A handful of Thursday bits (late edition)

• Philadelphia has hired an emergency preparedness consultant to assess its preparedness for natural disasters and other emergencies. A stitch in time...
  
  
• A rightwing group has chosen two Pennsylvania colleges for a test case challenging campus rules on intolerance. This seems to be to university regulations what Horowitz's organization is to course material... whee.
  
  
• Lois Murphy appeared on a college campus to talk about ethics issues. Go, Lois!
  
  
• Common Cause accuses PA House Speaker Perzel of making a false show of interest in lobbying oversight (they put it more nicely), by convening a commission to discuss the matter rather than acting on the bill already passed by the Senate after lengthy research and negotiation. hmm...
  
  
• Santorum may be defending his mortgage deal, but a watchdog group has filed a complaint with the Senate ethics committee.
  
  
• Philadelphia's homeless population is up substantially, and neighborhoods are resisting the building of new shelters. So much for the city's vaunted success in recent years!