There is a rather stunning story in today’s Philadelphia Business Journaldetailing how more than half of the city’s potential work force lack the literacy skills to fill available jobs. We’re going to say that again: More than half of the city’s potential work force lack the literacy skills to fill available jobs. Is your stomach turning yet? How about this:
As it stands, more than 202,000 of the city’s adults have failed to obtain a high school diploma. The report also found that 52.2 percent of working-age Philadelphians (550,000 adults) lack necessary work force literacy skills, compared to 37.9 percent statewide, which means they struggle to follow written instructions or complete a form, such as a job application. The adults that fall below the literacy standard can only qualify for a third of the jobs in the current economy, which is roughly 211,000 jobs. By 2030, another 50,000 in the city will not have the basic literacy skills to compete for jobs in the economy unless the problem is addressed, according to the report.
PBJ’s info comes via a a report released by the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board, which also has a pretty harsh set of stats on its own site. The report is clearly a call to action to the City, and we’re guessing it won’t be long for Mayor Nutter comments on this, but in the meantime, allow us to take a breath and look at those figures again. Wow.
By now, you may have heard about Saturday’s tragic muder of Philly party promoterRian Thal, along with friend Timothy Gilmore, in the Navona building at the Piazza at Schmidt’s. We didn’t know Rian, but she was our neighbor back when Philebs was based on Hancock St. in Northern Liberties, and she was also, apparently, our MySpace friend. One of the weirdest things about modern death is the digital trail it leaves; refracted through her violent and untimely death — whatever it was she was into, she didn’t deserve this — some of her MySpace blog postings reveal a person not unfamiliar with beef:
Monday, May 12, 2008
one other question , that has to be Known
Current mood: calm
Category: Life
Here is another question: Why do people always try to make themselves better than others?
Is it because by doing so they feel like your equal, which they are truly are NOT, or is it just because they really want to be YOU, which they will NEVER BE. They talk to you like there more educated than you are, but the truth is they do not even have a collage degree. They try to impress you with what they are trying to be, whether its a promoter, stylist, model or even a scholar , but again its all a facade, they come from fucked up families, and try to be someone or something there really are NOT. The only thing I cannot understand is why they continue to make them selves look like an asshole, when EVERYBODY sees through all the bullshit. I think it makes them want to believe that they are somewhat important and actual are liked by some, which there NOT. The truth is the people/persons that you are trying to impress, see rite through you. In addition, do not even want to associate with you , like I always say “at the end of the day, it is what it is ” The only thing that you are really accomplishing is confirmation on what everybody already knows THAT YOU TRULY ARE A MISSERABLE FUCKING BITCH
Who knows what this was all about, or whether it had anything to do at all with the awful fate that met her and Gilmore on Saturday. What we do know is that three assailants are on the lam, still, and that this was not what you’d call a perfect crime by any stretch of the imagination. There’s multiple angles of video, lots of people around outside the building when it happened, and, it’s safe to assume, beef going in every direction. Sad.
“This isn’t really as fun as writing bubble mortgages, but that just
might be because I can’t afford drugs anymore.”
The same sense of duty that propelled us to tell you about the burping contest and The Brutaltron Bicycle Booze Cruise makes us want to let you know that Cardboard Tube Fighting Leagues are coming to Philly, and soon. (More info here.) Cardboard Tube Fighting, we believe, is one of these new Recession Pastimes that’s supposed to show us that, now that we have nothing, you can have fun with almost nothing! (See also: post below.) Anyway, this is all the rage in Seattle, where they apparently do unemployment right, and now you can have it, too, Philadelphia. Just make sure you don’t get your wires crossed and show up on the day they’re doing Metal Pipe Fighting instead.
