Philadelphia Daily Record

Vol. III No. 78 (442)

Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia

April 30, 2012

Philadelphia Daily Record

Playtime

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY Charter School parents, representatives from Dr Pepper and Snapple and other volunteers helped school build a playground for new facilities located at 4601 Girard Avenue. Project was donated from Kaboom! and supported by a grant from the beverage companies to help GLA’s healthy-child initiative. Pictured in front of new playground are, from left, GLA Charter School-board members Anita M. Lewis and Marie Simpkins; GLA-CEO Dr. Naomi Booker; State Sen. Vincent Hughes (7th Dist.); Mary Houston, president AKA SororityRho Theta Omega chapter; Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell; and Councilman Curtis Jones).

Photo: Martin Regusters, Leaping Lion Photography

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Translation/Interpretation Arabic, Hebrew, English, French For more information, call William Hanna

May 4Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship Committee hosts annual Contest & Open House at Training Facility, 10401 Decatur Rd., 8 a.m.-5 p.m. For info Director Charles T. Brock (215) 824-2300.

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May 5Historic AME Church’s Rev. Dr. Mary Lou Moore of “I Can Ministries, Inc.” and Wells Fargo Bank host “I Can Empowerment Expo”, 1at Union AME Church, 1600 W. Jefferson St., 10 a.m.-3p.m.

All invited to attend. Activities include financial workshops, breakout sessions for all ages.

Family event. For info Dr. Moore (215) 920-8604.

May 7Fundraiser for Phila. 9/11 Memorial at Pub & Grub, 2001 Hamilton St., 6-9 p.m. Open bar, food. Donation $30. For info Joe Eastman (609) 290-8803.

May 11State Rep. Ron Waters hosts Senior Health Expo & Luncheon for 191st House Dist. at KIPP W. Phila.

Charter Sch., 5900 Baltimore Ave., 11 a.m.-2 pm. Free. For info (215) 748-6712.

May 15Mothers In Charge hosts 9th Anniversary Celebration at Penn’s Landing Caterers, 1301 S. Columbus Blvd., 5:30 p.m. For info

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Dorothy Johnson Speight, Mothers In Charge, 1415 N. Broad St., Suite 229, Phila., PA 19122.

May 171st Annual Spring Social for Chapel of Four Chaplains, 1201 Constitution Ave., Bldg. 649 in Navy Yard, 5:307:30 p.m. $20 Early Bird, by May 16. At door, $25. For info (215) 218-1943 or Events@Fourchaplains.org.

May 19Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration at Franklin Sq. Park, 6th & Race, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

May 23Jobs With Justice annual Solidarity Reception at District 1199C, 1319 Locust St., 5:30-7:30 p.m. To be honored are Henry Nicholas, Jody Dodd, Jim Savage, Amanda Geraci and Occupy Phila.

Jun. 10St. Edmond’s Parish Centennial Dinner at Penn’s Landing Caterers, 1301 S. Columbus Blvd., 2-6 p.m.

Ticket $65 with a cash bar. For info (215) 334-3755.

Jun. 15-16-7- Annual St. Maron Church Lebanese Festival on Ellsworth Street beween 10th and 11th. Friday from 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. No admission. All welcome. Authentic Middle East cuisine and entertainment.

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Casey Pushes Action On Violence Against Women Meeting with anti-sexual abuse and anti-domestic violence advocates at the University of Pennsylvania’ Women’s Center, US Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) urged Congress Friday to pass the Violence Against Women Act. On Thursday, the Senate passed a version of the legislation that included provisions of the Senator’s Campus SaVE Act, which aims to combat sexual violence on college campuses, but now the House must act on the bill.

“VAWA has proven to be extremely effective in protecting Pennsylvania women and supporting victims of abuse and assault, and I call on the House to quickly pass this legislation so that these critical protections are not lost,” said Casey.

