Philadelphia Daily Record

Vol. I No. 122

Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia

December 21, 2010

Philadelphia

Daily Record

Time Out

CITY COUNCIL paused earlier this week for a special visitor. He brought no budget shortfalls, no labor contract disputes, no irate protestors – just peace on earth and good will toward all.

Photo by Robert Mendelsohn

Lenfest Places FAMILY PHARMACY 1416 S. Broad St. Chips On 215-755-2010 City’s College Most Plans Accepted Program Mayor Michael A. Nutter ana $750,000 grant from the Meat nounced Lenfest Foundation to support ef& Deli forts to increase the college attainPrego Pizzelle Baker $29.99 $39.99 Uno Panini Brill

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ment rate in the City of Philadelphia. The Foundation’s support will fund the work of the PhillyGoes2College Office and the CollegeReady Committee of the Council for College and Career Success- two initiatives overseen by the Mayor’s Office of Education as part of an effort to increase the number of college graduates in Philadelphia. This is one of the largest grants the Lenfest Foundation has awarded this year.

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A key component of the Mayor’s educational agenda is to increase the City’s college-attainment rate from 18% to 36% by 2018. In 2007, the US Census Bureau reported Philadelphia was ranked 92nd out of the 100 largest cities in the country in college degree attainment, with only 18% of adults holding a Bachelor’s degree. Over the past several years, this rate has increased to 21%.

“The Lenfest Foundation’s generous grant will provide support to those who want to explore postsecondary education opportunities and THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

earn a college degree,” said Nutter.

“This funding will provide the public with important information and resources so they can make informed, educational decisions to support their personal and professional needs. In Philadelphia, college graduates earn more than twice as much as high-school graduates and ultimately strengthen our workforce.”

“It’s our pleasure to support the efforts of Mayor Nutter to ensure all Philadelphians have access to quality information and resources to help them earn a college degree,” said H.F. (Gerry) Lenfest. “This is an investment in Philadelphia’s future.”

The Lenfest Foundation grant will expand the PhillyGoes2College office’s outreach efforts to provide information and referrals about college-going at a City Hall-based office, through a website, citywide workshops and events for Philadelphians of all ages. Grant funding will also support the data-collection and analysis work of the CollegeReady Committee, a sub-committee of the Council for College and Career Success. This Committee brings stakeholders from K-12 schools and higher education institutions together with community and business leaders to identify and address challenges to college attainment in Philadelphia.

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How’s Our Civic Health?

A press conference is scheduled at the National Constitution Center to announce the results of the Pennsylvania Civic Health Index, the fist assessment of its kind in the Com-

monwealth of Pennsylvania.

The report contains data never before collected or reported. It tells the State’s civic-health story — how we compare to the rest of the

country when it comes to voting and volunteering.

The conference will be held at 2 p.m. with Gov. Ed G. Rendell, the keynote speaker.

The Fruit Fleet’s In

OFFICIALS of Philadelphia Regional Port Authority and steamship line CSAV welcomed first Chilean fruit vessel of the season to PRPA’s Tioga Marine Terminal on Dec. 20, 2010. Due to climate issues in southern hemisphere, this year’s fruit season is starting a little later than usual, though Capt. Andrés Montecinos predicts healthy volumes, possibly surpassing last year’s volumes by 5% or more. Pictured from left are PRPA Senior Deputy Executive Director Robert C. Blackburn, PRPA Director of Marketing Sean Mahoney, Capt. Montecinos, and PRPA Executive Director James T. McDermott, Jr. 21 DECEMBER, 2010

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Surveillance cameras Aim To ‘CLIP’ Illegal Dumping In Logan After a recent September community meeting, organized by the “Citizens United to Fight Blight” at the Harold O. Davis Memorial Baptist Church, surveillance cameras have been installed on the Logan Triangle. The meeting demanded measures that security cameras be installed at the Logan Triangle to capture information on the persistent illegal activity on and around the 35-acre vacant property.

Philadelphia’s Community Life Improvement Program began installing these cameras during the week of Oct. 27 and as of Friday, Nov. 5, a total of three cameras are in full operation, according to Brian Abernathy, chief of staff to Managing Director Richard Negrin. The triangle, located between Roosevelt Boulevard, Wingohocking Street, 11th Street and Marvine Street, has been beset by illegal dumping, prostitution and crime over the past 20 years. The Harold O. Davis Church is located at the south corner of the triangle and has been fighting these unwanted activities for years. It is now partnering with Logan CDC to tackle these issues.

The “traveling” cameras are meant 4|

to be moved around the city as needed, but will remain on the Logan Triangle for an undetermined amount of time, according to Abernathy. CLIP is part of the Streets Dept. and the Managing Director’s Office, and both offices will be monitoring the footage from the surveillance cameras and will be documenting license-plate numbers in order to issue citations.

Other key projects of the Logan CDC are the Logan CDC Carlton Simmons Community Technology Center, the Logan Neighborhood Advisory Committee, a comprehensive downtown revitalization initiative, and development of the Logan Urban Renewal Area.

Building Industry Group Picks New Board Members Four new members have been elected to the Board of Directors for the non-profit Building Industry Association of Philadelphia. They are: Brian Emmons, division assistant VP for Toll Brothers’ Philadelphia City Living Division, is a Center City resident. His responsibilities include managing the day-to-day operations for Toll Bothers Philadelphia Market. He is a graduate of Purdue University and worked for a commercial real-estate development company in Lafayette Indiana for 10 years prior THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

to joining Toll Brothers.

