushed about the areas contribution to Philadelphia as one of its most thriving business districts. My takeaway from the event is how proud the mayor and the community are about the Gayborhood, says GPTMCs Bruce Yelk, one of the organizers behind Theres No Place Like Home.
Now that the official ceremonies are complete, its time to get out and party. The fun peaked yesterday at the Gayborhood Block Party (see video of it here), but theres still enough hoopla to keep you busy over the next two weeks. So you dont drop too much of that hard-earned cash, Yelk says partakers can acquire a Rainbow Discount Pass that will provide savings at a slew of Gayborhood bars, eateries and clothing boutiques. To learn how to obtain it and get a rundown of events happening over the next two weeks, go here.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Philly City Paper and Josh Middleton, philly news now. philly news now said: The Gayborhood turns 40: Courtesy of Obit Mag For an old queen, the Gayborhood sure has been getting a lot of act... http://bit.ly/97KhDt [...]
Gay Philly! Yes!
how kewl! And Mayor Nutter is a good Guy! Lucky and proud to live so close to Philly. Lets celebrate life cause it ends sometimes so sadly. I wish Mayor Nutter lots of success - he really is a good guy!
Is this a LARPING thing? A Wiccan thing? Some kind of park/netherworld turf war? Whoever you are, Fairmount Park Demon: Eyes up. This dude means business.
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| twitpic'd by @MikelsNeat |
| Click on either pic to see it larger. |
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| twitpic'd by @MikelsNeat |
As the credit says, this pic was found via @MikelsNeat's Twitter. This letter has been photographed before, in another place. So what's up? Who's posting this? And why? And who's the FPDemon? And...?
I've seen this thing posted twice on Kelly Drive. One under the bridge by the Crew stands and the other on a random pole. I've always wanted to write back.
I've seen this posted near Spring Mill station in Conshohocken and along the dirt trail near the river damn between Manayunk and Conshohocken.
they are also all down forbidden drive.
[...] OPEN LETTER TO THE FAIRMOUNT PARK DEMON: Let’s do this :: The Clog :: Blog Archive :: Staff Bl... [...]
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| BigBellySolar.com |
Perhaps to thoughtfully alert media outlets perhaps to keep us chewing our fingernails to pieces in anticipation all weekend (who wouldn't?) the office of Philadelphia City Controller Alan Butkovitz informed the media today that Mr. Butkovitz will unveil this Monday his "investigation" of the city's BigBelly Solar Compactors.
You've seen these in 2009, the city replaced 700 Center City trash cans with 500 BigBelly Solar compactors. The idea, simply, is that the machines use solar-powered motors to compact the trash, requiring fewer pickups (and reducing trash overflow), saving the city money and keeping it cleaner. The machines are the result of a $2.1M contract awarded by the city to BigBelly Solar.
We don't know yet, of course, what Butkovitz will have to say about the machines.
The Office of Controller, though, tends to release these special reports when something is not working, and not vice-versa.
And there's this: when I hear people grumble about the new compactors, which I do now and then, I hear the machines described derisively as "solar-powered trash cans" a phrase that carries the implication that a "trash can" doesn't usually need power in the first place (calling them "compactors," on the other hand, emphasizes the reason for solar).
Taking all that into consideration, check out this excerpt from Butkovitz's press release:
Controller Butkovitz will release his report that investigated the circumstances a BigBelly distributor was awarded a $2.1 million sole-source contract for the Citys new solar powered trash cans.
We'll see what the report says on Monday (and we'll post it here, of course) but if I were BigBelly, I wouldn't order a cake just yet.
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20100713_Controller_trashes_solar-compactor_deal.html I'm only going off this coverage, but it sounds like all he can show is that "we didn't save as much as we thought we would." Not that we lost money. Still seems like a good deal if we've saved any money at all, no? If they are paying for themselves, it's good.
It's just a matter of time before some kittens, fetuses, puppies or penises end up in one. As a sports fan I have a strong faith in my city that has never let me down.
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You already know that the new state budget means lots of cash for new prisons, $5.5 million in library cuts and $1.1 million in child care cuts. But what about everything else? In our new feature Budget Fuss, we'll be looking at lesser-reported casualties (and gains all two of them) in the state budget.
In this week's A Million Stories, I wrote about how the state budget eliminates much funding for free HIV tests, according to ACT UP Philadelphia, an HIV/AIDS activist group:
The new budget has slashed HIV prevention money statewide by $300,000 and that's on top of $1.7 million in cuts last year. ACT UP predicts this will lead to nearly 8,000 fewer Pennsylvanians receiving HIV tests annually. Hardest-hit will be the smaller organizations geared toward minorities and the homeless. Unless outside grants come in, these groups say, they'll have to eliminate their free HIV testing programs altogether.
