Yesterday a Delaware County trade-school instructor mistakenly left his 14-month-old grandson in the backseat of his sweltering car in the Lawrence Park Shopping Center while he went to work for several hours in Broomall. Apparently he typically picks the child up in the morning and takes him to day care, but yesterday he forgot the boy was with him, and only realized his mistake when he came back in the afternoon to get something out......

Given the crime rate in Philadelphia, it's not surprising that there are plenty of children in our fair city with a parent (or two) behind bars. Since children often model their behavior after what they see their elders doing, we could be in for a heap of trouble. According to New York Amsterdam News, children of incarcerated parents are six to 10 times more likely to end up in prison than the average young person.......

Today, from 9AM through 5PM, Media Mobilizing Project and local broadband activists are urging Philadelphians to call Mayor Michael Nutter to demand that the city step in to save the Wireless Philadelphia network. If you want to give it a shot, the numbers are (215) 686-3000 or (215) 686-2250. The Delaware River Port Authority is conducting two public meetings about its planned efforts to ease congestion on the Philadelphia side of the Ben Franklin Bridge.......

Phillyist likes supporting good causes, and you can’t get a better cause than breasts. Our lip service pales in comparison, though, to the efforts of five local women, who are raising money to participate in 2008 Philadelphia Breast Cancer 3-Day this October. Each walker must raise $2,200 to take part in the 60-mile trek, and the women, collectively known as Team Bosom Babes, are turning to a time-honored Philly tradition to meet their goal: the......

Photo credit: sushiesque/Flickr Bostonist attended the Anime Boston convention and took some glorious pictures of anime fans showing off their costumes at the mall, much to the delight of civilians.Seattlest took a trip on Virgin America Airlines and lived to tell the tale of its awesomeness.Londonist experienced a total lack of surprise at the chaos, crisis, and near-collapse of famous English reserve at the opening of the hotly opposed new airport terminal T5 at......

Ask anyone in an even slightly serious relationship: real change is impossible without good communication. You've got to UNDERSTAND each other; take your little concessions and feel free to make your points; get at that deep seated shit and work it OUT, man. You got to be PROACTIVE, knowwhatImean, be willing to GIVE and TAKE and talk and cry and all that good shit. It’s hard but it’s NECESSARY, youknowwhatImsayin? It’s deep man… hard. But......

LAist initially met the coolest police officer at the Anonymous protest, and then later caught thousands of UCLA students celebrating spring break in their undies....

As the race for delegates remains hot, all eyes are on Pennsylvania—and The Fire (412 W. Girard) is getting involved. You can too! From now until March 24, volunteers will be on hand during live shows to register voters as Democrats to participate in the the April 22 primary. (Full disclosure: Pencopal is actively involved in Philadelphia For Obama, but had no hand in the organizing of this event.) Mix activism with alcohol by taking......

Did you know that in 2005, women represented 26 percent of new AIDS diagnoses, compared to only 11 percent of new AIDS cases reported in 1990? Or that most women are infected with HIV through heterosexual contact and injection drug use? And did you know that women of color are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, or that AIDS is now the leading cause of death for black women ages 25 to 34? Today is National Women......

In honor of Ben Franklin’s birthday, lettuce-clothed PETA activists braved the cold yesterday afternoon to spread the word about animal cruelty. Dressed in nothing but iceberg lettuce, a bit of trim and a stretchy waistband, local Lettuce Lady Nicole Mathews passed out faux-turkey sandwiches, talked to tourists and answered bewildered Franklin Institute attendants in 30 degree cold. All, of course, prompting the perfectly reasonable question, “whaaaa?” It turns out our city’s great historical mascot (in......

If you have some free time this Sunday and just can't wait to hear more about Mayor-Elect Nutter's vision of "Philadelphia being the next great city," sign up as a volunteer for the The Great Expectations Citizens Convention. Volunteers are needed from 10:30AM-6PM to staff registration tables and act as guides to rooms between sessions. We're betting you'll be able to sneak a peak at some talks while you're at it too, including Michael......

At 12:30 this afternoon, the organization Moms Against Guns will bring its message to the masses from a stage in Love Park. Lynne Korman Honickman, local philanthropist and founder of the organization, was told she'd be "spinning her wheels" if she tried to galvanize women across the state to express their outrage over our appalling rate of gun violence, particularly that against children. This afternoon's rally is the organization's official kick-off; there is already......

According to Phillyblog, there's a protest tonight from 5 to 7 at the Sugar House site on Delaware and Frankford Avenues: Many Northern Liberties residents and business owners, whether for or against casinos in general, have expressed opposition to the location of the Sugar House casino, which would be on the northeast corner of our community, as little as 190 feet from residential homes. Accordingly, the NLNA has joined with two dozen other neighborhood groups......

...that our city is the most beautiful place? Yes, we know we stole that line from a Flaming Lips song, but that doesn't make it any less true. Saturday afternoon come out to Northern Liberties and feel the love all over again with realizePhiladelphia, a free music and art festival in Liberty Lands Park. From art and live music to puppetry and comedy, immerse yourself in the local flavor. Come for the outdoor art gallery......

Girls Rock Philly, the organization, is gearing up for Girls Rock Philly, a week-long alternative music camp for girls aged 10-18. This is the first time Philadelphia will host such a camp (we're slightly behind Chicago, New York, Portland, and Murfreesboro, TN), and they need your help to make this debut really, well, rocking. The Camp will take place from August 6-10 at Girard College, with a final matinee performance on Saturday the 11th.......

