Anyone who read Dave Davies piece on race and elections will appreciate this letter that's making the rounds. Keep it going - the more we talk about the subtle racism that exists the less likely it will rear up and surprise us.

From Letters to the Editors @ Fort Worth Star-Telegram
How racism works

What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom on of his graduating class? What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said "I do" to? What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?

Here is a short film we produced for the Philadelphia Neighborhood Alliance (PNA) as part of their testimony against the proposed Casino Entertainment District for the Foxwoods' site in South Philadelphia. It features footage of former Planning Commission Executive Director Janice Woodcock admitting what a lot of people know; neither the Foxwoods or Sugarhouse sites work for the waterfront or neighborhoods. I hope you like it and will pass it around.

A consistent lament I've heard over the last few months was how little coverage the Council At-Large candidates received from the major papers and electronic media. Clearly the focus was on the mayor's race and what stories that did appear usually led with something about "the sons of mayors".

In an effort to document what coverage there was we've begun an analysis of a list of stories we've found. It's up at NewDirectionPhilly . Please add stories that we've missed and comments with ideas for how to reform local coverage of elections.

Shame of a City film maker Tigre Hill is looking to document any incidents of questionable campaign activities at the polls. Here's a clip from Tigre explaining the purpose of the project. If you see anything, capture it and send it along. Instructions for uploading can be found at http://www.shameofacity.com