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.

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”.

• 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.

Beware cell phone-using drivers of Philadelphia: Police will be pulling you over and fining you Tuesday and every day after.The law banning the use of non-hands-free cell phones while driving in the city of Philadelphia went into effect in May and will finally be enforced, starting Dec. 1.“A distracted driver is a dangerous driver,” Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said in a public service announcement.

via City Cell Ban Begins Tuesday | NBC Philadelphia.

A good start, now lets hope they crack down mercilessly. Philadelphia is, ironically, a top ten “walkable” city with two of the top ten worst intersections for auto safety in the nation and any rule that discourages and/or punishes bad driving practices is sorely needed.

“While many will point towards our legal situation and negative media exposure this summer as the reason” for the bankruptcy filing, “the truth is that the club has struggled to stay out of the red for at least the last decade,” he wrote.

“Despite our most ambitious efforts and countless hours of dedication towards the club, we have been unable to grow our membership enough to sustain The Valley Club any longer. Indeed, we have not been profitable, for as long as I’ve been with the club. And our current debt from this year’s operation and legal fees now exceeds $100,000.”

via Embattled pool can’t stay afloat | Philadelphia Daily News | 11/14/2009.

The club’s demise was quickened by the sheer cost of the discrimination investigation, but reviewing quotes from members and administrators, this day was already on the horizon. The Valley Club was an organization who wasn’t getting the needed operating revenue from its current membership, but somehow found money from summer campers, who basically paid a sub-premium rate to swim for 90 minutes during peak hours once a week, undesireable. One of Duesler’s defenses was that they had refunded the money to other summer programs who brought kids to swim. To me it does seem like bigotry, based on race, socioeconomics or some sort of micro-tribalism, played a role in this situation.

Let me explain why I feel there was some bigotry involved. The refund and cancelling of the contract occurred after the children had been at the pool and seen by some of the membership and Deusler. That was the event that changed the policy toward these 60 or so day camping children. Prior to that, their money was welcome. At the time of the incident, a member suggested a solution:

Apparently some Army Reservists are in Philadelphia this week, en route to Iraq. I found this out in my barbershop, Maxamillion’s Gentlemen’s Quarters Barber Parlor?. Max’s is a kind of unique barbershop in these times: no cell phones, no rap music, no cursing. It’s an intentionally modest, but sharply fitted parlor with wooden floors, burgundy leather classic style barber chairs and matching trim at each barber station, right on Chestnut St. between 20th and 21st here in Philadelphia. An Army Reservist from Fort Hood was getting his shoes shined when I walked in. He had been to Max’s shop before (and it isn’t rare for out of town-ers to be semi-regulars). Before the shootings at Fort Hood he had taken his wife to Austin for a bit of a vacation before he shipped out. I asked him what he thought of Austin,he said he loved it and would recommend it to anyone. He chopped it up with us a bit and then after the complimentary shine was done, and right before he was about to leave pulled out his camera to take some pictures to send back to his friends back home.

“They don’t do it like this anymore”. He used to go to a nice shop back home, where they did it like Max’s, but he returned to find it shut down after the owner died and his son couldn’t maintain the business. He had told his friends about Max’s and this time, wanted them to see it for themselves. He took some pics on his digital camera to send home (Max’s shop is swagged out), and then said goodbye. Max dapped him up and thanked him for his service, a few of us wished him good luck. At my gym later that day, all service men and women worked out for free. You could recognize the new faces in the gym as soldiers coming in a slow but steady stream, wearing camouflage getting in a jog on the treadmill or going to lift some weights. To see them around and about, heading to Iraq, the last bit of America they got to see was Philadelphia. Hope they enjoy bit of it, and I hope they pay for nothing.

In Alaska, Obama talked about spending more money on troops and their families away from the battlefield during and after wars. Recession, Deficit or not, we can definitely afford that. I’m glad 44 is making that a priority.

Among the nation’s ten largest cities, Philadelphia had the highest percentage of commuters who use a bike; higher than New York City, Chicago or Los Angeles. Philadelphia also tied for 10th among the country’s 60 largest cities and the second highest percentage among east coast cities (only Washington DC has a higher percentage).

Philadelphia’s percentage of commuters who bike is nearly three times the national average of 0.55%.

1. Philadelphia 1.6% (6th largest city)
2. San Jose 1.2% (l0th largest city)
3. Chicago – 1.0% (3rd largest city)
4. San Diego 0.9% (9th largest city)
5. Los Angeles – 0.9% (2nd largest city)
6. New York – 0.6% (1st largest city)
7. Phoenix – 0.8% (5th largest city)
8. Houston – 0.4% (4th largest city)
9. Dallas – 0.1% (8th largest city)
10. San Antonio – 0.1% (7th largest city)

National Average – .55%

via Philadelphia Bicycle News: Philadelphia is No. 1 Among Big Cities For Bicycle Commuting.

Now if we can just get the South Street Bridge re-opened ASAP and keep people from riding around the streets on those damned ATVs.

SS United States docked on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, Pa

Every Philadelphian has seen this ship hundreds of times. We may see it for the last time soon.

That would be the SS United States — the fastest ocean liner in the world. Bigger than the Titanic and fast enough to water-ski behind, she’s a steamship so sophisticated, her capabilities remained a Cold War secret for decades.

She transported royalty and starlets. Her crew served frog legs in first class. Before the dawn of the jet age, the SS United States was the Concorde of her era.

via Fans of World’s Fastest Ocean Liner Put Out a Distress Call – WSJ.com.

It has a rich history and is an excellent candidate for a special kind of nautical and cold war museum. Seems like a waste to just scrap it.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia police are investigating the beating death of a man during a melee outside the Philadelphia Phillies’ ballpark.

[via Man beaten to death during Phillies game - The Mercury News - pottsmerc.com.