The Today Show breaks another instance of big government creep disguised as an urgent product safety recall:
Government safety regulators and the window-covering industry have recalled all Roman shades and roll-up blinds in homes with small children. The concern is that a child can easily become entangled in the cords and [...]
Today is National Bill of Rights Day — a day to celebrate the prolonged process of constitution making. The “founding fathers” who met at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787 set the process in motion by producing a plan of government and submitting it to the States for ratification. Then followed [...]
Charles McIntryre of Blue Bell is the fourth or fifth Republican candidate throwing his hat into the ring looking to fight Democrat Allyson Schwartz in the fall.
Before a crowd of civic and government leaders Unisys executive Charles McIntyre announced his candidacy for Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District.
“I am announcing today that [...]
Number of comments: 2 Representative Michele Brooks organizes a delegation from the I-80 corridor to visit Washington DC on Thursday, December 17, 2009
Written by Roberta Biros
The possible tolling of I-80 has been an issue in Pennsylvania for too long now. Attempts by the Turnpike Commission to push through an application with the Federal Highway [...]
Today is “National Bouillabaisse Day”. Yum! It’s just a fancy term for fish stew, but properly prepared it is one of my favorite meals. Fanatical foodies claim that to get the best stuff you have to go to France, and especially to Marsailles, but I seem to remember getting a [...]
William Jacobson, over at Legal Insurrection thinks that Sarah’s appearance on the Tonight Show was a turning point and that she will now start getting sympathetic media coverage [here].
I wouldn’t count on it.
[...]
Ann Althouse reports on the results of a Pew Forum poll that finds that Americans are increasingly blending Christianity with Eastern or New Age beliefs like reincarnation, spiritual yoga, astrology, etc. Nothing surprising there, but one response is quite interesting:
… Democrats were almost twice as likely to believe in ghosts [...]
Number of comments: 2 I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict that the team that scores the most touchdowns or field goals while giving up the fewest to it’s opponent will be the victor of the 110th Army-Navy football game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
[...]
Sorry to be so late — it’s been a busy day.
After the serious thoughts inspired by yesterday’s “Human Rights Day” it is something of a relief to note that today is “National Ring Noodle Day” (or is it “National Noodle Ring Day”?). I personally have never made a noodle ring, [...]
Number of comments: 2 From Dawn Stensland’s Facebook Notes page…
As a journalist I’d like to ask our elected officials and party elite why they are holding a four day lavish convention of “The Pennsylvania Society” in New York City?!?!?!
I know it is a tradition, but in this recession where every dollar counts, isn’t it [...]
Santa Clause (AKA Fire Lieutenant John “Bounce” Wilson) delivers an early season greeting to a child from the Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic School in Philadelphia as firefighter James Fussell looks on.
Every year the 6TH Police District sponsors the event with help from Engine 20, Ladder 23 and Medic 1 (Chinatown Firehouse). Together they team [...]
Upper Merion Township is one of the richest townships in the state. A strong tax base consisting of the gargantuan King of Prussia Mall is matched by the number of businesses that call King of Prussia home. This good fortune has kept property taxes low and income taxes non-existent in [...]
Number of comments: 1 Boy Scouts with rakes, now blood drives?
Striking members of Teamsters Local 929 yesterday resumed picketing at American Red Cross Penn-Jersey Blood Services, but were under a court injunction not to interfere with blood shipments to hospitals.
The injunction, which permits no more than three picketers at the gate of the facility [...]
About those Governor’s Mansion curtains….
A Dauphin County jury deliberated for less than three hours before acquitting former state Rep. Sean Ramaley of six felonies in the first Bonusgate case to come to trial.
Ramaley, 34, of Baden, was accused of doing no state work while being paid $2,500 a month [...]
Number of comments: 1 An interesting angle from Lehigh Valley Clancularius Introspectives….
Revenge.
Here’s what makes this story soooo hot.
It was Pat Meehan, who was the former U.S. Attorney at the time, that initially approved the federal probe into Dawn’s husband Larry Mendte.
The scandal that erupted between Larry and former co-anchor Alycia Lane resulted in costly [...]
