from the inbox:
On Friday, February 7 beginning at 4:30 p.m., PCN will air LIVE coverage of a democratic candidates forum from the Hotel Hershey.
Hosted by the Democratic State Committee Women’s Caucus, the event will first feature the democratic candidates vying for the chance to run for Lieutenant Governor on the November ballot. The democratic gubernatorial candidates will follow.
Jared Solomon’s campaign for the 202nd Legislative District has continued to gain momentum. On January 15, 2014, nearly 100 Northeast Philadelphia residents attended a community dinner held at Casa Brasil on Buselton Avenue in Lower Northeast Philadelphia.
“The feedback we’ve gotten to these dinners—and this campaign-- is nothing short of amazing,” said Jared Solomon. “Since announcing my candidacy just over a month ago, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. We’re already hitting the streets with dozens of volunteers a week, and hearing directly from the voters. It’s very clear—our volunteers are ready, our donors are ready, and the voters are ready. They want action, and we are going to bring it.”
The event at Casa Brasil is part of a series of “community dinners” the Solomon campaign is hosting throughout the 202nd District. This free dinner gives residents an opportunity to hear from Jared about the issues in an informal setting—without costing taxpayers a single dime.
Fundraising has also proved incredibly successful for the campaign. Though only officially a candidate for less than a month prior to the filing deadline, Friends of Jared Solomon raised over $65,000 from more than 450 donors in 2013.
“The most impressive part of Jared’s fundraising is the diversity of donors,” said George Matysik, Campaign Chair for Friends of Jared Solomon. “Jared’s not just relying on a few special interest groups to fund this movement—he has over 450 people investing in this campaign. Hundreds of Northeast residents are already investing time and money in Jared’s campaign because they are ready to bring a new day to Northeast Philly.”
Aaron DiDonato has created a Pennsylvania politics based video series called Counterpoint PA. The most recent video is on pro and anti choice bills in the PA legislature. The video before that is on judicial reforms. DiDonato tweets as @ProgPatriotPA . The videos are short, five or six minutes long, but very informative.
from the inbox:
The National Constitution Center is profiling one amendment a day in February! 27 Amendments (in 27 Days) is a fun and educational crash course in constitutional history, from the Bill of Rights to congressional salaries, and everything in between. The museum will kick off the new initiative in grand style with a First Amendment Fairfeaturing a sampling of Philadelphia’s arts and culture organizations, civic institutions, and media outlets on Saturday, February 1, 2014 from 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Representatives from the Arden Theatre Company, Handwork Studio, MetroKids, Philadbundance, and more will be on hand to celebrate the First Amendment with hands-on craft activities and prizes.
Additional programming highlights include:
· Monday, February 3, 2014 – National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen will convene an esteemed panel of privacy experts including Anita L. Allen of the University of Pennsylvania, Charlie Savage, Washington correspondent for the New York Times, and Peter Swire, recent appointee to President Obama’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies, for a frank discussion on the future of the NSA and privacy in connection with the Fourth Amendment. This FREE program takes place at 6 p.m. in the F.M. Kirby Auditorium at the National Constitution Center.
· Saturday, February 8, 2014 – Special activities include an interactive program on the Eighth Amendment presented in partnership with Eastern State Penitentiary.
· Thursday, February 13, 2014 – Visitors will have the chance to take a close look at the museum’s rare printing of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln and learn more about its history and the background of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Plus, visitors will have the opportunity to get an exclusive sneak peek of the museum’s summer feature exhibition.
· Friday, February 14, 2014 – Museum guests can celebrate the 14th Amendment and Frederick Douglass through special programs and activities.
· Saturday, February 15, 2014 – Learn more about the 15th Amendment, which prohibits the use of race in determining which citizens can vote. Amendments that directly impact the limits and powers of the Executive Branch also will be explored as part of the museum’s Presidents Day Weekend activities (Feb. 15 – 17).
Throughout February, visitors are encouraged to submit their proposal for a new amendment to be added to the U.S. Constitution, both onsite in the museum’s main exhibition, and online via the museum’s Facebook page and constitutioncenter.org. In addition, a poll question that corresponds with each of the current amendments will be asked daily to visitors. On Friday, February 28, the crowd sourced 28th Amendment will be revealed during a daytime Town Hall event hosted by Kathy O’Connell of WXPN’s Kids Corner.
The museum has partnered with Kids Corner to record a series of 10-minute overviews on each of the amendments with National Constitution Center Vice President of Education and Visitor Experience Kerry Sautner. The new series will debut on Kids Corner on Mondays beginning February 3, 2014. The Constitution Center also is partnering with KYW Newsradio for a series of 60-second vignettes that will run on the station throughout the month of February.
A series of educational videos, one on each amendment, is being developed in conjunction with University of Pennsylvania Law School Professor Kermit Roosevelt. The first series of videos will be available to view here beginning February 1.