The provisions of the Campus SaVE Act would ensure that campuses respond swiftly and appropriately to reports of sexual

violence and empower students and employees to end unhealthy relationships and seek assistance.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently conducted a survey that found that one in five women have been raped in their lifetimes, and one in four has been the victim of severe violence by an intimate partner.

Fattah Hails Agreement On Science Education Two of the nation’s most successful youth service organizations – in an agreement forged

by Congressman Chaka Fattah – announced on Saturday they will introduce a far-reaching partnership that promotes and mentors science and technology education. This partnership is designed to change the life chances of millions of the nation’s children and in turn drive American global scientific leadership.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and

Technology) and Congressman Fattah will meet in St. Louis to formalize the American Innovation and Mentorship (AIM) Agreement to provide Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) opportunities and FIRST’s innovative roboticsbased programming at 3,000 Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide by 2015.

“We are AIM’ing high with this agreement to entice millions of young people to have an interest in engineering, science and STEM-related careers,” Fattah

said. “Bringing together these two great youth organizations for American Innovation and Mentorship is a perfect match – for the young people of America and for our nation’s greatness.”

The backdrop for this historic collaboration advancing the missions of both organizations was the final day of the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

Congressman Fattah, a leader in (Cont. Page 5)

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Daily Waffles From Joe Sbaraglia (The Waffleman) Yo! Here we go again with these thoughts on things that require valid ID: BELGIUM BLOCKS - and cobblestones, were originally used to pave most of the streets. Delaware and Washington Avenues are two examples. They were very rough. Riding a bike on these streets was agony. People

who owned cars, would drive on these streets to work in the grease after a lube job.

Cobblestones are not the same as Belgium-Blocks.

Cobblestones are rounded natural stones. BelgiumBlocks are square or oblong

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blocks cut from granite. Belgium Blocks can still be seen in some parts of South Philadelphia. Streets were also paved with bricks.

BEN'S - was at the corner of Watts & Jackson Streets.

It was a Jewish luncheonette that catered to the students and teachers of South Philadelphia High School.

Ben had great food. There was always had a variety of knishes ready to be cooked and enjoy by his patrons.

Ben's Knishes cost ten cents.

BIG TOP CIRCUS - Jack Sterling was the Ringmaster of this circus show. He was tall and elegant. He wore a bright red jacket with tails, jodhpurs, knee high shiny black boots and a chrome whistle on a white lanyard.

Big Top Circus was broadcast on Saturday mornings.

There was a clown on this circus show, of course. He was unique in that his nose lit up. It always had a message on it like, "We'll be right back," or some other message. This clown was Ed McMahon. Then there was Mary Hartline.

To buy a copy of this book E-Mail Dwaffleman@aol.com

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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD (Cont. From Page 3) Congress on education and scientific research, brought these organizations together in order to dramatically expand access to exciting educational opportunities for all students. Boys & Girls Clubs of America President Jim Clark and FIRST Founder Dean Kamen joined Fattah for the ceremony.

Fattah said, “We want to make it easy and fun for our youth to play an active role in renewing America’s commitment to retain global leadership in innovation and technology.”

Fattah has been a dogged advocate for STEM issues throughout his career. In September 2011 he

hosted a National Science Foundation Summit in Philadelphia highlighting the agency’s report, “Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics on best practices on STEM education.”

Statewide Group Calls To Halt Prison-Building In an open letter to Gov. Tom Corbett that was released today, the statewide coalition Decarcerate PA demands that the Governor declare a moratorium on pending prison construction while the newly formed Justice Reinvestment Working Group assesses the state’s bloated prison system. The coalition’s letter also calls on Corbett to include two key stakeholder communities that have been excluded from the Justice Reinvestment process: formerly incarcerated people and representatives from Philadelphia.

“Formerly incarcerated people and their families are a crucial part of any conversation about community health, safety, and resources,” said Hakim Ali of Reconstruction, Inc., a community-based reentry organization in North Philadelphia. “But the Justice Reinvestment Working

Group isn’t listening to us.”