A draft movement has started to get newly elected State Senator Dave Argall to run against Democrat Tim Holden in the 17th district.
Draft Dave Argall for Congress
[...]
The pro-life filmmaker group Live Action has released the first video of “The Rosa Acuna Project“, which shows Planned Parenthood employees – including a doctor – telling lies to a young girl in order to help influence her decision to abort her unborn child:
This video is a follow up to [...]
Today is International Human Rights Day, designated as such by the United Nations to commemorate on this day in 1948 the passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
For the full text of this declaration go here. It is interesting to compare it with the American “Bill of Rights”.
On this [...]
Finally, what colleges are supposed to be researching.
Things that have import on daily life.
In laboratory tests caffeine made mice more alert but did not reverse the awareness problems caused by alcohol, including their ability to avoid things they should have known could hurt them.
Dr Thomas Gould, of Temple University, Philadelphia, [...]
Number of comments: 1 One of the left’s most cherished myths is that of the GOP’s “Southern Strategy” which, they argue, transformed the Republican Party into a bastion of right-wing racism. The myth, which originated in political discourse, spread rapidly into academic circles and today is almost universally accepted there. It is a remarkably [...]
Kathleen Parker has a nice piece on Rick Santorum’s return to national politics [here].
Key quote:
“I have no great burning desire to be president, but I have a burning desire to have a different president of the United States.”
[...]
Today is Christmas Card Day, honoring Sir Henry Cole, who created the first commercial Christmas Card in 1843. This is an interesting fact. It shows that by the 1840’s Britain’s middle class was large enough and affluent enough to be willing to spend money on a trivial convenience like a [...]
Number of comments: 1 Sources have told “Freindly Fire” that Dawn Stensland, a fixture on Philadelphia television news stations for over a decade, much of it as an anchor, is seriously considering a bid for Congress in the 7th District --- as a Republican against Pat Meehan.
[...]
A friend passes along a clipping from this weekend’s Times Herald, in which the ‘Cooler’s beloved Daylin Leach tackles a recent Star Parker column called “Sodom in the Nation’s Capital“.
Admitedly, this is not one of Parker’s more tightly constructed columns, however, her point is clear: gay marriage hurts the institution [...]
….and he throws like a girl!!um,..a Democrat!
Man Arrested for Throwing Tomatoes at Sarah Palin, Police Say
A man was arrested for allegedly throwing two tomatoes at Sarah Palin from the second floor balcony during a book signing event at the Mall of America in Minnesota, MyFoxTwinCities.com. reported.
Neither tomato came close [...]
6th CD – Curt Schroder has amassed an impressive quantity of legislative endorsements, most recently added were State Senators Folmer and Mensch. It’s not crazy to ask whether that’s helpful in the current anti-establishment environment, but on the other hand Schroder is trying to overcome what might be characterized as [...]
Today is “National Brownie Day” so check and see if any of the little fairy critters are messing around in your house. I understand that they really like honey, milk and porridge and will do household chores for you if you leave a little gift out for them when you [...]
Gentle readers, never let it be said that your humble blogress does not attempt to inject a little culture into your lives now and then. Tonight, I give you Al Gore, poet:
One thin September soon
A floating continent disappears
In midnight sun
Vapors rise as
Fever settles on an acid sea
Neptune’s bones [...]
The Times-Herald’s editor Stan Huskey looks at recent spending moves by Montco Commissioners Matthews and Hoeffel.
I don’t really have much of a problem with the economic development aspect of the above, but weren’t there already enough people working for the county charged with economic development?
And a ‘deputy’ chief operating officer? [...]
Number of comments: 1 As several sites have reported today, a Rasmussen Reports poll suggests a hypothetical “Tea Party” party would suck a lot of wind out of the GOP sails. While there is certainly a very negative aspect to this, it should give GOP candidates something to chew on as they formulate their [...]
Number of comments: 1 Today is “the day that shall live in infamy” — one that nobody [except on one public occasion, George Herbert Walker Bush] will ever forget. Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Each year on this date flags are to be flown at half-staff to commemorate the men and women who gave their [...]
