Anger

Why didn't Philadelphia Magazine title its March cover story simply "Fear of Black People"? The catastrophically misguided article, "Being White in Philly," is basically devoid of facts while making the dubious claim that "in so many quarters, simply discussing race is seen as racist. " Staff writer Robert Huber offered anonymity to everyone he interviewed. He based the article on highly selective anecdotes while assuming his views were universally shared by readers. To wit, "I've begun to think that most people stopped looking around at large segments of our city, at our poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods, a long time ago. " Give Huber and his editors credit: The story accurately reflects the title "Being White.

'In the beginning was the Word," begins an ancient Middle Eastern text, "and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. " In time its anonymous author would be assigned the name John, and his mystical story of the life and death of Jesus - whom he presents as having existed before all time - would join 26 other texts in a book that has shaped Western civilization like no other. The New Testament is, for many millions of Christians, the inspired Word of God, sacred and immutable: the perfect account of Jesus, the perfect human.

Patrick Naughton is an enthusiastic social studies teacher and the dean of students at Robeson High School in West Philadelphia, but the first thing he did Wednesday morning was look for a new job. Naughton had read about the Philadelphia School District's initial contract offer to its teachers union - a 13 percent pay cut for those making over $55,000, an end to seniority-based positions, and smaller provisos such as an end to a guaranteed adequate...

FEBRUARY is almost over, and winter will soon come to an end. Oh, sure, March might hit us with another cold day or two. We might even get a little snow. But let's be honest: February is winter's last hurrah, and when its dark frigid nights slip away, the cold will be replaced by something even worse: spring. Why do I prefer the icy-gray winter to the warm, bursting colors of spring? The answer is quite simple, really. During the winter, people stay in their houses. When spring arrives, people come out. And so do my allergies.

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor accused a Texas federal prosecutor Monday of tapping into a "deep and sorry vein of racial prejudice" in his questioning of a black man facing a drug charge. The justices did not accept Bongani Charles Calhoun's request that the court review his conviction, but Sotomayor appended a scathing statement to make sure that the court's denial was not be seen as a signal of "tolerance of a federal prosecutor's racially charged remark. " Sotomayor did not name Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Ponder in her statement, but she denounced his questioning of Calhoun, who maintained in court that he did not know that the friends with whom he was traveling were planning a drug deal.

WASHINGTON - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano had just begun her remarks to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on immigration when the first protester leaped to his feet. "You have destroyed our community!" he shouted. Others in the audience joined him, chanting, "Stop the deportations!" The anger at President Obama's deportation policies among some of his otherwise most ardent allies could pose a surprising complication in coming weeks to the delicate negotiations to overhaul the nation's immigration system that are now under way. The Obama administration has deported more illegal immigrants than any in history, provoking deep political tensions that could narrow the president's ability to make concessions Republicans will likely demand as part of a comprehensive deal.

WASHINGTON - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano had just begun her remarks to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on immigration when the first protester leaped to his feet. "You have destroyed our community!" he shouted. Others in the audience joined him, chanting, "Stop the deportations!" The anger at President Obama's deportation policies among some of his otherwise most ardent allies could pose a surprising complication in coming weeks to the delicate negotiations to overhaul the nation's immigration system that are now under way. The Obama administration has deported more illegal immigrants than any in history, provoking deep political tensions that could narrow the president's ability to make concessions Republicans will likely demand as part of a comprehensive deal.

AFTER YEARS of discussion about the city's move to a new property-tax system based on market values, the pressure is now on to aid the people it will affect the most. City Council has been flooded with calls from residents who are up in arms over skyrocketing assessments under the Actual Value Initiative. "I'm going to fight and call my committeeperson," said Massele Harry, 62, who, with assessment notices in hand, approached Councilman Bill Green after Council's session on Thursday.

ODESSA, Texas - A 3-year-old boy whose death fueled a fight over American adoptions of Russian children was brought into a Texas hospital unresponsive and bruised on several parts of his body, a medical examiner's investigator said Tuesday. Russian authorities have blamed the Jan. 21 death of Max Alan Shatto on "inhuman treatment" at the hands of the American family that adopted him. The medical examiner's office said it could not immediately be determined if the bruises were intentional or accidental.