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Feb
25
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A supporter of Casino Free Philadelphia is currently running a big ol’ anti-casino art contest; they’re looking for t-shirts, posters and videos. The deadline has been extended to March 10, so get cracking if you want your shirt to possibly join this other classy/hilarious one.
It’s going to be tough to win the poster contest, though, because this entry posted on the site is incredibly awesome:
“Casino”-like Slots Barn is excellent, as is the impressive amount of detail in this poster. As usual, I am jealous of someone who can draw. Just think of all the bad jokes I could make if I could draw!
I can’t tell, though, if it’s saying the casino would ruin Market East (the Funk-O-Mart will never be the same with a casino nearby!) or that The Gallery ruined Market East (could make a convincing case for it, especially if Chinatown is part of Market East). But, hey, what’s with the bullet holes? The only thing shot at The Gallery is good taste.
I also particularly liked “hookers’ entrance.” Is that really any more blatant than the current signage on the brothels in that area?
Update: The artist, FYI, is Dennis Carlisle.
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dmac | 12:14 PM | 4 Comments
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Dec
18
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Hey, there’s a brand new casino shirt (thanks for the heads up, JJ), and it’s all crazy serious, as one might expect. I don’t know, though; this shirt is okay, but it totally pales in comparison to that other shirt: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Three Sevens on the Center Line.”
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dmac | 9:42 AM | 3 Comments
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Nov
13
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If you haven’t been following along since last January, some local amateur historians have been attempting to find out if some old fort or burial ground or angel skeletons or ancient powerful civilization is under the site for the Sugarhouse Casino, so they can block it from going there. Or they’re just curious, whatever, the end result’s the same.
Anyway, Plan Philly earlier this week posted a story with the headline, “Big discovery at SugarHouse site? And here it is!
SugarHouse archaeologists, led by an amateur local historian, on Tuesday continued to unearth part of a foundation on the proposed casino site.
The historian, preservationist Torben Jenk, says the find is a portion of Batchelor’s Hall - a society whose members included many prominent 18th Century Philadelphians, and where the nation’s first botanical garden of medicinal plants was established in 1729.
“It’s a 279-year-old structure, and we found it using a 204-year old survey,” said an excited Jenk on Monday evening. “It’s the second oldest building that we can document to date in Fishtown.”
But casino spokeswoman Leigh Whitaker said the casino’s archaeologists, A.D. Marble, say what was found is much less historically significant, and from a different century, than the place where Pennsylvania Hospital founder and trustee Lloyd Zachary socialized and renowned botanist John Bartram may have tended the plants.
“We did not find Batchelor’s Hall,” Whitaker said. “We found a foundation of a residence or other building from the 19th Century.”
It’s nice everyone did all this work and then their opinions lined up exactly where everyone expected them to. However, I believe I have come up with a compromise (pictured above). They can call it “The Second Oldest Casino in Fishtown.”
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dmac | 5:05 PM | 1 Comment
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Nov
3
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What’s this, the Phillies win and suddenly everything happens? Our long national nightmare, the 2008 presidential election, is almost over. Yes, both the Internet and the real world are going to be unbearable tomorrow, but look at it on the bright side: At least there’s a good chance a cute guy or girl will tell you to vote for Obama.
But that’s not all. The Fumo trial is in full swing. A judge will rule on the Fox Chase Cancer Center expansion within 30 days. (If you’re from the Northeast, you know this is one of the two things people complain about, the other being how horrible the Northeast has gotten.)
City Council even moved along the Gallery casino project in Chinatown, though don’t think that’s coming anytime soon. Never doubt the ability of Philadelphians to delay something, even if they can’t stop it.
These are exciting times, people. Not because these actual days are exciting (they’re not), but because all these stories that have been around forever, forever ever, forever ever are winding down and oh thank God this is almost as exciting as the Phillies winning the World Series.
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dmac | 10:49 AM | 1 Comment
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Oct
29
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The current issue of Phillymag features the region’s top single men and women posing for gorgeous photographs and has a bunch of articles about why these people are our top bachelors and bachelorettes.
Ha, ha, just kidding, it features a bunch of random people who appear to have been chosen due to their ability to make the photoshoot. Jamison Uhler gets bonus points since he was a Daily News Sexy Single last year.
But nothing is better than the hobby of one Hilary Regan, a “sustainable marketing consultant for Domani Developers.”
Know what’s a more fun hobby than keeping casinos off the waterfront? Gambling.
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dmac | 12:13 PM | 2 Comments
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Sep
18
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 It’d been a while since Donald Trump had been in the news around here, so yesterday he bashed Ed Rendell at a New Jersey golf course opening. It turns out that, instead of giving the casinos in Philadelphia to Donald Trump, Ed Rendell went and gave them to his friends instead! At least this is what Donald Trump says; considering this is also how politics works, I see no reason to think he’s wrong.
“What the governor did is outrageous,” Trump said. “He let a group of his political friends go to another site.” But the Daily News got the other side of the story:
Rendell “has always considered Donald Trump a friend,” Ardo said. “That should put to rest any insinuations that only friends were considered for gaming licenses.”
Ha, ha! Um, I guess. In other Trump news, Ivanka Trump is on the cover of Atlantic City Weekly this week, and she’s a Trump people actually like (and even admire!), so let’s just forget all about this Donald guy. Wait, who?