The Center for American Progress Action Fund has done a study of voting access in 17 swing states, including Pennsylvania. The report is a 95 page pdf, Unequal Access: A County-by-County Analysis of Election Administration in Swing States in the 2012 Election by Anna Chu, Joshua Field, and Charles Posner, with Pennsylvania on p. 39 of the print, or p. 43 of the online version (full table on p. 83 of print, 87 of online).
Key PA findings:
Same old same old same old men in Congress, once again, deciding what sort of health care women can have. Read "All Male Congressional Committee Considers Imposing Far-Reaching Abortion Restrictions," by Tara Culp-Ressler," Think Progress 1/09/2014. (courtesy of MsRepresentation). Note the necessity to provide legal evidence of rape to be allowed a rape exception. The links in the article go to other interesting resources.
There are four finalists for the national Teacher of the Year Award. One is from Pennsylvania:
Ryan Devlin is an 11th-grade English and 9- 12th-grade technology teacher at Brockway Area Junior/Senior High School in Brockway, Pennsylvania, where he has taught for seven years and serves as head of the English department. Devlin also serves as the school's head cross country coach and the senior high gifted advisor. He is an active member of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, National Education Association, and the Brockway Area Education Association. Outside of school, he frequently speaks at state conferences and college campuses and is a cooperating teacher for Clarion University's student teaching program. Devlin also helped write Pennsylvania's new Core Standards English Language Arts Curriculum and over the years has won multiple grants for his innovative use of technology in the classroom. "Today's children will indeed become tomorrow's leaders, so we must teach them ways to find creative solutions to complex problems through collaborating with others and making the best use of technology," Devlin said. With a B.A. in secondary English education from Waynesburg University and a Master's in Educational Leadership from California University of Pennsylvania, Devlin also holds teaching certificates in English (grades 7-12), business/computers (grades K-12), and library science (grades K-12).
The EMILY's List Political Opportunity Program (POP) recruits and trains pro-choice Democratic women to run for office at the state and local level -- and we're coming to Pennsylvania. Join us for our Saturday, January 25th POP training in Philadelphia.
Whether you're just thinking about running for office or are currently serving at the local level, EMILY's List is here to help you take the right steps to get your campaign off to a solid start. If you give us a day, we will give you the tools you need to run a strong campaign and win.
Slate.com has a number of interesting blogs. One of my new favorites is The Vault, their history blog. The writer, Rebecca Onion, is a Philly-based historian and writer. Definitely worth a look.
from the inbox, information on an upcoming National Constitution Center event:
Former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden took online privacy concerns to a whole new level in 2013 when he leaked documents to The Guardian, proving the agency tapped into user data from Apple, Facebook, Google, and others as part of its PRISM surveillance program. A presidential task force has recommended an overhaul of the NSA program and federal court judges are torn between whether the data collection is or is not unconstitutional and in violation of the Fourth Amendment—ensuring the debate over federal privacy laws and the reach of the federal government will continue to grab headlines in 2014. National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen will convene an esteemed panel of privacy experts including Anita L. Allen of the University of Pennsylvania, Charlie Savage, Washington correspondent for the New York Times, and Peter Swire, recent appointee to President Obama’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies, for a frank discussion on the future of the NSA and privacy on Monday, February 3, 2014 at 6 p.m. A 5 p.m. reception with light refreshments will precede the discussion. This program is co-sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania.
For decades before the economic crisis, local communities were transformed as jobs were sent overseas and middle class Americans worked harder and harder but found it more difficult to get ahead. Announced in last year’s State of the Union Address, the Promise Zone Initiative is part of the President’s plan to create a better bargain for the middle-class by partnering with local communities and businesses to create jobs, increase economic security, expand educational opportunities, increase access to quality, affordable housing and improve public safety. Today, the President announced the next step in those efforts by naming the first five “Promise Zones”.
The first five Zones, located in San Antonio, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Southeastern Kentucky, and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, have each put forward a plan on how they will partner with local business and community leaders to make investments that reward hard work and expand opportunity. In exchange, these designees will receive the resources and flexibility they need to achieve their goals.
Each of these designees knows and has demonstrated that it takes a collaborative effort – between private business and federal, state, tribal and local officials; faith-based and non-profit organizations; children and parents – to ensure that hard work leads to a decent living for every American, in every community.
Philadelphia, PA (West Philadelphia)
The City of Philadelphia’s key strategies include:
o Putting people back to work through skills training and adult education; classes on small business development to support entrepreneurs; loans and technical assistance for small resident-owned businesses; and the development of a supermarket providing both jobs and access to healthy food.
o Improving high-quality education to prepare children for careers, in partnership with Drexel University and the William Penn Foundation, through increasing data-driven instruction that informs teacher professional development; developing school cultures that are conducive to teaching and learning; mentoring middle and high school youth with focus on college access and readiness; and increasing parent engagement.
o Preventing and reducing crime in order to attract new residents and long-term investments, through strategies such as focused deterrence, hot spots policing, and foot patrol.