Without free testing, activists fear that many Philadelphians won't know they have HIV until it's too late. "We're very successful in getting first-time testers. Without that money, a lot of people are going to fall through the cracks," says Ron Sy, executive director of AIDS Services in Asian Communities. "I'm terrified."
In order to save space, the actual organizations in Philadelphia that will be hit hardest didn't make it in the paper. But it's important to say which they are, I think: Positive Effect Outreach Ministry, AIDS Services in Asian Communities (ASIAC), Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Initiative (GALAEI) and Maternity Care Coalition, all smaller-sized groups. The reason they'll have to eliminate their HIV testing programs, they say, is because they have to redirect the money they've got to more pressing issues, like caring for people who've already tested HIV positive.
The four groups above say that, since they've been expecting the cuts, they've tried to apply for outside grants accordingly, but have yet to find out if most of them will come through.
Maternity Care Coalition also says that it may have to eliminate one of their six Philly MOMMobiles, traveling groups of advocates that provide HIV education, among other things.
Kim Phillips, of Positive Effect Outreach Ministry, says that getting rid of HIV testing will end work that's been years in the making.
"We target the homeless community, and do a lot of work in shelters building trust," she says. "There's an 'I'd rather not know, AIDS is a death sentence' attitude, so we have to educate. We're already down to the bare bones, and these cuts might crush us. I can't even wrap my head around the fact that we won't be able to get people tested."
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| Courtesy of Committee of 70 |
Zack Stalberg, president and CEO of good government group Committee of Seventy, has become something of a mythical Philadelphia character recently especially after the abolishment of the Clerk of Quarter Sessions (CQS) office and the Board of Revision of Taxes, both of which the Committee has long said should be shut down. (CQS, it should be noted, isn't completely abolished yet; the First District has taken over most of its responsibilities, but City Council legislation to officially shut it down is still in committee.)
So, while we definitely take the Public Record with a grain of salt, their recent pieces criticizing Stalberg are interesting for their singularity, if nothing else. The first article takes aim at Stalberg's annual salary the Record reports it's $248, 733 and how he allegedly "caused a meltdown" in the CQS; the second attacks his relationship with the local real estate industry, since he advocates for the abolishment of the Sheriff's office. Sez the piece:
Nearly seven out of every 10 contributors who attended the last breakfast fundraiser in November have financial ties to the local real-estate market, or provide professional or consulting services to the public sector.
The Committee of 70 touts its independence from special interests on its website and takes great pride in the fact it does not seek government funds.
Yet its take from the real-estate sector raises questions, in a city where Sheriff sales have emerged as a major target for the local giants in that industry.
This has become evident with the forecast by commercial real-estate experts of a second huge wave of foreclosures and defaults which will now involve the commercial real-estate sector, including multifamily residential projects and signature buildings.
You can read the rest of the articles here, if you're so inclined. There's no dirt in the pieces, though the Record promises it, but they do leave us wondering: What does labor have against Stalberg? And does it have something to do with Johnny Doc?
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Committee of Seventy. Committee of Seventy said: RT @phillynewsnow: Wait, someone criticized Zack Stalberg? Oh, but its the Public Record.: Courtesy of Committee of 70 Zack Stalber... http://bit.ly/bQMjec [...]
Once upon a time, a sheriff named John Green stood up for financially-struggling homeowners in Philadelphia. While other sheriff offices throughout the land added staff and scheduled extra sheriff's sales to handle the economic housing implosion, Green set up a task force as far back as 2003 to come up with ways to reduce foreclosures and sheriff's sales. (Sheriff Sales dropped 21 percent in 2005 - after changes were put into effect.) Green also called representatives from the national banks to Philly to talk about local constituents' complaints regarding predatory lending, predatory servicing and outright fraud. (This was back before these stories became front-page news.) He told them their policies were draining wealth from the city's neighborhoods and putting other homeowners in jeopardy (The bankers would later tell Congress they didn't have a CLUE what was going on. Nobody told them) The renegade sheriff made the bankers with big bonuses very unhappy because all his talk - and all these rules - cost them money. (I know this because I happened to be the one who talked to these nice people on the sheriff's behalf.) One day, a real estate developer - who had friendly relationships with banks and owned lots of houses and buildings - decides he will be sheriff for his people. Well, there was joy, again, throughout the land. The developer contributed $100,000 to his own campaign - during the very same year the Committee of Seventy was trying hard to get money out of Philadelphia campaigns and politics. The voters of Philadelphia were asked to make a choice. Would they would go with the guy who was keeping an eye on the bankers and foreclosing attorneys - why yes, they would. Green was re-elected in November, 2007 with more than 96 percent of the vote. The people's sheriff went back to his job of saving homes. But 15 months later - the Committee of Seventy - which is filling its coffers from money from banks and attorneys with real estate practices - comes out with a report to abolish the sheriff's office. Now for my question: If you were watching this story on TV, and it was happening in some other city - which side would you root for? I called Zach Stalberg recently to discuss whether COS should 1) accept funds from Seventy members who have financially benefit from policies set by an appointed bank-friendly sheriff 2) Should these members recuse themselves from the decision-making process? Mr. Stalberg declined to return my call. (Now my feelings are hurt) And he doesn't seem very anxious to explain how a non-diverse group like COS can fully represent the views and needs of an ethnically rich and economically diverse city. My name is Linda Wallace. I am a former real estate editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer as well as the former coordinator of John Green's Task Force for Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention. I've decided to start telling the other side of this story on blogs throughout Philadelphia. I congratulate you for taking note of this information. Sometimes, the little guy (or little newspaper or singular blogger) is the first to see the hungry lion. That is why whenever I hear someone yell "help, watch out," I check it out. If we wait until a crowd gathers and reaches a consensus before attempting to assess danger - it may be too late.