In the letter, which was sent to Gov. Corbett, Dept. of Corrections’ Secretary Wetzel, Mark Zimmer of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency, and every member of the Justice Reinvestment Working Group, Decarcerate PA commends the Working Group’s stated mission, but calls on it to go further to bring all stakeholders to the table. The letter also points out that the Council of State Government Justice Center, which is partnering with Pennsylvania on this effort, has called into question the need for the state’s $685 million plan to build new prisons.

The Justice Reinvestment Working Group is a collection of judges, lawmakers, and others who were convened by the governor in January 2012 to make

recommendations on how the State can reduce corrections spending, decrease recidivism, and enhance public safety.

The Working Group, which has held one private meeting to date, is tasked with holding focus groups and soliciting input from key stakeholders. Still, this committee does not include people who are currently or formerly incarcerated or their families.

“We do not need and cannot afford more prisons,” said Dan Berger of Decarcerate PA. “The justice reinvestment process is a chance for our state to pull back from the brink of a disgraceful prison crisis. If Gov. Corbett is sincerely committed to the process, he must cancel any and all plans to build or expand the State’s prison system.”

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City’s Home Prices Hold Their Ground City Controller Alan Butkovitz today issued his latest economic report that indicated Philadelphia’s median home sales price declined only four percent over the last five years. In April 2007, the median price was $120,000 compared to the current reporting price of $115,000.

Philadelphia’s decline in median home sales price was not as steep as what many other large U.S. cities included in the Controller’s review experienced throughout the latest recession period. Phoenix realized the largest decline with 62%, from

$235,000 in April 2007 to $90,000 in April 2012.

San Diego $300,000

Chicago and Los Angeles followed with declines at or about 45%. Chicago went from $295,000 to $161,000 and Los Angeles from $525,000 to $292,000 during the same reporting period. Other cities with declining median home sales prices included: City April 2007 April 2012 % Change

Dallas $72,000 -26%

San Jose $375,000

$650,000 -42%

Houston $79,000

$460,000 -35% $53,000

$91,000 -13%

Median sales price data was gathered by using Trulia’s Market Trends, which is an online real estate site that compiles its data from public sources. The latest reporting data for Philadelphia was from October 2011. All other cities included in the reported were as of April 2012.

2 Philly Lawyers Renew State Bar Posts Phyllis Horn Epstein, a partner in the Philadelphia firm of Epstein, Shapiro & Epstein, P.C., will begin a second one-year term as treasurer of the Pennsylvania Bar Association at the conclusion of the organization’s annual meeting May 11 in Lancaster.

A past member of the PBA House of Delegates, Epstein has served as co-chair of the PBA Commission on Women and has 6|

been a member of the PBA Nominating Committee and the PBA Quality of Life/Balance Committee. Epstein is a past editor of the PBA Commission on Women’s official publication, Voices and Views.

Epstein is a member of the American Bar Association’s Section on Taxation and has been the editor of the section’s newsletter and liaison to the ABA Commission on Women. A

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frequent and prominent lecturer on tax matters, Epstein is the author of Women-at-Law: Lessons Learned Along the Pathways to Success published by the ABA Press.

She is a graduate of Temple University and the Temple University Beasley School of Law, from which she also received a Master of Laws in Taxation degree.

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD Charles Eppolito III of White & Williams LL.P will begin the second year of his two-year term as chair of the PBA House of Delegates.

Eppolito served as PBA secretary from 2007 until 2010 and served on the PBA Board of Governors from 2001-2004 and 2007-2010. Eppolito previously

served on the executive board of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division.

He is a board member of the Justinian Society of Philadelphia.

Eppolito has been a speaker or panelist for a number of professional programs, including effective trial advocacy, trial strategy and tips, alternative dispute reso-

lution, effective use and crossexamination of medical experts, mentoring, diversity and quality of life/balance.

Eppolito is a cum laude graduate of Villanova University and the Villanova University School of Law.

