Leftovers: Philly Learns Good

• A new way to get kids in underachieving Philadelphia high schools to pass? Send them to a work-free Saturday school! Money line: “At University City’s graduation, about 355 students were listed in the program as graduates - the highest number of graduating seniors in years, according to a teacher who attended. But the program warned that just because a person’s name was listed, it didn’t mean he had graduated.” [Daily News]

• Some advice to coaches who have recently been fired because they were too tough: If there’s an article about the dustup in the Inquirer, do not — I repeat, do NOT — tell the reporter, “My goal has always been to put on a successful program first, and the kids are second, a close second,” regardless of your intentions when you said it, because it makes you look like a jackass. However, you’re way ahead in one area: Posting your side of the story on the Internet. If only it was on a blog… [Inquirer]

• The city’s leaders met today to discuss ways to end violence. Of course, it was closed-door, which means… well, hey, maybe they are actually committed to ending gun violence! [Inquirer]

• Dick Polman wrote a very nice piece late last week on his blog about the failure of the Bush Administration. Blah blah blah, we already know this, sure, but it’s required reading if you’re one of those people who haven’t regretted your 2000/2004 Bush votes just yet. [Dick Polman's American Debate]

• Money line from Moe Tkacik’s NYT piece about interns yesterday, from an American Apparel manager: “[P]eople in their 20’s are living at home or getting their bills paid by their parents and going out and getting wasted like it’s 1995, so hanging out with 15-year-olds is not outside the realm of normal.” You don’t know how hard it was to pick just one quote from this thing. [New York Times]

• The good? Chase Utley, 32-game hitting streak. (Screw you, Ed Delahanty!) The bad? Marlins 15, Phillies 2. [AP/Yahoo!]

• Okay, kids, enjoy the rest of your afternoon. More (and better, I swear) shore stuff tomorrow. Stay cool. Maybe ride the bus around with old people?