Results tagged “poverty”

Someone sent a threatening letter containing a suspicious substance to Barack Obama's South Philadelphia campaign office at 15th and Christian streets. The office was evacuated, but initial tests determined the substance was brown sugar. Meanwhile, McCain was unveiling his new plan for the economy in Montgomery County.

The Daily News talks to two Philadelphia area men about their experiences after being arrested and thrown into a Chinese prison.

Earlier this spring, when the whole thing came out about the Philadelphia School District's budget problems, their chief financial officer and budget overseer resigned. But it's just now coming out that, despite the fact that she only worked for the district for two years, she left with a ridiculously good deal: she was paid for unused vacation time, will keep her benefits for a full year, and will be paid at full salary for an extra nine months. Sounds like the deal was put together by departing School Reform Commission Chairman James Nevels and was not approved by the full commission.

bolster multiple shops and restaurants is simultaneously mind boggling and and comforting. And, yet, if you wander down Sansom, between 19th and 20th, that's just what you'll find.

The latest updates on the mayor's race for today: the Inquirer profiles Fattah, and his mission to defeat poverty in Philly through education. They also take a look at what it will mean if Sam Katz ends up entering the race, post-primary. Meanwhile, a health insurance firm run by Tom Knox is in trouble!

Delaware County blogger, Uncle Horn Head, has written in to let Phillyist know about a benefit for Project HOME, an organization dedicated to ending "the cycle of homelessness and poverty" in the Philadelphia area.

? Pamela... Poke her? Phillyist is giggling. (Via The Hi-Heeled Hotties)

you to visit it. And Philly gets visual. (The building's statuary has always been Phillyist's favorite part of the building, so we were intrigued to learn that no one knows exactly how many statues there are - or if they have an overall message. Sounds like a thesis project just waiting to happen.

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you.

The best of the internet, squirted out in flavorful neon globules, just for you.

Despite Mayor John Street's big show to end homelessness, homelessness in Philadelphia appears to be on the rise. In fact, both studies indicate that homelessness is at a ten year high, and the number of homeless living in Center City nearly doubled since last year. The executive director of Project HOME has suggested the increased cost of living in Philly and the increasing number of people living below the poverty line in the U.S. could be the reason.

Project H.O.M.E., an organization dedicated to ending Philadelphia's cycle of poverty and homelessness, will be holding their inaugural Young Friends Event tonight in Great Hall at the University of the Arts from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Lord of War is a movie divided against itself. At its most uncompromising, Andrew Niccol’s tale of an amoral arms dealer has an undeniable power. At its most acerbic, the same film provides fleeting moments of bleak and cynical laughter. But the center does not hold, and as this merchant of death traces his rise and fall, he carries the story’s fortunes with him.

Living up to its moniker of the City of Brother Love, Philadelphia welcomes Hurricane Katrina survivors today. City officials expect 600 survivors to arrive later today. Philadelphia's newest residents will go to two buildings converted to shelters -- one located at 1701 N. 11th St. in North Philadelphia and other at the Palumbo building at 11th and Catharine Streets in South Philadelphia.

Fernando Meirelles' new film, The Constant Gardener, is about watching and being watched. The previews may fool you into thinking it's a movie about scandals involving the pharmaceutical industry in Kenya, or about a multinational murder mystery, or a love affair starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz, or the exploitation of African poverty by a collusion of powerful government and corporate forces. And Meirelles, working from a screenplay by Jeffrey Caine, adapted from a John le Carré novel, turns his attention to each of these plot threads. But in the end, Gardener remains always a study on who gets to watch, whom is watched, and what happens when someone tries to escape, or even reverse, the terms of their surveillance. It is always about watching.

Let it never be said that bitching and complaining never amounts to anything. Clearly, it can. There's speculation in some corners that public outrage over the state legislature and their $11,000 pay raise they voted themselves in the middle of the night a few weeks ago might lead to an increase in the state minimum wage. There is precedent - state legislators raised minimum wage after giving themselves a giant pay raise in 1988.

So, Live 8 is over and we're all sufficiently motivated to learn about the upcoming G8 Summit, what President Bush is or isn't doing for Africa, and find the addresses for your local representatives, Congresspeople, Senators, and the President, intent on writing regular letters about the issues that concern us, right? And here's a free hint, kids -- the 2006 mid-term elections are fast approaching. May we suggest you register to vote now? No doubt, you've had your eyes opened to the plight of global poverty and you're ready to make a difference. Great! We're sure you've been wondering how to start right here at home while putting pressure on legislators to forgive African debt. After all, 18% of families in Philadelphia live below the poverty line, and there's an awful lot you can do to reach out and work together to improve the lives of thousands of poverty-stricken city residents.

We were there. And judging by the crowds, so were you. You may have seen some of us, at least those of us who were rocking the homemade Phillyist.com t-shirt. We certainly saw you: the boy crossing the parkway's mini-lake on a plank, the guy who climbed the tree and then shamed all future tree-climbers, Kanye West. Phillyist was spread across the Parkway, taking in the sights, the sounds, and unfortunately, the smells. Over the coming days, you'll hear our coverage of Philadelphia's big day, ranging from the basic logistical issues to the sexual politics of the day to how you can help fight poverty in Philly. The concert may be over, but the coverage, well, we'll milk it for everything we can get. So please come back and enjoy our Live 8 teat. Watch it with the teeth, please.

Tomorrow the hordes will descend on the Parkway to enjoy music and what will no doubt be an very close closeness with their fellow man, as Philadelphia hosts one of the 10 worldwide Live 8 concerts.