This fall I put a birdfeeder just outside our kitchen window, a clear plastic feeder hanging from a tall shepherd's crook. Initially not many birds visited, though a pair of cardinals would stop by and pick out the sunflower seeds. Most of the birdfood was nabbed by enterprising chipmunks. Mr. J put a baffle on the shepherd's crook that foiled the chipmunks and as the weather got cooler more birds were eating at the feeder.
We keep a national bird book and a pamphlet on Pennsylvania birds near the window. So far, in addition to the cardinal family, I've spotted a number of sparrows (sometimes up to six at a time), a black capped chickadee, wrens, and a purple finch. At present I fill the feeder around every three days, or whenever it is completely empty, with two cups of standard birdseed (song bird variety), and an additional handful of sunflower seeds to keep the cardinals happy.
The entire family (including, perhaps especially, the cats) enjoys watching the birds and see what types of birds visit. I'm thinking of putting another feeder out in the yard, perhaps aimed at different kinds of birds.
In the spring the birds will build or refurbish nests and raise young. Most of this will involve trees. There is an interesting post on DailyKos today, citing research published in the Guardian, on the selection of trees in landscaping. Chosing native trees is important because natives usually attract more varieties of caterpillars, which birds feed to their young. Fewer varieties of caterpillars means less food for the birds. Interesting thought. You can read more here.
More news coverage of Jared Solomon's campaign for the 202nd state house seat:
A few recent articles that might be of interest:
Jared Solomon, Democratic candidate for the 202nd state house district is profiled in today's Inquirer: "Castor Gardens activist seeks to unseat state Rep. Mark Cohen," by Dan Geringer, 1/06
State Rep. Madeleine Dean featured in "In a hurry to make a difference," by Jessica Parks, Inquirer 1/02
State Senators Larry Farnese, Mike Stack, and Daylin Leach appear in "Dems turn up the heat on guv to back nondiscrimination, marriage equality bills," by Jenny DeHuff, Inquirer 1/06
State Rep. Brendan Boyle (currently a candidate for the 13th congressional district) and his wife welcomed a baby on January 2nd. What a wonderful way to celebrate the start of a new year! Congratulations to the Boyle family. For details follow his Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/brendan.boyle.7165).
Lots of things going on Monday. Montco has some firsts or "hasn't happened for a long time" events.
In Ambler, Jeanne Sorg will be sworn in as the first female mayor.
In Abington, the township commissioners have a Democratic majority for the first time since 1978. Margaret Gibbons has the details in the Intelligencer ("Abington dems ready to take control,") Commissioner Lori Schreiber sent out this press release:
In advance of the January 6 Abington Township Board of Commissioners Organizational Meeting, Commissioners Wayne Luker (Ward 5), Lori Schreiber (Ward 14), and Steven Kline (Ward 1)—leadership of the Board’s new Democratic Majority Caucus—are excited to announce that the caucus has convened to define goals and priorities for the upcoming year. In a joint statement, these veteran Commissioners said, “Abington Township is a very well-run township with a seasoned staff of experts, and we intend to rely heavily on that expertise. However, improvements can be found for even the finest of operations. Therefore, the majority Commissioners would like to begin by focusing in the areas of Economic Development, Communications, and Budgeting.” In their remarks, they also explained that there are some areas in which they are inheriting obvious problems, and so it is important from the start to conduct some internal assessments, determine which areas need improvement or updating, and establish reasonable timeframes to implement solutions and innovations.
The first step towards accomplishing these goals will be the election of the new Board President and Vice President during the Board’s Organizational Meeting on Monday, January 6 at 7:30pm. At this time, the new majority will nominate Wayne Luker—a 22-year veteran of the Board—as President and Steven Kline as Vice-President. Both Commissioners have been endorsed by the entire caucus, which also includes Commissioners John Spiegelman (Ward 11) and Tom Bowman (Ward 15) and Commissioners-Elect Michael Markman (Ward 2), Jimmy DiPlacido (Ward 4), Ben Sanchez (Ward 7), and Tom Hecker (Ward 10). The majority caucus is confident that this leadership has the skills and vision necessary to guide the Board’s agenda in the service of all Township residents. Moreover, the new majority looks forward to bringing its collective abilities, experience, and creative, forward-thinking ideas to the task of further advancing Abington as the region’s premier first-ring suburban community, and to working with the entire Board of Commissioners to get the job done.
Chris Cillizza, who writes the Washington Post's Fix blog, presents a fascinating infographic of the highest paid state employees in all 50 states. Before clicking through try to guess what the most common job description is. Something is terribly wrong with our collective priorities.
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