Philly schools find out Principals lack certification to be principals because a delinquent principal (LaGreta Brown) allowed racially charged violence against asian students to erupt in her school for days on end.

School officials in Philadelphia say 16 city principals lack proper state certification but won’t face any disciplinary action if they get up to date.

Officials at the School District of Philadelphia say the missing certifications were discovered following the resignation of the principal at a high school plagued by racially charged violence.

Superintendent Arlene Ackerman says the district failed to do its job monitoring certifications…

via District: 16 Philly principals lack credentials – CBS 21 News – Breaking news, sports and weather for the Harrisburg Pennsylvania area.

Brown was last seen still bungling the handling of the Black on Asian violence that had ravaged the community within South Philadelphia High School.

Hao Luu’s troubles began Dec. 2 when, Asian activists say, he was accosted in the hall of South Philadelphia High by a student who yanked the earphones out of his ears.

After school that day, Luu was followed by 10 to 15 students and beaten so badly that he vomited.

What followed over the next two months outraged Asian advocates: Luu was ordered transferred from the school, despite having won his case at a disciplinary hearing. He was accused of being in a gang, an allegation strongly denied by his family. At one point, officials accused Luu of taking part in a fight in 2008 – a time when he was living in Virginia, according to his family and supporters.

The case of Luu, a 17-year-old immigrant student from Vietnam, shines light on how the school district is handling students accused of playing a role in the violence that enveloped the school Dec. 3.

Yesterday, Luu’s grandmother Suong Nguyen testified to the School Reform Commission, seemingly stunned by how her grandson’s life has unfolded since Dec. 2. She was one of 19 to address the commission on the attacks on students at South Philadelphia High.

“Please, ladies and gentlemen,” she said tearfully, speaking through a translator, “reveal Hao’s case and help him clear from the wrongful accusations. . . . We would like to request for Hao’s reputation to be restored.”

She said that principal LaGreta Brown had promised to send a letter clearing Luu of any wrongdoing or gang affiliation, but that none had been received.

via Asians tell of anguish over S. Phila. attacks | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/18/2010.

Village Voice sent a scout to Philadelphia to grab grub in and around the city. Lesser known than Scrapple, but much more amenable to non-Pa/South Jersey palettes: Texas Weiners.

On the way to the Reading Terminal Market, I stumbled on a distinguished hot dog diner a block away, specializing in what are known around these parts and in parts of New Jersey as “Texas weiners.” These are grilled franks topped with mustard, raw onions, and what is often identified as chili. Most examples are really derivatives of a meat sauce developed by Greek hot dog vendors, and named chili only after chili-con-carne became a food fad at the Columbia Exposition. Actually, the chili now being served at A.P.J. Texas Weiner Restaurant really is a species of chili-con-carne and thus has no beans. The awning notes that the restaurant–which is also a full service lunch counter–was founded in 1920.

via Snapper Soup, Texas Weiners, and Cheesesteaks: Things I Ate in Philadelphia This Weekend – New York Restaurants and Dining – Fork in the Road.

I mess with S&N Texas Wiener (yes the i & e are reversed) in Mantua (aka the Bottom) up on 3963 Lancaster Ave. after a college friend took me there. They all seem to be little dives with greasy food, but its “bad for you good food”.

Philadelphia City Paper’s Blog “The Clog” runs down plans for casino legislation for the Philadelphia locations. None of it is Good. Its bad enough that we are selling Philadelphia to the casino and passing it off as development, but in addition we are doing it at bargain prices.

• The bill levies a tax of only 14% on table game revenues – compared with 55% for slot machines. A license to operate table games would cost only $16 million – despite studies presented to the House which suggested that such licenses might be worth more than $50 million. [...]
• Although gambling has been billed as property tax relief, the bill pays money first into a state “rainy day” fund, which might not fill for several years. Only then would the revenues g(o) to [is] property tax relief. [...]
• The bill contains a provision that would allow Foxwoods to extend its license beyond the deadline currently provided for in state law. Why would such a favor be extended to Foxwoods, which has been so far unable to get the financing to open up shop on the waterfront?
• The bill allows casinos to extend credit to patrons – a practice that was explicitly banned in Act 71, the original gaming law (passed in the middle of the night with no debate) that brought slots to Pennsylvania. The gaming industry has argued that credit lines are necessary to making table games work – why, then, does this bill allow the casinos to extend credit to slots players as well?

via The Fix is In, Part One: How casinos hijacked the House of Representatives last night – and intend to do it again tonight. :: The Clog :: Blog Archive :: Philadelphia City Paper :: Philadelphia Events, Arts, Restaurants, Music, Movies, Jobs, Classifieds, Blogs.

Casinos rot urban environments, not help them.  The two planned Philadelphia casinos will have an even worse social impact due to the fact that casinos are supposed to only go to property tax relief. Meaning they affect Philadelphia which has a higher than average renters population and will benefit homeowners elsewhere in the state. In addition, a casino as a lender is legalized loan sharking.