Carrie Nase is an attorney with the Center City law firm of Fox Rothschild and a resident of Conshohocken. Her practice focuses on representing developers, educational institutions, builders and property owners in connection with real-estate matters, including transactional, zoning and land-use issues. A graduate of Temple University and its law school, she has been selected as a “Pennsylvania Rising Star” by Philadelphia Magazine and Law & Politics Magazine (2006, 2007, 2008).

Martin Jay Tackett, AIA, is a Center City resident and principal architect at Tackett & Co., Inc., based in Center City. He is a graduate of Penn State and has his Master’s degree in architecture from Yale University. He served six years on the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Architecture and has been a guest critic in architecture and design at Penn State, Columbia, Temple, Ohio State, Philadelphia University and Drexel. His firm won the Gold Seal Award forthe renovation of the 22story Fountains at Logan Square in 2002 and the Vice President’s Golden Hammer for the EPA regional headquarters.

Jonathan Taylor is president and CEO of Modular Manufacturers Group LLC, based in Glenside, PA., a builder of modular homes and authorized dealer of modular 21 DECEMBER, 2010

homes in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Washington, D.C. He was previously president and CEO of Atlantic Partners, Ltd., an international marketing company; and the family-owned Taylor Lock Co. with factories and clients

worldwide. He is also a Glenside resident.

The BIA of Philadelphia, established in 1937, is the nonprofit organization which supports and promotes residential development in the City.

Vince Hughes And Friends Warm Up World Café Live

SHERYL LEE RALPH and her husband State Sen. Vincent Hughes speak at their annual holiday charity fundraiser held at World Café Live last night.

Photos by Robert Mendelsohn 21 DECEMBER, 2010

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Dec. 17Laborers’ Local 331 hosts annual Richard Legree Toys for Tots at Union Hall, 1310 Wallace St., 3 p.m. Toys will be given to children from Prodigy Day Care Ctr., Cunningham Ctr., Woodstock Women’s Shelter and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Dec. 17Friends of Chris Vogler Winter Warmup gala at SmokeEaters Pub, 7681 Frankford Ave., 7 to 10 p.m.

Tickets $40. For info call Bob Cummings at 267-471-9607.

Dec. 18Caribbean Night Happy Hour fundraiser for Lawrence Clark for City Council at Banana’s 876 Lounge, 5500 Rising Sun Ave., 6-9 p.m. Donation $10 includes food.; donate blanket for homeless and it’s $8. Make checks to Clark4Change, P.O. Box 27154, Phila., PA 19118.

Dec. 30Friends of Councilman Curtis Jones, Jrt., host yearend fundraiser “Curt Ain’t Crying the BLues” at Le Cochon NOIR, 5070 Parkside Av., Susite, 5100E. 7 p.m. to midnight.

Jan. 27Edward J. Lowry, founder of Phila.

Veterans MultiService & Education Ctr., will be honored on retirement at Waterfall Rm. in Plumbers Local 690 Union Hall, 2791 Southampton Rd., Cocktails 6-8 p.m., followed by Tribute Program. Tickets $65. Order by phone (215) 238-8050. Event Chair Ed Keenan, Board Chair Jim McNesby and Exec. Dir. Marsha Four. |

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AMONG HUNDREDS of socialites who turned out for an evening of entertainment in a good cause at Hughes affair were, from left, State Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown, School Superintendent Arlene Ackerman and Council Majority Leader Marian Tasco.

Emotionally Empty True Grit Provides Striking Old West Scenery

by Adam Taxin Pretty much all movies transport audience members somehow from their own existences. Some just are better about leaving long-lasting post-cineplex-departure “memories” of places and eras which those audience members will never actually personally visit.

Jeff Bridges pits himself against the ghost of John Wayne in this remake of a classic Western.

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Such is the case with True Grit, a remake of the 1969 John Waynestarring film based on Charles Portis’ novel, to be released widely in theaters tomorrow.

Talented directors Joel & Ethan Coen (Oscar Best Picture winner THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

No Country for Old Men, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Miller’s Crossing) left remarkable and beautiful visual impressions of 1870s Ft. Smith, Arkansas and Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) in recounting a story of the attempt of 14-yearold narrator Mattie Ross (newcomer Hailee Steinfeld) to extract revenge, with the help of no-nonsense US Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges in the role played by Wayne), for the murder of her father.

As is customary in a Coen Brothers movie, the Cogburn role is played

by Bridges with considerable 21 DECEMBER, 2010

quirks and humor. The acting of Steinfeld as Ross is, however, just a bit too flat (perhaps purposely) to be believable or engender much sympathy. Josh Brolin as Tom Chaney, the murderer of Ross’s father, and Matt Damon as Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (no first name) are adequate, but one could see other competent actors portraying such roles equally well.

The explanation for the film’s PG13 rating as “some intense sequences of Western violence including disturbing images” is a bit of an understatement. The movie contains numerous parts which are just gruesome and would

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likely detract from the moviegoing experience of someone of even average queasiness. Several days later, creatively gory visuals, particularly several scenes involving decayed corpses, lingered more than the way any lines were written or delivered.

For this reviewer, there may be an extraordinarily high threshold for being actually disturbed by a movie, but at the same time, plenty of audience members will not fail to notice when shock value seems almost a substitute for particularly memorable dialogue, classic scenes and characters about whom one actually cares. Somehow, some pretty

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good movies were made long became it became commonplace for directors continually to raise the bar in shocking audiences.

True Grit opens for wide release tomorrow at the UA Riverview Plaza Stadium 17 (South Philadelphia), the Pearl Theatre at Avenue North (North Philadelphia), and the UA Grant Plaza (Northeast Philadelphia), as well as numerous suburban theaters.

Adam Taxin can be reached via Facebook or at adamtaxin@gmail.com.

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