"White Only " Pool?

Condemn discrimination at the Valley Club in Pennsylvania Two weeks ago outside Philadelphia, sixty-five children from a summer camp tried to go swimming at a club their camp had a contract to use. Evidently, the club didn't know the kids were largely Black. When the campers entered the pool, White parents took their kids out of the water, and the swimming club's staff asked the campers to leave. The next day, the club told the summer camp that their membership would be canceled and that they would refund their money. When asked why, the club's leader said the "kids would change the complexion ... and the atmosphere of the club."1 Please join us in condemning the Valley Swim Club's blatant discrimination and calling on the Justice Department to investigate whether they violated civil rights laws. And please ask your friends and family to do the same... The rest of the story http://www.keystoneprogress.org/page/s/pawhitesonly

Philadelphia Overall winner(s) May 19, 2009 Primary Elections; Seth Williams for D.A. Adam Beloff for Common Pleas Court And More

Philadelphia Overall winner(s) May 19, 2009 Primary Elections; Seth Williams for D.A. Adam Beloff for Common Pleas Court And More



Phila. Front Page News Endorsement of
Seth Williams - Williams Wins Dem D.A. Nomination:

Conventional wisdom suggested that Seth Williams was the favorite going in to the Democratic primary, but with no public polls it really seemed like anyone’s race earlier this evening. That feeling was reinforced when Daniel McCaffery (man with the TV $$$ ads) led in the election returns for more than hour. Also, I kept wondering if Dan McElhatton’s recent endorsements by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and The Philadelphia Daily News were going to translate into votes. But Seth Williams managed to motivate his supporters into action and to the polls.

We just caught the victorious Seth Williams, who won tonight's Democratic primary election for District Attorney, on Action News on 6ABC.

"Philadelphians have chosen hope over fear," Williams said. He added that the race had been tough, referring to the aggressive campaigning by Dan McCaffery. "It was very difficult for my family to have someone spend 500,000 to attack us."

Phila. Front Page News Endorsement of
Adam Beloff - Beloff Wins Dem
Common Pleas Court Nomination:

Dawn Segal Has Helped Black Women Cope With Severe Legal Problems by Sara Minor frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Dawn Segal Has Helped Black Women Cope With Severe Legal Problems by Sara Minor frontpagenews1@yahoo.com


Dawn Segal: Segal is excellent in assisting
women dealing with issues such as
social and economic legal problems.

Dawn Segal has assisted black women to be respected for their unique identity among the good tenants of Philadelphia history. Segal, a licensed attorney serving Pennsylvanians and New Jersey residents, has long been interested in saving the black neighborhood from ruthless people that exploit renters in Philly.

Segal has long understood that often courts fail to separate the difference between black women who have fallen on hard times based on no fault of their own, and issues that are relevant to any community like drugs and intentional refusal to pay rent. Black women, regardless of having children or not, face the most disparities in evictions and home foreclosures.

Dawn has a winning experience as a Philadelphia lawyer understanding clearly civil court language that is critical to legal cases and decisions for black women who are truly at a disadvantage. Segal is for just causes for men as well.

But speaking about women for the time being, Segal has been a practicing attorney for close to 25 years, trying cases in Philadelphia and the neighboring counties. She has handled personal injury lawsuits arising out of homeowner's claims, and has pushed for more awareness about depriving black women of proper access to the court system and the problem of lack of respect for all women. Segal, who has handled all aspects of municipal litigation including personal injury, contracts, land damage and federal civil rights, is well-known for speaking out against actions that violate the principles of equality before the law and due process under the rule of law.

Today black women in particular face a real dilemma finding lawyers who are employed on salary solely to provide legal assistance to qualifying low-income clients. In fact, while it is truly necessary to provide some level of legal aid to persons otherwise unable to afford legal representation in general, the very existence of good legal representation for low-income families might be gone. Dawn has also been known to step up and assist black women who would be at a disadvantage in situations in which the state or a wealthy individual took them to court.

Beyond the courtroom, Segal was an Acting Judge in Philadelphia for several years. Fighting discrimination, Dawn has volunteered for Women Against Abuse representing battered women, especially helping black women, and then served on the Women Organized Against Rape board, first as personnel director and then president for 5 years.