(1) By Jim Geraghty’s reckoning, the Allentown slice of the porkulus spent over $11 million on various projects with no identifiable jobs created. “Hey, I think I spotted the problem with the economy! All of this money is being thrown around, but nobody’s created any jobs with it!”
(2) The CEO [...]
Happy St. Nicholas Day to all Russians, Orthodox Christians, Eastern Rite Catholics and everyone else who celebrates the life of this great man across the Commonwealth!
St. Nicholas, called “Sinterklaas” in Dutch which explains the name given to the jolly man in the red suit, lived in Turkey about 1700 years [...]
Cash-strapped California ushers in the new era of health care rationing. From Gateway Pundit via Ace:
The eligibility age for state-subsidized breast cancer screening has been raised from 40 to 50 by the California Health and Human Services Agency, which will also temporarily stop enrollment in the breast cancer screening program.
Advocates [...]
Number of comments: 1 Took my camera for a drive recently — down to Ontelaunee Dam and Maiden Creek.
A chill wind was whipping and stirring up the surface of the waters.
And even seagulls were taking refuge on the surface. They were clustered well away from shore.
Ducks, too sought shelter, but they stayed near the [...]
Breast cancer survivor Carly Fiorina delivers the GOP weekly address, giving lie to the Democratic talking point that the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force is not going to be setting treatment standards under Obamacare. At about the 4:00 minute mark, there is this:
The health care bill now being debated in [...]
Mary Young at the Reading Eagle looks at the Democrats running for Governor and finds them wanting.
Catching my eye…
Former U.S. Rep. Joe Hoeffel says he’s socially progressive and fiscally responsible.
Currently, he is a Montgomery County commissioner aligned with Republican Jim Matthews against Republican Bruce Castor, a former Montco district attorney.
Translated: [...]
… or is it an itch?
During President Obama’s speech in Allentown, PA today he scratched his head with his extended middle finger as he named the mayor of Bethlehem, PA. John Callahan supported Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary.
[...]
Remember, kids, there’s nothing wrong with promiscuous sex – it’s only bad if you don’t use a condom! And to prove it, here’s how fun condoms are.
Sure, we condom peddlers are the same people who have been saying for decades that women NEED access to abortion “In Case Of Condom [...]
Number of comments: 1 Monday, monday, monday.
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Chairman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee, will endorse Rep. Joe Sestak’s (D-Pa.) bid for Senate against a 30-year incumbent.
After Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) announced last April that he was switching parties to run as a Democrat for re-election in 2010, the now [...]
David Post comments on the expanding investigation of judicial corruption in Eastern Pennsylvania. Having lived in Philly I appreciated this statement:
I’ve been teaching in Philadelphia for the last 13 years, and I have to say that the culture of corruption in the police and judicial systems in this part of [...]
Number of comments: 1 I’d like to know what the average person thinks about monopolies? Do they have a positive or negative view of monopolies?
Generally, we know that monopolies will do whatever they can to drive out any competition. We also know that once a monopoly is established, the price that the consumer pays [...]
Vice President “Straight outta Scranton” Joe Biden tells a couple different versions of the same speech.
Each time, it’s a different northeast Pa city.
Not to mention snagging President Harry Truman’s words to do it.
[...]
Julie Mason sums up the shifts in Pennsylvania’s political landscape:
[P\]olitics are shifting in Pennsylvania, which is lately drawing comparisons to New Jersey and Virginia, both of which elected Republican governors this year after lining up for Obama in 2008. “I think the political environment in Pennsylvania has dramatically changed since [...]
From my column in today’s Pottstown Mercury:
But health care reform is not about helping the American people, it’s about a massive expansion of the State. And keep in mind, Democrats are not looking for it to be perfect to pass it; they are just looking to pass something, anything, that [...]
Yes, it’s refreshing to see him poke fun at the Goracle. But if you can stand to watch this ass until the end of this clip, take note that Stewart is not pissed off that Climate Scientists lied, that they manipulated data, that the whole thing may be a vast [...]