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| Isaiah Thompson |
| After being told he was owed money, then turned over to I.C.E., handcuffed, and detained at PPA headquarters, Oliver was let go. 23 drivers were charged. |
Today, taxi drivers, supporters, and clergy members gathered at PPA headquarters in a "prayer vigil" for taxi drivers detained and/or charged with being here illegally after being netted in a sting set up by the PPA and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Last week, the Daily News reported that PPA officials, in collaboration with ICE, sent notes to 26 taxi cab drivers (cabs are governed by the PPA), telling them they were owed credit card payments, and should come by PPA headquarters to collect.
In fact, the notes were bogus: the drivers were greeted at the door and, they say, ushered into another room where they were handcuffed and detained by ICE officials.
Here's an account from Oliver (he preferred not to give his last name), one of the three men released without any charges, with whom I spoke today:
PPA sent us a letter saying they're holding some money if you come over and pick it up. I have the letter in my car! When I got there, there was a lady who asked me for my ID, I gave it to her, she checked the list, and said ok, this man will escort you inside to get your check. When I came in , they push me to the wall and say, "Police! Police!" I said, "What have I done? What have I done? What is the problem?" They didn't answer. They just took me to a warehouse in the back, where I saw the other drivers, handcuffed, sitting on the floor. I saw one of the immigration officials and I said 'I am a citizen! I've been a citizen for seven years my passport is outside in the car.' They said, 'Really?' They went out and brought it back and they said 'We're sorry - we're very very sorry - we made a mistake."
According to ICE spokesman Mark Medvesky, the operation was the result of a perceived vulnerability: taxi drivers have "access to parts of the airport that the general public does not have."
ICE, he says, approached PPA and asked to review drivers' records, ultimately coming up with the 26-person list. The 23 charged with being here illegally can challenge their deportations in immigration court.
The sting raises a few questions:
- After an extensive review of some 5,000 records, ICE only found 26 people of interest, and charged even fewer: was the .04% percent rate enough to justify such a search or such an elaborate sting? Was ICE expecting to find more than it did?
- If taxi drivers pose a threat to airport security why perform such a search now? And why aren't similar stings being conducted in other cities (spokesman Medvesky affirmed that they aren't).
- Was the method of arrest sending bogus notices to cab drivers and bringing them to PPA headquarters (not a federal facility, that is, but that of their employer) appropriate?
- Is the timing of this sting political? Medvesky says no, pointing out the operation was in the works before the city canceled its collaborative arrangement between police and ICE officials.
Ron Blount, president of the Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania, suggests that the timing had more to do with PPA's recent losing court battle against the Taxi Workers' Alliance. The PPA, he suggests, is trying to curry favor with Harrisburg at a time when the agency finds itself suddenly without teeth.
You got to the heart of the matter. IT IS POLITICAL
You got to the heart of it. IT IS POLITICAL. Both ICE and PPA are political. The perceived threat at the AP IS BULLSHIT. I work the airport sometimes driving a cab and I don't have access to areas the public doesn't have. Ride with me, I'll show you.
Thanks for the comments as always. Hey Steve (I know Mr. Chervenka from past reporting), Why not flush out your own take on *how* or *why* it's political (if you care to)? I'm interested to hear it, and I'll bet other readers are, too. - Isaiah
[...] PPA and ICE got cozy for taxi driver sting. Why? :: The Clog :: Blog Archive :: Staff Blog :: Philad... [...]
What percent rate of airline passengers took the towers down, Isaac?