Look: We’re all about spontaneous expressions of joy. I mean, isn’t this site nothing but that? But something about this whole flash mob dance thing on the Art Museum steps struck us as kinda naff the moment we heard about it. The dance seemed too cheerleader-y, it invoked friggin’ Rocky straight outta the gate (isn’t the only charm of this whole flash mob thing supposed to be it’s non-obviousness?) and seriously, “Cotton Eyed Joe.” (Can we all just agree that the only tolerable usage of “Cotton Eyed Joe” ever was in Humpers?) Anyway, the AMFB went off on Saturday, and this is it. We hate to be party poopers, but we just expected… more. And better. But perhaps we’re just spoiled by the much, much better flash dance mob that was on the season premiere of Weeds. Not a bored sorority girl in the bunch on that one. And no “Cotton Eyed Joe.”
Starting today [June 27], Pennsylvania will launch a 30 day speeding ticket frenzy. The state estimates that 9 million dollars will be generated in speeding tickets. 1 million will go to pay state troopers’ overtime. There will be 50 state troopers on duty at all times patrolling the 9 main intersections and highways. They are the following:
Rte. 1 north and south · PA-220 · I-99 north and south · I-95 north and south · I-279 north and south · I-276 east and west · I-376 east and west · I-76 east and west · I-80 east and west · I-79 north and south · I-70 east and west · PA-60 · PA-66 · US-22 & 322
5 mph above the limit can justify a ticket and every state trooper is supposed to pull a car over and write a ticket every 10 to 20 minutes. They have issued 30 brand new unmarked Dodge Charger Police cruisers and are bringing in all of their part timers on full time. If you work in western Pennsylvania , you will probably take one of these highways. It’s up to you how fast you are going when they clock you.
Inquiring minds wanna know! On one hand, this has all the markings of a Bullshit Email Fwd — remember the ones after 9/11 that were all like, “My cousin’s friend works for the FBI and they said there’s DEFINITELY going to an attack this weekend and I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW,” as if that could do anything except mong the fear — but then again, you never know. The rest is after the jump. (more…)
The Legends play England Belongs To Twee on Saturday night at Kung Fu Necktie.
FRIDAY:
>>> I’ve got some good news and I’ve got some other news, that you don’t need to feel any particular way about at all: A) There’s finally a weather forecast that you might able to do something with, and B) there’s not a hell of a lot happening to keep you hanging on to every word of Weekend Picks like it’s gonna go out there and make your fun for you. If you’re not going to Amanda & Nico’s wedding — KENTLANDS BUNNIES HOLLLLLERRRRRRR — here’s what you’ve got: Wheat at Kung Fu Necktie, Telepathe/Lemonade/Jotto at Johnny Brenda’s, and Femi Kuti (son of Fela) at World Cafe Live.
>>> Otherwise, get to know your friendly neighborhood Philadelphia Independent Film Festival.
SATURDAY:
>>> The Legends are this awesome Swedish band you’ve probably never heard, who owe a massive debt to the Jesus & Mary Chain and are in no way cagey about it. They know it, you know it, now let’s turn it up and have some fun. They play England Belongs To Twee at Kung Fu Necktie.
>>> Or, spend the day swimming at the Making Time at the Flying V Pool Parties thing.
SUNDAY:
>>> Walk in the park, listen to Mark, wonder where have all the fireflies gone.
RECOMMENDED: We promise you: Real-deal good movies are coming out this summer. We know because we’ve already seen some of them. But this is not that week. This week belongs to Transformers II, and, uh, it is what it is. However, the movie will play different to Philadelphians, who will devote most of their attention to seeing which Philly locations made the final cut. It’ll be kind of like Where’s Waldo?, but with a city.
ALSO NEW IN THEATERS:Whatever Works, starring Larry David as Woody Allen in the new Woody Allen movie which, much as we love both of these guys, looks like a real clunker, especially coming off Vicki Christina Barcelona; Cheri, Stephen Frears’s very promising latest, about a dandy (Rupert Friend) in Belle Epoque Paris pitted between Kathy Bates, his mother, and Michelle Pfeiffer, his lover; and My Sister’s Keeper, that cancer movie.
