* $0.90 - sm coffee (light/sweet)
* $4.76 - pack of Marlboro Reds (box)
* $0.50 - lighter
* $0.75 - newspaper (Philadelphia Inquirer)
* $0.75 - newspaper (Philadelphia Daily News)
* $6.00 - 3 pints of Kenzinger beer
* $2.00 - tip for barkeep
* $2.00 - Septa (#15 trolley) fare - didn't have a token
-------------------------------------------------------------------
* $17.66 total
($2.34 remaining)
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Conservatives & The Right... So Wrong In So Many Ways (Cont.)
Christine M. Flowers: My Big Fat Patriotic Promise
At the risk of sounding like I've been sucking on sour grapes for the past few days, let me say something that, for me at least, needs to be said:
We non-Obama voters shouldn't be bullied into supporting our new president.
Now that I've gotten your attention, allow me to explain.
It's become common since the election to hear people say "even if you didn't vote for him, even if you don't agree with his policies, we as Americans should all support Barack Obama." The implication: If we love this country, we want its leader to succeed. You know, the old "If we don't hang together, we shall all hang separately."
We all know how well that worked with George Bush, don't we? (In fact, haven't we had eight years of hearing that the highest form of patriotism is dissent?)
So it's one thing to wish President Obama well as a human being, to acknowledge the historic magnitude of his getting elected, to admire his sweet family and his mellifluent speaking voice and his prodigious brain.
But it's quite another to endorse his social, economic and national security policies if, in fact, you think they pose a serious threat to the fabric and essence of this country we all claim to love.
And that's where the bullying comes in. On Michael Smerconish's show earlier this week, a caller named "Ken" observed that anyone who didn't support this president had lost his grip, and pretty much accused critics of Obama as being unpatriotic.
Others have echoed those sentiments, reminding me of how exercised some critics of Sen. McCain were when conservatives accused them of being unpatriotic and dishonoring the military when they objected to his references to his POW days.
But regardless of who is doing the finger-wagging, it's pretty clear you can't tell someone to just shut up and get with the program if they actually don't like the program. Or if they think it's a blueprint for disaster. This is America, after all. Home of the Free. Land of the Critics.
So here is my promise to our new president. I will pray that he and his family continue to be happy and healthy. I'll assume that everything he does is undertaken in a good-faith effort to preserve, protect and defend these United States (even if the words got jumbled on Inauguration Day). I'll continue to honor the monumental significance of his elevation to the Oval Office, and be respectful of those who are uplifted by the words "President Barack Hussein Obama."
But I won't be pressured into being quiet when I see him straying off course, pushing this country in what I believe is the wrong direction. And if success means he'll challenge the fundamental nature of everything I believe in and cherish, I won't root for his success.
So I hope he fails in trying to force Catholic hospitals to provide abortion services. If he signs the Freedom of Choice Act as anticipated, it will severely limit the ability of those who oppose abortion on moral principles to avoid performing abortions themselves, or having to make referrals for the procedure. FOCA should actually be called "The Freedom to Impose My Choice on Others Act." I know Obama is an ardent abortion-rights advocate, but I hope he has the integrity to respect the religious beliefs of those who disagree with him.
And I hope he fails in intimidating employees to unionize. If Obama has his way, the Employee Freedom of Choice Act will become law, thereby eliminating the secret ballot (how un-American) that allows employees to decide whether they want to belong to a union.
Under EFCA, employees will be forced to publicly declare their vote. To replace the allegedly intimidating tactics of employers, we'll now be giving the same tactics to the unions. It would be sad and chilling if our new president condoned them.
And high on my wish list is that No. 44 fails in closing Guantanamo. It's become conventional to say it's a gulag and we have committed war crimes in its corridors. But just because the American Civil Liberties Union believes it, and just because a passel of liberal lawyers believe it's an embarrassment (with no definitive answer from the courts) doesn't mean it should be shut, particularly when no one has figured out what do with the "guests."
For eight years, many people insisted that they'd lost their country. They detested Bush, hated his politics and condemned his choices when they disagreed. Loudly.