Phillyist has a problem with school, specifically that we can't stop going. We're fortunate in that regard, as our current gig allows for free college classes, which we take with impunity. But we also realize we were lucky to have the resources to obtain a decent education, and the related accoutrement, in the first place. Books Through Bars is a local organization dedicated to getting educational materials and programming to those who are incarcerated. Founded......

To state the obvious: Spiral Q Puppet Theater is a Philadelphia institution. Combining social activism with larger-than-life puppetry has made the organization a neighborhood favorite in, well, many neighborhoods in the city, seeing as how their folks partner with the community to put on fantastic parades and pageants. You'll be able to see puppets in action this Saturday at 1 pm, rain or shine, when Spiral Q presents the 3rd annual UP North Parade and......

In response to the shootings on the Virginia Tech Campus and the escalating violence on Philadelphia streets, Broad Street Ministries will hold an ecumenical candlelight vigil service tonight at 7 p.m. “The organizers all care about this issue for various reasons,” said Bill Golderer, the pastor of BSM. “One of us has two kids in college. Another’s nephew was murdered recently. In our minds, these types of violence are all linked together, and we feel......

On average, women and children in developing countries walk three miles a day to provide clean drinking water for their families. This Saturday, Philadelphia’s acknowledgement of the World Water Crisis will continue with the city’s Third Annual Walk for Water. The walk will begin at Love Park and end at the World Café Live, where participants will get to see a performance by the Sekere Women’s Ensemble, as well as enjoy a complementary lunch. Participants......

Today is World Water Day. To kick off Philadelphia’s celebration of this, tonight, at The Bridge, Starbucks, Brandywine Valley Association and Water for People will sponsor screenings of three documentaries about the world water crisis. The films shown will be One Water, Running Dry, and a piece about a water program in Kenya that is run by UNICEF. A question and answer session will follow the screenings. Starbucks, Brandywine Valley Association and Water for People......

Phillyist may not always love Valentine’s Day, but we do love V-Day, Eve Ensler’s campaign to stop violence against women. Opening tonight, the University of Pennsylvania’s production of The Vagina Monologues will take place in Irvine Auditorium at 8PM. All proceeds will benefit Women Organized Against Rape, Philadelphia’s only rape crisis center. Tickets for this event always sell out, so it is strongly recommended that you reserve yours in advance! V-Day University of Pennsylvania 2007......

Given the low cure rate for many cancers and the fact that cancer will affect one in three people in their lifetimes, Lance Armstrong is looking to create a massive lobbying group for and by the people to ensure the improvement of cancer care, treatment, and research, while ensuring that such programs receive the requisite funding. As we are still behind in diagnosing, preventing, and treating this pervasive disease, it needs to be placed higher......

I've become friendly with local photographer JJ Tiziou since interviewing him in October. We've had sushi, we've gone to shows, and we've kept in touch, privately or through mass mailings, about all of the crazy field trips he's been on or planning lately. I found his most recent update particularly stirring and troubling. JJ was in Oaxaca, Mexico, acting as the photographer with a delegation invited by the Oaxacan Human Rights Network. I spent......

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is almost upon us, and with it unique opportunities to volunteer in the community. As promised, we give you the 12th Annual Martin Luther King Day of Service. The day grew out of national legislation aiming to create a day of citizen action in honor of Dr. King’s work. And it grew, and grew, and grew. Philly’s celebration is the largest in the nation and we're gearing up for record......

Might be a good idea, if you're opposed to the casinos, too.......

Or, at least, not putting up any new ones for now. In a victory for Philadelphians and all Americans, on Friday the National Park Service announced that a proposal to enclose Independence Hall within a security fence has been scrapped [Philly.com]. If realized, the plan would have cut Independence Square in half with a six-foot tall black iron barricade, hypocritically restricting access to one of the world's most important symbols of freedom. After releasing the......

Here at Phillyist, we were really excited to have Farm Aid come to Camden. What a great idea! We are, after all, Jersey fresh. We were still excited to see the likes of Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews talk on Saturday morning about how important it is to support the family farmer, about how food corporations are monsters, about how the high calorie/high fat food we serve our kids is......

Going to Farm Aid? A few things to remember: -Doors open at 1p.m. -A food drive is on, so bring non-perishable foods with you to the Tweeter Center. Food items will be collected by Philabundance and distributed to needy families throughout the region. For more information about Farm Aid and what to bring to the show, visit www.farmaid.org. -The show’s at the Tweeter Center, so the usual handcuff rules apply: No lowback chairs, no......

If you’re looking for a nice way to spend your Friday that doesn’t involve work, but, to keep your conscience at bay, involves doing SOMETHING worthwhile, check out the Urban-Rural Connections bus tour, which is part of Farm Aid. Stops include Pheasant Hill Farm, Rodale Institute Farm and Somerton Tanks Farm. You’ll be riding with farmers from around the country who can talk about innovative and organic farm programs that are working to improve......

Wanna go to Farm Aid for free? Then stop by the Reading Terminal Market tomorrow through Friday, from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., to drop your name in the proverbial hat for free tickets to Saturday’s show at the Tweeter Center. You can enter once each day, so get to it! Willie Nelson & Co. are waiting. Image via Farm Aid......