Trump: Rendell’s no friend of mine [Daily News]
Trump Sumptuousness [AC Weekly]
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dmac | 2:03 PM | 1 Comment
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Aug
21
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Speaking of things that have been going on for enternity: The casinos! Yes, two casinos are slated to open on the waterfront (one in Fishtown, one in Pennsport); they’ve been delayed by neighbors and politicians who realized they can use the casino issue to score political points. Fair enough.
Today, Foxwoods (the Pennsport one) has announced it is “considering” additional locations. With that comes the thinking that this whole thing could be slowed down… even… more.
Foxwoods and SugarHouse, another casino proposed for the Delaware riverfront, were awarded gaming licenses by the state in December 2006 but have run into a series of snags with the city government, state officials, neighborhood groups and anti-gaming protesters. Three other investment groups applied to the state Gaming Control Board for the two casino licenses in the city but were rejected. The decisions were based on the proposed locations, which prompted reporters to ask if the rejected casino applicants might now sue the state. “Anybody can sue anybody for anything,” said Rendell.
More lawsuits, more delays… remember when we were all going to get wage tax reductions by, like, 2006? Whoops.
Also, if you believe that Foxwoods and SugarHouse haven’t already extensively researched possible alternate casino sites in Philadelphia… well, just don’t believe that, okay?
Correction: A reader astutely emails, “Like gaming or hate it, the casinos that are operating have ALREADY contributed enough to knock the Wage Tax down by about a quarter point so as of July 1, 2008 the Wage Tax (once as high as 4.96% for residents) is now 3.98%… and it will go even lower based on already legislated city cuts and could go even lower still if gaming revenues increase.” I’m never making a wage tax joke again.
BREAKING NEWS: Foxwoods Looking At New Casino Locations [Clout]
Photo by Lisa Andres, Creative Commons license
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dmac | 4:42 PM | 1 Comment
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Apr
28
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The Gaming Control Board has filed a complaint about Philadelphia Park Casino, claiming toddlers were on the casino floor on several occasions.
Oh, no, won’t someone think of the children! Clearly, children should be left in a room with strangers (or something) rather than hang with their parents as they throw their money way. KYW’s Tony Romeo reports some toddlers were actually gambling themselves, even though they don’t even know what gambling is.
Gaming board spokesman Richard McGarvey says the complaint also alleges security personnel were slow to react:
(McGarvey): “Correct. There was a number of minutes that went by where they were actually out on the gaming floor with their parents or grandparents.”
(Romeo): “I guess in one case, one of the children was actually playing the machine?”
(McGarvey): “Certainly, sitting there with the parent or grandparent. Obviously, playing the machine is hard to describe for a child that young, but again, interacting with the machine.”
When will the terror of toddlers pulling the casino lever for their grandparents end?
Phila. Park Accused Of Having Toddlers On Casino Floor [KYW 1060]
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dmac | 11:47 AM | 3 Comments
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Mar
21
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Back in 2004, a man only identified as S.D. lost money in Atlantic City. He did the only sensible thing: He went to the Casino Control Commission and asked he be banned from gambling in Atlantic City for life.
Whoops! Turns out he loved to gamble, and since New Jersey shares its list of banned gamblers with other states, now S.D. can’t really gamble anywhere. Yesterday, a state appeals court ruled the Commission didn’t have to reverse the ban when S.D. asked.
It’s a shame for our mysterious problem gambler, since Atlantic City has introduced a new chip that’s worth $25,000. (We bloggers call that “a day’s pay.”) The $25K chip is the highest denomination the state offers, but Caesars notes they have special plaques for its customers who make single bets of $50,000 or $100,000. You may begin weeping now.
Court: Casino panel doesn’t have to lift voluntary lifetime ban [The Star-Ledger]
High rollers raise stakes with new $25,000 chip [AP/Courier-Post]
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dmac | 10:56 AM | 0 Comments
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Mar
5
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It was way back in Sept. 2006 when Foxwoods protesters attempted to overturn a car that was labeled “abandoned” even though it had an anti-casino sign inside of it (at right). Since then, the anti-casino people have been telling us how the casinos will enter our city and deflower our children. Conversely, there have been a few pro-casino rallies, but where is the yelling when somebody you don’t agree with is talking? Where are the people paying with pennies? Where is the annoying?
Oh, here we go: A Nutter aid was heckled by pro-casino people in Fishtown! A man named “Moon” Mullen attempted to calm the crowd down, but the heckling continued. If Moon Mullen can’t get people to pay attention, who can?
But while fans of a certain presidential candidate (it rhymes with “Pron Haul”) have a near-monopoly on angry comments on the Internet, it appears the casino foes are content to fight in real life. For example, the best this post calling casino opponents racist can do is four comments, one a joke from me, one from the writer himself. Come on, people! If I can’t get to throw away my money yet, I at least want to get to see hilarious arguments on the Internet. (Update: God, it took so long to get this to update with the correct version — see comments — and that’s all I had written? And I missed the double the. Yeesh.)
Oh, and if you’re wondering, National Review (founded by William F. Buckley), has come out against the casinos.
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dmac | 11:27 AM | 8 Comments
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