Good for them. Now, it's my turn. God bless America.
Published Friday, Jan. 23, 2009
The Philadelphia Daily News
Page 21
Previous Column Comedy by C. Flowers:
As 43 Leaves The Stage . . .
Footnote: Editorial Cartoon by Tony Auth
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Today's Highlights in History
On The Cusp Of Change
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Jan. 20, 1981, Iran released 52 Americans held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.
On Jan. 20, 1920, Federico Fellini , the Italian film director , was born.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this date in:
1801 - John Marshall was appointed chief justice of the United States.
1841 - Hong Kong was ceded to Great Britain.
1887 - The U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.
1896 - Comedian George Burns was born Nathan Birnbaum in New York City.
1920 - Movie director Federico Fellini was born in Rimini, Italy.
1936 - Britain's King George V died.
1942 - Nazi officials arrived at a "final solution" that called for exterminating Europe's Jews, during a conference at Lake Wannsee in Berlin.
1961 - John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th president of the United States.
1981 - Iran released 52 Americans held hostage for 444 days.
1986 - The United States observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
1986 - Britain and France announced plans to build the Channel Tunnel.
1987 - Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite disappeared in Beirut, Lebanon, while attempting to negotiate the release of Western hostages.
1989 - George H.W. Bush took the oath of office as the 41st U.S. president.
1993 - Bill Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd president of the United States.
1993 - Actress Audrey Hepburn died at age 63.
2001 - George W. Bush took the oath of office as the 43rd president of the United States.
2001 - Hundreds of thousands of protesting Filipinos forced President Joseph Estrada to step down; Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was sworn in as the new president.
2004 - The Salvation Army announced it had received a $1.5 billion donation from the estate of Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc.
note: Hat-Tip to Phawker
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Jan. 20, 1981, Iran released 52 Americans held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.
On Jan. 20, 1920, Federico Fellini , the Italian film director , was born.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this date in:
1801 - John Marshall was appointed chief justice of the United States.
1841 - Hong Kong was ceded to Great Britain.
1887 - The U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.
1896 - Comedian George Burns was born Nathan Birnbaum in New York City.
1920 - Movie director Federico Fellini was born in Rimini, Italy.
1936 - Britain's King George V died.
1942 - Nazi officials arrived at a "final solution" that called for exterminating Europe's Jews, during a conference at Lake Wannsee in Berlin.
1961 - John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th president of the United States.
1981 - Iran released 52 Americans held hostage for 444 days.
1986 - The United States observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
1986 - Britain and France announced plans to build the Channel Tunnel.
1987 - Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite disappeared in Beirut, Lebanon, while attempting to negotiate the release of Western hostages.
1989 - George H.W. Bush took the oath of office as the 41st U.S. president.
1993 - Bill Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd president of the United States.
1993 - Actress Audrey Hepburn died at age 63.
2001 - George W. Bush took the oath of office as the 43rd president of the United States.
2001 - Hundreds of thousands of protesting Filipinos forced President Joseph Estrada to step down; Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was sworn in as the new president.
2004 - The Salvation Army announced it had received a $1.5 billion donation from the estate of Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc.
note: Hat-Tip to Phawker
Friday, January 16, 2009
Port Richmond Branch To Be Closed Saturday
The Port Richmond Branch of the Free Library System of Philadelphia will be closed Saturday, January 17th, due to library layoffs and a lack of staff.
New Free Library System Director Siobhan Reardon this past week imposed new staffing requirements.
In order for a library branch to operate and be open to the public, there must now be a minimum of four city-paid staff working at said location. Because of the recent cutbacks to staff at the Free Library, the security guard who normally works at the Port Richmond Branch has been transferred/relocated to the Independence Branch for the working day of Saturday, Jan. 17th.
Asked why the minimum number of staff change was being made, Sandy Horrocks, a spokeswoman for the Free Library, said, "We have a new director who is saying four is the minimum, and it should really be six workers." She did not elaborate.
Note: Port Richmond Branch is not one of the 11 branches Mayor Nutter tried to permanently close recently, an action which was denied and declared illegal by Court of Common Pleas Judge Idee C. Fox. The City is appealing the ruling.
