💡 Get Philly smart 💡
with BP’s free daily newsletter
Read the news of the day in less than 10 minutes — not that we’re counting.
Newsletter for Oct. 14, 2014
INSTAGRAM OF THE DAY
Billy Penn at night, via Instagram user and professional photographer @colinmlenton.
JIM GARDNER IS USING ALL OF PHILLY’S ELECTRICITY
In an attempt to shame-but-not-really-shame businesses, the city released a dataset Tuesday listing the least energy-efficient buildings in Philadelphia. You won’t be surprised that none of our shiny skyscrapers made the list — two buildings in University City, five ex-Bell Telephone buildings run by Verizon, and 6ABC did. (There are caveats about buildings being built for one purpose and hosting power-hungry applications later on. Duly noted. Still glaring at Jim Gardner and Cecily Tynan right now.) At the same time, Mayor Nutter announced the start of the Energy Reduction Rate, trying to get buildings to lower energy usage by 5 percent in the next year.
COWORKING SHAKEUP: VENTUREF0RTH SOLD, IN TALKS W/ BENJAMIN’S DESK
VentureF0rth, the 3-year-old coworking space, has been acquired by one of the companies it’s incubating, the company announced Tuesday in a blog post. “There are just not enough hours in the day for us to be there to contribute in the way we once did,” wrote Elliott Menschik. And it may not be the end of change for the VentureF0rth team; new owner Marvin Weinberger told Technically Philly he’s in talks with Mike Maher, who runs the Center City coworking space Benjamin’s Desk, to combine some management functions.
YOU CAN APPARENTLY GET PAID TO PROTEST AGAINST PHILLY TEACHERS
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, the union that represents Philly’s public school teachers, is planning a rally on Thursday at 4 PM on Thursday at 440 North Broad Street, at the school district HQ. These teachers (and their supporters) will be carrying placards, but they won’t be paid specifically for this work. And if all goes to plan, a group of “counter-protesters” — people in street clothes carrying banners and flyers — will be there as well. But these people won’t be members of a union, protesting a mostly-secret, under-discussed change in their health benefits. Nope, they’re “brand ambassadors” being paid by a New York City guerrilla marketing firm, according to this post from The Declaration screengrabbed from a Facebook group. (The posting is no longer listed on that Facebook group, but Billy Penn can confirm that a Philly resident was emailed the same offer by the marketing firm Go Gorilla.) The gig pays from $40 to $160 for the day, but you’ve still gotta sleep at night knowing you took that kind of money.
TO DO: INDIE ROCK IN SOUTH PHILLY FOR $12
WHAT: Har Mar Superstar with Nowhere & Purple
WHERE: Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St.
WHEN: Doors open at 8 PM
HOW MUCH: $12
DETAILS HERE
BILLY PENN LIKES
TINA FEY WAS HANGING AT THE BETSY ROSS HOUSE
30 Rock maestro and Bossypants author Tina Fey was in town Monday, per this photo that the Betsy Ross House tweeted. Welcome home, Tina — how ’bout another public screening of Mean Girls sometime?
DAILY NEWS GIVES LEG THEFT VICTIM HIS SAY
Sonny Forriest Jr. talked to the Daily News. And it’s really worth reading the whole thing, if only because of this fabulous quote describing the “knockout gorgeous” brunette and exactly what happened when his prosthetic leg disappeared: “She started wiggling that butt on my junk… All of a sudden, she grabbed my leg, ran off and disappeared.” Well then.
