In recent weeks, the City of Philadelphia has been providing new sidewalk trash bins around Center City, for the beautification of our most trafficked neighborhoods. Some question the trash bins on aesthetic grounds, and others hail the new receptacles as an important element of the effort to beautify Philadelphia while making it environmentally conscious. While these are noble pursuits,  there is another more telling aspect to Philadelphia's new trash bins, they are made to be “homeless proof.”

Above you will see a skit by Puppet Uprising. It was originally performed as a part of their May Day show, and again at a recent town hall hosted by Casino Free Philly. If you havent seen it, your missing one of the funnest takes of life in "a common wealth where the wealth was not so common..."
 

 
People across the country are in the midst of a debate about the best path to fixing our broken health care system and getting quality healthcare to the un/underinsured. While attention is focused at the state and federal levels, the city of Philadelphia is about to lose another vital institution that serves the healthcare needs of poor and working class Philadelphians--Northeastern Hospital. This city-wide struggle to save Northeastern goes hand-in-hand with the national fight.  Keeping Northeastern Hospital open and fixing our country’s healthcare system are two sides of the same coin. Listen to a report from Labor Justice Radio.

While in Baltimore,members of Labor Justice Radio spoke to Maria Alwine of the Maryland Coalition for Baltimore Gas and Electric Reregulation. In this interview, Alwine explains that since deregulation, gas and electric fees have more than doubled and currently 84,000 Baltimore households are slated to have utilities shut-off. Alwine also discusses the organizing people are doing to get Baltimore Gas & Electric re-regulated.