Paid Sick Leave Passes–But Will It Stick?
Hundreds of protesters showed up for Mayor Nutter’s budget speech this morning. Many of them, from unions like AFSCME DC 47, DC 33, were there to protest specifically against Nutter, being that three city unions are still working without contracts, and many blame the mayor for this. They chanted “Bozo sucks!” before the address began, holding signs of Nutter...
Continue ReadingUnion Protesters Drown Out Mayor Nutter’s Budget Speech
As expected, Mayor Michael Nutter gave a speech to a packed hall of union protesters, angry at the administration for having worked several years without a new negotiated contract. Things had been a little nutty throughout the morning, as the City Council debated earned sick leave and a couple other issues. Protesters had shown up early with signs portraying...
Continue ReadingPhilly a Winner in Bloomberg Mayors Challenge
This morning, Bloomberg Philanthropies — that’s New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s charitable foundation — announced that Philadelphia was one of five cities to win its Mayor’s Challenge, “a competition to inspire American cities to generate innovative ideas that solve major challenges and improve city life – and that ultimately...
Continue ReadingMayor Nutter Responds to Philly Mag, and Huber Gets Invited to Meet Some People Who Aren’t White
Over the weekend, Mayor Nutter weighed in on that clickety-click-click-seeking enterprise that is Robert Huber’s would-be opus, “Being White In Philly,” published in this month’s Philadelphia Magazine. “Someone has written something in a magazine in Philadelphia,” Nutter remarked Saturday morning at the 27th annual Madam CJ Walker...
Continue ReadingSat. night: Join me at this book party & reading
Saturday evening, join us to celebrate the release of Get Out of My Crotch: Twenty-One Writers Respond to America’s War on Women’s Rights and Reproductive Health with a reading a soiree in Brewerytown. I’m thrilled to be featured in this very necessary anthology. And I’m in good company! The full list of contributors include Roxane Gay, Betty...
Continue ReadingPA Sen. Pat Toomey Stood with Rand Paul on Drone Filibuster
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) spent almost 13 hours yesterday filibustering President Barack Obama’s CIA director nominee John Brennan over the administration’s stance on drone technology and their declared right to murder at will. It was something to see, especially as several of Paul’s colleagues, including Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, got on the Senate floor...
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NRA Launches New Campaign Targeting Black People
The NRA has launched a new advertising campaign that targets urban black men. The ads feature a guy named “Mr. Colion Noir.” We know little about Noir except that he is an “urban gun enthusiast” and “budding attorney” from Houston, Texas who has carved out quite a niche for himself in the YouTube gun enthusiast world. The NRA teased...
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Paid Sick Days Passes Committee After Sparks Fly in City Hall
The fight for paid sick days has been long, and yesterday’s hearing before the Public Health and Human Services Committee began bright and early, with several advocates meeting media before the session began to tell their stories. “We have found that treating workers fairly is good for business,” said Janet Filante, owner of Childspace Daycare. “This...
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10 Things I Saw, Heard and Learned at the PA Progressive Summit
This weekend marked the annual Pennsylvania Progressive Summit in Harrisburg, hosted by the liberal nonprofit Keystone Progress. The conference is a reliably attended get-together of liberals and leftists in Pennsylvania to discuss the state of state politics and how to change things. Here are 10 things I saw, heard and learned. 1. Liberals hold U.S. Congresswoman...
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