KYW has a weird little piece up, nabbing quotes from Sigma Sound Studios’ Joe Tarsia, publicist Randy Alexander and our man Jerry Blavat, all of whom spout pretty much the same Jacko platitudes that have been jamming up CNN’s airwaves for about 18 hours now, with the exception of Tarsia: Michael sang happy birthday to his daughter once. Oh, but to touch the hem of his garment! Meanwhile, Danny Bonaduce is hitching his wagon, too.
There are moments when WTF is simply not good enough, when we wish the letters could animate themselves into a beautiful butterfly made of mercury and fly away. This is one of those moments.
Seeing something around town of note? Cameraphone it to: tips[at]philebrity[dot]com.
1. Jackson’s death is going to make addiction to prescription painkillers the media/political punching bag for the next 18 months, even more than they already have been. Sure, with your Limbaughs and your Reid brothers and your teen Oxy deaths over the last few years, the story’s been on the regular media serving tray for a while now. But the death of Michael Jackson — in so many ways, a ringer for Elvis Presley’s death — will assure that pill-popping will finally start to do the boffo box office it deserves. It’s a part of us now. I mean, it always was. But get ready for new laws, new PSAs, new celebrity Vicodin-laced tell-alls, and so on. It’s gonna be enough to make you wanna take some pills.
2.This, along with the whole Will.I.Am debacle and a third, as-yet-unseen disaster, will finally rid the world of Perez Hilton.
3. Your Facebook event invites and email inbox will fill up with “Michael Jackson Tribute” party invites at local clubs. Update: This is already happening.
4. It may finally become safe to wear the “Beat It” jacket again without fear of someone thinking you are one of those real-deal, daddy-touched-me-in-my-bathing-suit-area Michael Jackson obsessives.
5. Every failing print publication in the world is going to do a special “Remembering Michael” supplement. And the man who once claimed the earth and the moon and the sun in the name of popular music will recede to just being another blip in the noise of modern life. Years from now, you’re going to have to explain to your kids just what the hell it was all about. And you’ll be at a loss, just like you are now. Good night, sweet King of Pop. Good night.
>>> By now, you’ve probably heard us blathering on at one point or another about the Weathervane Music Organization, the new non-profit musician advocacy thing headed up by local producer/musician/lover of Wawa Brian McTear (ask him about the meatball sandwiches). Tonight, with the first two Weathervane projects already out, McTear and gang invite you down to the Weathervane Launch Party, which will feature short films, a lot of info on what Weathervane is all about, and performances from The Armchairs and Papertrigger. It gets underway at 9PM at Kung Fu Necktie.
>>> Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival gets underway — lots to check out there — and Adam Arcuragi celebrates the release of his latest, I Am Become Joy, at Johnny Brenda’s.
Irv Homer, one of the last great Philly talk radio ramblers, died last night, and you can be sure we’ll miss him. We grew up listening to Irv on the likewise late, great, WWDB, which he discusses in the video above. (You can watch the rest of Irv’s history of WWDB on his YouTube channel; we also recommend his list of books not to read.) And in an age of table-thumping, self-appointed demagogues, it all just goes to show how much we could use more guys like Irv on talk radio now more than ever: “I never took radio serious,” he says in the clip above. “I just figured it was a great way to get involved and shoot your mouth off.” Amen, brother. Amen.