Philly Greens Chose Roseanne Barr For Prexy

by Chris Robinson On the evening of Apr. 26, Green Party of Philadelphia voters met at the Buzz Café, www.buzzcafephilly.com, in Kensington for a presidential caucus. The local Greens considered three candidates for the Green Party’s nomination to run for President of the US. The reasons for nominating Dr. Jill Stein, www.jillstein.org, were presented by Howie Hawkins, co-chair of the Green Party of New York. Stein is a general practitioner, who ran as the Green Party candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in 2002.

The reasons for nominating Roseanne Barr, www.rosean-

neforpresident.com, were presented by Hillary Kane, a member of the steering committee of the Green Party of Pennsylvania.

Barr is a well-known actress and author from California, who has long been involved in Green Party politics.

The reasons for nominating Dr. Kent Mesplay, www.mesplay.org, were presented by Esther Croft, a founding member of the Green Party of Philadelphia. Mesplay is an indigenous American (Blackfoot), air-quality inspector and emergency-shelter manager in California, who previously sought the Green Party nomination for President in 2004 and 2008.

swers and much discussion, members of the Green Party of Philadelphia cast secret ballots giving 55% of their votes to Barr, 40% to Stein and 5% to Mesplay.

Similar presidential caucuses are scheduled for other Pennsylvania counties in the near future.

Philadelphia’s votes will then be combined with those cast at other county caucuses to determine the proportion of delegates for each candidate elected by Pennsylvania Greens. The final decision on the Green Party’s candidate for President of the U.S. will be made when the elected state delegates meet at the Green Party National Convention Jul. 12-15 in Baltimore, Md.

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‘Brighter Futures’ Notes 20 Years Of Awards

FROM LEFT, Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, director of Phila. Dept. of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services; award-winning author Rachel Simon; Kathy Sykes, director of IDS; Loraine Ballard Morrill of ClearChannel Radio, mistress of ceremonies; and Bill Baldini, NBC10 former newscaster who exposed Pennhurst Institution decades ago. Baldini was one of many previous Brighter Futures award-winners who were honored at 20th anniversary event. Photo: Scott Weiner 8|

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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD Rachel Simon, the award-winning Bryn Mawr College alumna and author of five books, including Riding the Bus with My Sister and her new novel, The Story of Beautiful Girl, was the keynote speaker at the 20th-anniversary MyFuture MyPlace Brighter Futures Awards event, sponsored by Philadelphia Intellectual disAbility Services and its Public Awareness Committee recently at the Sheraton Downtown Philadelphia Hotel.

Kathy Sykes, director of IDS (a division of the Dept. of Behavioral Health & Intellectual disAbility Services),was delighted that Simon, a long-time advocate for people with special needs, keynoted the celebration.

Simon’s latest book, the novel The Story of Beautiful Girl, is a fictional and heart-wrenching account of the past 50 years of so-

ciety’s treatment of people with intellectual disabilities, with an optimistic outlook for the future.

Proclamations from State Rep. James R. Roebuck, on behalf of the state legislature, and from Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, on behalf of City Council, were presented at the keynote session to congratulate the IDS Public Awareness Committee on the 20th anniversary of their efforts and in honor of National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

Mayor Michael Nutter spoke at the luncheon program, congratulating everyone for 20 years of progress. Loraine Ballard Morrill, of ClearChannel radio served again as mistress of ceremonies. Arthur C. Evans, Jr., PhD, director of Behavioral

Health & Intellectual disAbility Services, gave an overview of progress and challenges. Rachel Simon gave a slide presentation outlining the impact on public awareness that her book and the HBO movie made from Riding the Bus with My Sister have had, as well as sharing her experiences on the Hollywood set with stars Rosie O’Donnell and Andie McDowell. She urged the audience to continuing advocating for restoring cuts to Gov. Corbett’s budget.

Past winners of the Brighter Futures awards were honored at the luncheon, including former NBC10 newscaster Bill Baldini, who exposed Pennhurst and hundreds of people, including those with intellectual disability, staff members, agency executives, and family members attended the day-long event.

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