Hope this will enlighten. It's politcal because the Philadelphia Parking Authority is all political. It's board is appointed by the Governor. All the jobs are given to friends, particarly the Republican friends. They constantly do things to suave a good image of themselves through the money they collect. Search the last three years of the PPA in the news and you will find ghost employees, cozy relationships with pols, and PR from them about how much they do for the city. Regarding the taxi/Ice issue, (from their gifted takeover of the taxi industry as regulators), they recently lost most of their power thourgh a Supreme Court of PA decision and then from the Commonwealth Court stating that they have reigned over the taxi industry unconstitutionally and must follow the document laws, which requires a long review of proposed regs before they can regulate. This is supposed to be done by every state agency so that the people you are regulating are not taken advantaged through misuses of power. So now they need the legislators in Harrisburg to give them the power to regulate without following the doc law by enacting new legislation. To put taxi drivers in a bad light may convince legislaturs to enact a law giving them back absolute power. Their proposed taxi and limo budget for the upcoming year includes 3.7 million in salaries to pay the taxi and limo division of the PPA. Most of this money comes from fines and fees of taxi drivers. Perhaps, if taxi drivers are a targeted bunch of illegal immigrants, they would need a new department, and need to hire more for their staff?
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| Neal Santos |
| Eyevette Wilson is a crisis intervention counselor at Women Against Abuse. |
You already know that the new state budget means lots of cash for new prisons, $5.5 million in library cuts and $1.1 million in child care cuts. But what about everything else? In our new feature Budget Fuss, we'll be looking at lesser-reported casualties (and gains all two of them) in the state budget.
At first, it appears as though domestic violence funding and related services have only been cut here and there, in small amounts: From the 2009/10 to 2010/11 fiscal year, the state's domestic violence funding dropped from $12,487,000 to $12,385,000 ($102,000 cut); rape crisis funding dropped from$7,146,000 to $7,087,000 ($59,000 cut); and legal services funding dropped from $3,064,000 to $3,039,000 ($25,000 cut).
But then you look at the line item for the Human Services Development Fund (HSDF), which funds much of Women Against Abuse Legal Center's budget. Women Against Abuse (WAA) is a Philly nonprofit that provides services to domestic violence victims, including a legal center that gives victims court advocates for educational and emotional guidance. The state money for HSDF dropped from $29,346,000 to $23,478,000 that's a $5.9 million cut.
(It's worth noting that the city usually gets $6 million each year from HSDF; these funds are then directed to various city departments, which are then re-directed to some nonprofits like WAA. We'll be looking into how the HSDF cuts affect other city departments and nonprofits in the upcoming weeks.)
"We are very concerned about how the cuts to HSDF will affect our Legal Center," says Katie Young-Wildes, WAA's associate director of development. "The HSDF funds $250,000 for the Women Against Abuse Legal Center, which helps thousands of women, men and children break free from abuse each year."
With the Legal Center's total budget at $1.1 million, HSDF money accounts for nearly a quarter of that.
Young-Wildes says WAA is awaiting to hear from the city how much the nonprofit will now get from HSDF, in light of the cuts.
To better understand what WAA and its Legal Center does, you can read an article I wrote about the nonprofit earlier this year. It's also worth noting that, though the cuts in domestic violence funding, rape crisis and legal services didn't drop by too much this time around, they come on top of $296,268 in city budget cuts to WAA last year, and a 4.7 percent decrease in state funding five years ago.
Think there's something we should cover for Budget Fuss? E-mail holly.otterbein@citypaper.net.
[...] Budget Fuss: How does the state budget affect domestic violence funding? :: The Clog :: Blog Archive... [...]
[...] Budget Fuss: How does the state budget affect domestic violence … [...]
[...] Budget Fuss: How does the state budget affect domestic violence funding? :: The Clog :: Blog Archive... [...]
[...] Budget Fuss: How does the state budget affect domestic violence funding? :: The Clog :: Blog Archive... [...]
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Lauras_House. Lauras_House said: RT @DVintheNews: Budget Fuss: How does the state budget affect domestic violence funding? http://ow.ly/28LqM [...]
[...] Budget Fuss: How does the state budget affect domestic violence … [...]
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| Courtesy of Media Mobilizing Project |
Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) worked with the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) to bring in local cabbies with the promise of getting them their owed credit-card payments. It was all a ploy, of course, and 23 taxi drivers got arrested and their names were placed on a deportation list.
Cabbies are currently holding a prayer vigil over the recent crackdown until 2 p.m., at PPA's offices. And they're asking an interesting question: Was this retribution from the PPA for a recent lawsuit?
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(h/t Phawker)
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Fabricio Rodriguez, philly news now. philly news now said: Cabbies hold prayer vigil over recent ICE crackdown at PPAs office: Courtesy of Media Mobilizing Project Last we... http://bit.ly/azuXux [...]
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