Excerpt from Judge Fox's written decision:
"The decision to close these eleven branch libraries is more than a response to a financial crisis; it changes the very foundation of our City. Two of the libraries scheduled to close, Haddinton and Holmesburg, will result in a reversion of the property back to the original grantor because of deed restrictions. No one questions the economic crisis which has rocked both the City and the Nation. However, we are a Nation of hope. A "crisis" evokes something temporary. Defendants argued there were more than enough libraries in Philadelphia. "Philadelphia has more libraries than any other city in the country." Our library system is more than a century old yet in three short months an economic crisis results in permanently closing eleven branches. This court does not envy the Mayor and the tough decisions he has had to make in this financial crisis. Yet, as this court is bound to follow the law, so is the Mayor. The permanent closing of neighborhood branch libraries is changing the very structure of the Free Library of Philadelphia and not just responding to a "financial crisis."
[Full Text Here]
postscript:
When Port Richmond Branch Manager Joan Rachubinski was asked her opinion of Director Reardon new work rule decree she said, "I think it's a good idea."
When asked again, but in the context of Mayor Nutter's recent attempts at closure, and if the two "actions" were related Rachubinski replied "I'm not a mind reader," adding again "[but] I still think it [work staff decree] is a good idea."
Bell Curve Summary, A Quality-o-Life-o-Meter:
The Free Library is now requiring every branch have four workers, not three, before it can open for the day, which could lead to closures. "The rationale here is simple," says Director Siobhan Reardon. "You need one librarian to man the check-out counter, one to stack the books, one to watch the kids, and one to make it mathematically impossible for the city to keep all of our libraries open." Minus 3
The Free Library will display four banners designed by artist Alexander Calder previously thought to be lost. Dear Library. Sell the banners. Sincerely, Duh. Plus 2
The Inquirer's Marcia Gelbart calls the 9-foot photo of Nutter promoting recycling "Stalinesque." Then she calls a bug Kafka-esque. At the train station she tips the newspaper guy and says he's Hot-to-Trotsky-Wotsky. At home she pets her cat and calls him a Dostoyevsky-utie-pie. Even
Members of the SEPTA police force will assist D.C. transit cops during Barack Obama's inauguration. And the city braces for its next international embarrassment. Plus 1
A burglar broke into the nuns' residences at Holy Family University, stealing money and personal items. Next week: "Priest punches man in confessional." Minus 2
Nutter says he is quietly like by most Philadelphians. "It's just one of those thing you don't talk about," says the mayor. "Like picking your nose, or jerking off in a train." Even
SEPTA deems the first day of "the quiet car" program a success. "It was easy," say passengers, "because we were already quietly liking the mayor." Plus 3
Total Pluses: 6
Total Minuses: 5
Total for the Week: 1
Last Week's Total: 8
Note: Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Signe Wilkinson
New Free Library System Director Siobhan Reardon this past week imposed new staffing requirements.
In order for a library branch to operate and be open to the public, there must now be a minimum of four city-paid staff working at said location. Because of the recent cutbacks to staff at the Free Library, the security guard who normally works at the Port Richmond Branch has been transferred/relocated to the Independence Branch for the working day of Saturday, Jan. 17th.Asked why the minimum number of staff change was being made, Sandy Horrocks, a spokeswoman for the Free Library, said, "We have a new director who is saying four is the minimum, and it should really be six workers." She did not elaborate.
Note: Port Richmond Branch is not one of the 11 branches Mayor Nutter tried to permanently close recently, an action which was denied and declared illegal by Court of Common Pleas Judge Idee C. Fox. The City is appealing the ruling.