Segal also supports service to young people in Philadelphia. And she has studied at Temple University School of Law, which allowed her to acquire numerous skills in workshops for people interested in court issues. Dawn Segal, Esquire is running as a Democratic Candidate for Philadelphia Municipal Court on May 19, 2009. I think that a Philadelphia best choice for Municipal Court Judge is Dawn Segal. She has the experience and the credentials to serve Philadelphia women and all Philadelphians.

House at Pooh Corner, Press Release At FPN

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 11, 2009

Contact: Teri DiCesare, House at Pooh Corner, 215-843-0815

******

Chances are that if you grew up in Germantown, Mt. Airy or Chestnut Hill, you or someone you know attended pre-K at the legendary House at Pooh Corner, run by Teri DiCesare since its inception in 1979.

Teri was a teacher with a Masters in Early Education, and looking for quality daycare for her own daughter when she found herself facing the same impasse that confronts so many families – the Daycare Dilemma. How could she, an education professional, put her infant daughter into a daycare with an assembly line attitude at best? Did she feel comfortable knowing her baby would be spending eight plus hour days in a dingy church basement, or storefront soaped-window establishment, which were – and for the most part still are – the only “options” for families requiring all day care for their young children.

To bridge her own gap, Teri began a nursery school cum daycare in her Civil War era Germantown home. Within what seemed like no time at all, her business had grown to the extent that it took over her entire three-story manse, eventually driving her out of her own house and home. And it hasn’t stopped. Teri currently has a waiting list for her program, the length of which encourages women to show up at her door holding positive result pregnancy tests in order to reserve a spot for their yet to be progeny. With a future so bright, House at Pooh Corner has decided to go retro, and will be celebrating its 30^th year anniversary this June at Awbury Arboretum.

Teri and her staff, a number of whom have been at Pooh Corner for well over half their lives, have spent the past few months reaching out to former students, the eldest of which are now searching for quality daycare for their own children. The result has been remarkable, and gratifying. Using Facebook as their primary meeting place, Pooh Corner has reconnected with over 300 former students and their families, and has also served as a sort of re-matchmaker, connecting alums with each other. “Two best friends, [recent Masterman High School grads] joined us as Facebook friends, independently of each other”, says DiCesare, “And neither remembered having been fast friends when they were two and three, until they saw a photo we posted of the two of them together in our play yard.”

Other grads began posting photos from their own collections, and the site took off as a cyber-touchstone, with current and former “Pooh Corner families” checking in several times a day, “tagging”(Facebook lingo for identifying) themselves and their former compatriots in pictures, adding their recollections, and commenting on their current status. Many co-opted old photos of themselves posted on Pooh’s Facebook Page and are now using them as their “profile pictures”.

The reunion is especially poignant for those going through transitions, whether its graduating from middle school, high school, or college, or getting married and having children on their own. As one alumna said, “Making a new friend, from an old is an amazing experience. Through Pooh Corner I’ve reconnected with so many former classmates. These were – are – the people I spent the early days of my life with, and it’s a feeling I can’t begin to explain.”

If you or someone you know attended the House at Pooh Corner, we urge you to contact us, and invite you to take a quick jaunt down Memory Lane on our Facebook page, Houseat Poohcorner at www.Facebook.com.

Our Anniversary Reunion celebration will be held at the Awbury Arboretum on Saturday, June 20^th, from 3:00 – 6:00 pm, and will feature an afternoon of fun-filled activities for everyone including lots of food, games, prizes, live music (featuring, parent, Kevin Hanson of Huffamoose fame), then and now photos and multi-media presentations as well as a moonbounce and plenty of House at Pooh Corner memorabilia. More information, tickets and 30-year commemorative tee shirts are available through our newly re-vamped website www.HouseAtPoohCornerDaycare.com.

More Public Meetings On Philadelphia's Future Set For This Month

More Public Meetings On Philadelphia's Future Set For This Month

Philadelphia's Planning Commission hosted its second of five community meetings aimed at creating a blueprint for a better city.

The meetings are dubbed "Imagine Philadelphia," and they're being held in neighborhoods across the city to get feedback from residents. Acting Executive Director of the City Planning Commission Gary Jastrzab:

"We'll be using the information from these meetings along with our own research to prepare a series of technical, we've been calling them 'white papers', identifying issues and concerns and opportunities for the city."

The most recent meeting was held in Port Richmond. Three other meetings are planned for this month.

They'll be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on the 22nd, Germantown on the 29th, and Roxborough on January 31st. For more information, go to philaplanning.org.