Matt's blog
Submitted by Matt on October 18, 2006 - 12:45pm.
Despite strong opposition, the PA State House voted yesterday to remove Philadelphia's zoning authority over slot casinos in the city; if and when the bill is passed by the Senate and approved by Governor Rendell, the State Gaming Board, rather than the communities in which the casinos will be built, will have regulatory zoning authority over them.
Ed Goppelt of Hallwatch has provided coverage of the bill; he points out that The Inquirer has ignored the issue, while The Daily News has published two articles on it (including this one).
Community activist Mark Stier has some ideas on where we can go from here.
Submitted by Matt on August 15, 2006 - 2:26am.
A sickening story from The Philadelphia Inquirer:
When Philadelphia Police Officer Annamae Law arrived at district headquarters, she says, the place was buzzing.
" 'You should have been here,' " she said one officer told her. " 'You missed the show.' "
Here's what she missed, according to sworn statements of two women: An officer in a Fishtown police station had forced them to put on a sex show in a jail cell, ordering them to expose their breasts and kiss as a price of release.
"It was so uncomfortable and degrading," Erica Hejnar, one of the women, said in an interview. "I couldn't believe it was happening. I kept saying, 'Why are you doing this to us?' "
Today, three years after the women reported this bizarre episode, the case remains open. Even though an outraged Law says the "show" was the talk of the station house, no officers have been arrested or disciplined.
The allegations highlight a persistent but hidden problem in law enforcement: police officers who use their badges to exploit women or extort sex, and departments that fail to vigorously investigate such abuse.
It gets worse. Go read the whole thing, if you can stand it.
Submitted by Matt on June 28, 2006 - 10:39pm.
 Photo: Fen Branklin
Many parts of Pennsylvania are under water tonight. Here's how local bloggers and photographers have covered the floods:
If you have something you'd like to add, please leave a comment, and we'll get you on the list.
Submitted by Matt on April 3, 2006 - 12:55pm.
Philly Future is thrilled to announce that pesky'apostrophe, written by the lovely and talented Mac, is our new Featured Blog. We sent Mac a few interview questions; please find her responses after the jump:
Submitted by Matt on March 21, 2006 - 12:34am.
Two Philly blogs have made it to the final round of the Koufax Awards, the liberal blogosphere's most prestigious prize competition.
Please support your fellow Philly bloggers by voting for them in the comment threads at Wampum. If you experience problems with the site (it is experiencing heavy traffic right now), you can also vote by email:
Best State or Local Blog: Attytood (VOTE HERE)
Best Writing: Suburban Guerrilla (VOTE HERE)
Congratulations to Will and Susie, and to all the nominated Philly bloggers.
Submitted by Matt on March 2, 2006 - 8:25pm.
In his new blog, Temple University Professor and political activist Marc Stier has written an interesting post about the changing face of his school: The Real Problem at Temple.
 Looking at the declining enrollment figures for African-American students at the school, and considering Temple's recent efforts to attract suburban students, Stier wonders whether Temple is abandoning its traditional mission -- "to teach first generation college students for whom a college education is a key step up the class ladder." Stier writes:
Two years ago I walked into my first class of the semester and found that I had only two African American students in my class. (My classes had typically been over fifty percent African American when I started teaching at Temple eight years ago.) After the class was over I complained to an higher level administrator.
His response has been repeated as the company line for the last few years. Given the increase in the number of students, and especially students from the suburbs, the percentage of African American students at Temple was dropping.
Stier argues that recent changes at the university constitute "a real problem."
A robust conversation on the figures Stier cites, and on the direction of Temple as a whole, has sprung up in the comments to Stier's post. What do you think? Do you share Stier's concerns about Temple specifically, and diversity more generally? And if the students Stier describes are being turned away from the school, where are they supposed to go?
______________
Previously at Philly Future: What Would Johnny Ring Say? (6/6/05)
Elsewhere: Philadelphia Will Do looks at Temple's (blindingly white) ad campaign
Submitted by Matt on March 1, 2006 - 2:10pm.
The Daily Pennsylvanian reports that the Social Planning and Events Committee at Penn has booked the band O.A.R. to play Spring Fling this year.
Apparently, last year's concert -- which featured Sonic Youth, Cat Power, and Citizen Cope -- was a debacle. Fewer than 400 students came out to see them.
Students seem happier with this year's choice:
"I'm glad they finally got a decent band," [Engineering senior Peter] Aquart said. "After the last couple of years, the expectations are so low that it's not very hard for [SPEC] to find a group that will make everyone happy."
The editors of the paper chimed in with a few words of wisdom:
Last year's Spring Fling concert was simply an embarrassment. Fewer than 400 people turned out to see little-known and over-the-hill Sonic Youth perform in Wynn Commons. However, after last year's overwhelmingly negative response, the Social Planning and Events Committee -- the group responsible for Fling planning -- seems to be working hard to bring the Fling concert back into the mainstream.
Now, I'm not going to claim that Sonic Youth and Cat Power are ideal party bands. But, Jesus -- "little-known and over-the-hill Sonic Youth"?
I'd advise these students to enroll in a music appreciation course, but it seems that their senses have been permanently impaired by a steady stream of derivative corporate rock. What a pity.