Back in the days when Philly was weird(er) and all Penn kids rocked the same vibe as The Preppy Rapist (but un-ironically, you see), there was a club at 38th & Chestnut called The Chestnut Cabaret, and it ruled the rock ‘n’ roll scene here with an iron fist. One could argue that West Philly hasn’t had as dominating a venue ever since; the Mill Creek Tavern is just like whatever, and World Cafe Live is so antiseptic that half the time, we can’t even remember it’s a music venue and not a Cosi. Tomorrow night, though, The Blockley opens up on the site of the old Chestnut Cabaret, with a good part of its hopes pinned on bringing indie acts local and national — plus a nice roster of regular DJs — to West Philly in a way that currently just isn’t happening otherwise. Booked by Jon Lyons, the Blockley’s opening-month roster features DJ residencies by Sammy Slice, Ian St. Laurent, APT One and Strawberry Mansion. Band-wise, they’ll be getting their sea legs with buzzy locals like Kill You In The Face. Meanwhile, between now and August, when The Blockley’s sister restaurant, Mary Oaks, opens, there’ll be 36 craft and local taps between the two. (Both the Blockley and Mary Oaks take their name from a forgotten bit of West Philly history involving The Blockley Almshouse, once a one-stop a poorhouse, hospital, orphanage and insane asylum. Charming place, really.) If it all feels a little NoLibs-y, well, maybe that’s just you being neighborhoodist. The north side of town didn’t invent the notion of having good local bands and DJs in a venue you’d actually like to drink in. We just perfected it. Hiyo! Just kidding. Not really.
In an interesting twist to a story that began over a year ago, the box of illegal Beatles confiscated by U.S. Customs officials at an area post office is now bound for the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., where will they be put on permanent display. The Beatles (John “Goliath” Lennon, Paul “Hercules” McCartney, and George “Rhino” Harrison) were frozen to prevent them from damaging crops and spreading Beatle Fever to vulnerable teens. Another Beatle found in the box, Ringo “Ladybug” Starr, was not considered necessary to the success of the Smithsonian exhibit and was excluded. Authorities believe that the Beatles entered the country after returning from a tour in Asia, where they were popular with youngsters:
Says our reader: “My neighbor just erected this massive RF antenna on his roof. I guess he thinks it will somehow help him pick up all of those TV signals that don’t exist anymore.”
Like two moths drawn to a flame, Jon and Kate Gosselin are inching ever closer to Philadelphia. Today it was revealed that they have filed for divorce in our neighboring county, Montgomery, rather than in their home county of Berks. The likely reason: To keep the records away from media scrutiny in an attempt to preserve whatever shred of privacy they have left. In the crazy, crazy world of the Gosselins, that actually seems to make sense. Kudos! Gosselins, we welcome you as our new “divorce neighbors” and also invite you to continue your proceedings right here in our fair city, where your divorce papers can stay sealed just as well as in Montco. Wernersville, you were a fun fling as a hot spot to visit, but your time in the sun is coming to an end…why should we have to travel to experience Gosselin mania when we can conceivably enjoy it right here in Philly? Can our very own Chill Lounge be far behind?
Listen up, young people: Even though adults are claiming that being unemployed is the cat’s pajamas, they’re probably just bluffing. And due to your presumed teenage angst, you probably wouldn’t want to spend more time with family this summer anyway. Mayor Nutter and the Philadelphia Youth Network have just given you the perfect excuse for not having to spend another listless summer stuck at home and having your parents just “not get” you: The announcement of 2,500 jobs for young people being added to the already-existing 6,500 positions through WorkReady Philadelphia programs. A key focus of many of these summer jobs is to emphasize the development of green technologies. These additional jobs were created courtesy of $7.4 million made available to the city through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Temple University, Caring People Alliance, Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, the Student Conservation Association, and the Philadelphia Youth Network Youth Ambassadors are just a few of the organizations that will be offering summer employment through this program, which aims to help youth further their educations and develop their workplace skills. To learn more about these summer employment opportunities, you can contact the Philadelphia Youth Network at 267-502-3800.
It’s times like this that we miss The Answer like he was the only piece of ass we ever got. DL the track and cabbage-patch to it for the rest of the afternoon. [via Deadspin]
There is a rather stunning story in today’s Philadelphia Business Journal detailing how more than half of the city’s potential work force lack the literacy skills to fill available jobs. We’re going to say that again: More than half of the city’s potential work force lack the literacy skills to fill available jobs. Is your stomach turning yet? How about this:
By now, you may have heard about 
>>> By now, you’ve probably heard us blathering on at one point or another about the 
Back in the days when Philly was weird(er) and all Penn kids rocked the same vibe as 
Listen up, young people: Even though adults are 
