Mayor Michael Nutter and his hip administration are promising some wacky economic development project announcements in the coming month. They include a new facility at CHOP, a new hotel “in or near” Center City, the relocation of a “major company” in Philly and the groundbreaking of their corporate headquarters. On top of that the city is promoting more green guilt, using something called “soy ink” (is that what we think it is?) and, like, wind power or something. (Wind power kills bats, BTW.)

Fun fact: Of the 10 biggest cities in the country, Philadelphia is one of four with a full-time City Council and the only outside California.

An audit of the wine kiosks by Jack Wagner found everything people say about those things to be true. His money quote: “We think the wine kiosk program has failed, and it needs dramatic, radical changes if the program is going to continue to exist.”

Again, other media, everyone’s really sorry the storm was a let down and more people didn’t die, but here’s some good that came out of Hurricane Irene: Philadelphians drank their faces off. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board reported a $5 million dollar boost in sales over the week before.

That being said, state liquor store profits – though jumping $30.2 million in the last year – fell short of the state’s “target” for the third year in a row. If only there were hurricanes all the time!

Click this one to look at Pennsylvanians become “more conservative” over the last two decades using polling averages. Thing is, once Obama’s luck turns and Pennsylvanians re-elect him, polls will show how we’ve become “more liberal.”

Michael Vick got a 6-year, $100 million deal with the Eagles, of which they’re required to pay him at least $40 million. He calls it a “blessing.” To say the least.

Rick Santorum needs to congratulate himself. Now. As per this Alex Pareene piece at Salon, presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is getting boring (which, in politics, means you’re serious), writing a boring campaign book and part of that means “ceding the gay-hating vote to Rick Santorum, declining to defend the strident bigotry that made her famous in Minnesota.” We tend to agree, especially since Santorum won’t stop telling people The Gays have declared a jihad against him, which Michele Bachmann is just sort of polling well.