Scant Friday news

• Citizens protest the possible storage of volatile compressed natural gas close to densely populated parts of Philadelphia.
  
  
• John Street wanted high minority representation among the vendors at Live 8, and apparently there were many more than his target percentage. Also, more than half were from the city.
  
  
• A trio on the pay-hike and its ongoing fallout:
  
  1. John Grogan tracks the rapid back-pedaling and damage controlamong legislators caught off-guard by public outcry. He also reiterates his suggestion that legislative pay should be linked not to federal pay rates but to median state income, to make sure that politicians remain focused on their constituents' wellfare...
     
     
  2. John Baer continues to obsess about hypocrisy among those who did or didn't support the pay-hike, are or aren't taking it for themselves, and the like. Might be time for some new material over there.
     
     
  3. The issue of ongoing recriminations for no-voters is raised in an Inquirer article depicting Rep. Greg Vitali working with an "empty larder" for funding constituent events and other services for his district.