Excerpt from Judge Fox's written decision:
"The decision to close these eleven branch libraries is more than a response to a financial crisis; it changes the very foundation of our City. Two of the libraries scheduled to close, Haddinton and Holmesburg, will result in a reversion of the property back to the original grantor because of deed restrictions. No one questions the economic crisis which has rocked both the City and the Nation. However, we are a Nation of hope. A "crisis" evokes something temporary. Defendants argued there were more than enough libraries in Philadelphia. "Philadelphia has more libraries than any other city in the country." Our library system is more than a century old yet in three short months an economic crisis results in permanently closing eleven branches. This court does not envy the Mayor and the tough decisions he has had to make in this financial crisis. Yet, as this court is bound to follow the law, so is the Mayor. The permanent closing of neighborhood branch libraries is changing the very structure of the Free Library of Philadelphia and not just responding to a "financial crisis."
[Full Text Here]
postscript:
When Port Richmond Branch Manager Joan Rachubinski was asked her opinion of Director Reardon new work rule decree she said, "I think it's a good idea."
When asked again, but in the context of Mayor Nutter's recent attempts at closure, and if the two "actions" were related Rachubinski replied "I'm not a mind reader," adding again "[but] I still think it [work staff decree] is a good idea."
Bell Curve Summary, A Quality-o-Life-o-Meter:
The Free Library is now requiring every branch have four workers, not three, before it can open for the day, which could lead to closures. "The rationale here is simple," says Director Siobhan Reardon. "You need one librarian to man the check-out counter, one to stack the books, one to watch the kids, and one to make it mathematically impossible for the city to keep all of our libraries open." Minus 3
The Free Library will display four banners designed by artist Alexander Calder previously thought to be lost. Dear Library. Sell the banners. Sincerely, Duh. Plus 2
The Inquirer's Marcia Gelbart calls the 9-foot photo of Nutter promoting recycling "Stalinesque." Then she calls a bug Kafka-esque. At the train station she tips the newspaper guy and says he's Hot-to-Trotsky-Wotsky. At home she pets her cat and calls him a Dostoyevsky-utie-pie. Even
Members of the SEPTA police force will assist D.C. transit cops during Barack Obama's inauguration. And the city braces for its next international embarrassment. Plus 1
A burglar broke into the nuns' residences at Holy Family University, stealing money and personal items. Next week: "Priest punches man in confessional." Minus 2
Nutter says he is quietly like by most Philadelphians. "It's just one of those thing you don't talk about," says the mayor. "Like picking your nose, or jerking off in a train." Even
SEPTA deems the first day of "the quiet car" program a success. "It was easy," say passengers, "because we were already quietly liking the mayor." Plus 3
Total Pluses: 6
Total Minuses: 5
Total for the Week: 1
Last Week's Total: 8
Note: Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Signe Wilkinson
Thursday, January 15, 2009
memo to self
When a cute girl an attractive woman tells you how much she loves Venice do not respond by telling her you're not a romantic, and that besides the Biennale and the Guggenheim Villa, you think Venice is a dirty and disgusting place not worth visiting.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
The Empty Frontier
There is much more nothing than something in the universe.
4% is baryonic matter, the stuff we call something. (Atomic Matter is the stuff that planets and people are made of)
22% is dark matter particles we cannot see. (Dark Matter is a mysterious form of matter not made of atoms or known particles)
74% of the universe is "nothing," or what physicists call dark energy. (Dark Energy is an even more enigmatic form of energy that is causing the universe's expansion to accelerate)
more science:
Climate change hits Mars
Scientists from Nasa say that Mars has warmed by about 0.5C since the 1970s. This is similar to the warming experienced on Earth over approximately the same period.
more images: Postcards From Mars
note: hat-tips to Metro Newspaper
4% is baryonic matter, the stuff we call something. (Atomic Matter is the stuff that planets and people are made of)
22% is dark matter particles we cannot see. (Dark Matter is a mysterious form of matter not made of atoms or known particles)
74% of the universe is "nothing," or what physicists call dark energy. (Dark Energy is an even more enigmatic form of energy that is causing the universe's expansion to accelerate)
more science:
Climate change hits Mars
Scientists from Nasa say that Mars has warmed by about 0.5C since the 1970s. This is similar to the warming experienced on Earth over approximately the same period.
more images: Postcards From Mars
note: hat-tips to Metro Newspaper
Monday, January 12, 2009
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