Submitted by Matt on February 12, 2006 - 4:50pm.
The world is white, and the Philly blogosphere is all over it. Here's a roundup of snow coverage in our area:
For more snow-related posts, check out the aggregator
Submitted by Matt on February 8, 2006 - 2:31pm.
 Last night, Low, His Name is Alive, and Death Vessel played a show in the First Unitarian Church. It was notable not only for the great music, but also for the venue. Unlike most of the R5 Productions shows at the Church, which usually take place in the basement, this one was in the sanctuary. I put up a set of photos on Flickr, with reviews in the descriptions. Other shots from the night can be found here (don't miss this one!) and here (thanks to Albert for the links).
It's an amazing season to be an indie-music fan in Philly.
Submitted by Matt on December 23, 2005 - 2:11am.
Ah, Christmas: the candied canes; the last-minute presents; the carols on the radio;
and the anti-semitic literature on the front porch.
Tonight, my wife came home to find a bundle of anti-semitic literature by our front door. Placed there by a supporter of a group called National Vanguard, the bundle consisted of three sheets of paper containing printouts of the following stories:
Christ 'Offends' Jewish Woman (choice quote: "According to Jewish Talmudic scriptures, Jesus was a "false Messiah (Christ)" who was sent to hell where he is perpetually boiled in feces.")
Who's Ready for Jewish History Month? (choice quote: "Fresh off having the United Nations declare each January 27 "Holocaust Day" to solely recognize alleged Jewish suffering as unique in world history..." [emphasis added])
Menorah Raised on White House Lawn (choice quote: "While Jewish individuals and organized groups alike wage relentless war on the public celebration of Christmas...")
Stormfront.org, a white-supremicist organization that Atrios wrote about tonight, links to the equally white-supremicist National Vanguard (and strangely seems to be the only site that links to them -- perhaps they are the same organization). When I followed Atrios' links, I could not have imagined that materials from a similar group would end up on my front porch.
Submitted by Matt on December 6, 2005 - 10:00pm.
Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse:
ESPN Reports that Eagles RB Brian Westbrook is out for the season with a Lis-Franc sprain.
As it happens, the name of Eagles Head Trainer Rick Burkholder comes up fifth in a google search for "Lis Franc". Burkholder helped Duce Staley come back from a similar injury in 2001:
He also spearheaded Duce Staley's complicated rehab program in 2001 that allowed him to return to the field after suffering a severe Lis Franc sprain in his foot, an injury that has ended the careers of several NFL players. The process went so well, Burkholder has since been published and has spoken nationally on the Lis Franc injury and its rehab process.
If it had to happen, I'm glad Burkholder is there to help, but man, this sounds like it has the potential to be a pretty serious injury. Keep your fingers crossed.
(via Philly Metblog)
Submitted by Matt on November 30, 2005 - 6:56pm.
Yesterday, NPR's All Things Considered broadcast a story about Philadelphia's Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, focusing on the role that blogs and online music sites played in creating a buzz about the band.
It's worth a listen. When I heard it yesterday, I wondered about the fact that NPR did not credit a single Philadelphia site with helping to build the band's momentum. Today, Ben Garvey piped in with a link to his own February, 2005 post about the band. Does anyone have similar links that predate those in NPR's story?
Submitted by Matt on October 10, 2005 - 8:42pm.
Firedoglake (via Pime Forest Collective) has the story: last night in Los Angeles, a group of bloggers gathered in what can only be described as a blatant attempt to hijack Philly's status as the (self-proclaimed) "Blog Capital of the World."
I'm sure I speak for all Philly bloggers when I say that this aggression will not stand.
Submitted by Matt on September 28, 2005 - 11:32am.
UPDATE: I made a huge mistake in the original version of this post: Chris Mooney's talk is on Thursday, not tonight. Chris has more information available on his website. I sincerely apologize for the error.
Wednesday Night:
As Phillyist reports, Sufjan Stevens, whose softly sung ruminations about life in these fifty states are the stuff dreams are made of, will appear tonight at the TLA. Tickets are still available.
Thursday Night:
Coeruleus of All-Spin Zone reports that Chris Mooney, author of The Republican War on Science will appear at the Joseph Fox Bookstore at 7pm. You might remember Chris from his recent appearance on Fresh Air.
Submitted by Matt on September 26, 2005 - 8:45pm.
The Free Library of Philadelphia unveiled a redesigned website today that emphasizes freedom of information and improved online access to the library's collections. According to a report I heard on WHYY, the website now offers free online access to hundreds of audio books, which can be downloaded and played on home computers or on digital music players.
While I love the look of the new site, I have to say that my first visit left me grasping at straws. After hearing the report about the site on WHYY today, I went to the site, looking for an introduction to it and to the newly available resources. Couldn't find that anywhere. Nor could I find a listing of the audio book podcasts I had heard about on the radio.
I must say, though, that the most important part of the site -- access to the library catalogues -- is much improved. If you're looking for a book, just enter a search term into the "Find" box on the home page, and bam -- a listing of resources pops right up. The speed and layout of the catalogue is much improved in this iteration of the site.
It's good to see the Free Library joining the 21st century.
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