Today is “Santa’s List Day” — that time of year when the jolly old elf and his minions decide just which of you boys and girls have been naughty this year, and which were nice. Think about it — the elves have been stalking you twenty-four hours a day, spying [...]
Well, not in so few words.
President Barack Obama wants to cut spending on the federal insurance plan for the elderly to help fund his health-care overhaul. Part of that proposal would cut more than $100 billion from Medicare Advantage, through which the government hires private insurers such as Humana Inc. [...]
Rob “Read the Bill” Mitchell who made National fame by challenging Sen. Arlen Specter at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia last fall is now running for the Republican nomination to face Patrick Murphy (PA-8) in the fall. He is a fiscal Conservative and wants government accountability. Read More Here
[...]
And so the finger pointing begins.
Prof Jones, who has denied altering figures, has since said he would stand down from his post while an independent review is carried out.
One of the scientists to whom the emails were addressed, Professor Michael Mann, the Director of the Earth System Science Center at [...]
Today is “Roof Over Your Head Day”, so give thanks for the roofers and carpenters who build them and the people in your own family who make the money necessary to hire the contractors.
On this day in 1648 Lorenzo de’ Medici along with his brother, Giuliano, succeeded their father as [...]
WSJ:
Comcast Corp. agreed to take majority ownership of NBC Universal from General Electric Corp. in a complex deal valued at more than $30 billion, ending the conglomerate’s more than two-decade rule over the peacock network and satisfying the cable giant’s push to own more content.
Meanwhile, the cable-television giant announced a [...]
(This post has been edited – JC)
RedState has taken issue with Steve Welch. Most of it we’ve heard before, with the donation to Sestak, and the district-hopping, etc.
But I didn’t realize he had voted as a Democrat through the 2008 election cycle, having voted as a Democrat since 2006. (And [...]
Totally, logically consistant, you know.
Because it’s for medicinal purposes.
The measure by Rep. Mark Cohen, D-202, Philadelphia, would provide for state licensing and inspection of “compassion” centers where marijuana can be used with a doctor’s recommendation by patients suffering from HIV, AIDS, cancer and other illnesses.
It would provide patients with immunity [...]
Drawing and quartering would be too nice for this piece of shit.
An eastern Pennsylvania jury took just an hour to convict an HIV-positive man of raping a 12-year-old girl.
Jurors in Northampton County on Wednesday convicted 25-year-old Shaun Austin, of Bath, on charges including rape of a child and statutory sexual [...]
Today is “National Fritters Day”, so get yourself some dough, some fruit filling, and some grease and fry away. Then fritter away a bit of time enjoying the fruits of your labor. Yum!
On this day in 1804 Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor Napoleon I of France in Notre Dame Cathedral. [...]
(1) Interested in beating Blue Dogs in 2010? Check out ThatDogWontHunt.org. Sign up for email alerts, follow @NoBlueDogs on twitter (#bluedogs) , and check them out on Facebook.
(2) Smelling a little blood in the water, the PAGOP is talking up their offensive game and candidate recruitment. Obvious focus districts are [...]
For a team in need of “something”… this is probably it.
“In light of the recent injury to Lou Williams, which will sideline him for close to eight weeks, we felt that Allen was the best available free agent guard to help us at this time,” said team president Ed Stefanski [...]
I couldn’t write this any better than The (Norristown) Times Herald’s Keith Phucus:
COURTHOUSE — Montgomery County Commissioner Joseph Hoeffel, who wants to appeal a recent court decision that invalidated the county’s authority to prohibit employees from political activities, may be surprised to win support from the ban’s chief opponent.
Hoeffel, the [...]
Number of comments: 1 Chris Matthews… unbelievable!
Yes, that was Chris Matthews referring to West Point as “The Enemy Camp”. So now it’s not just conservatives who are America’s enemies according to Chris, but our military cadets as well. How low are liberals allowed to sink before they are fired?
[...]
As I continue to contemplate the collapse of America’s institutions (our government, our education system, our financial system, our scientific system, et al) perhaps the most egregious, and most notable, has been the collapse of our free press, which has been, for the most part, a willing accomplice to the [...]
On Warmergate, courtesy Jonah Goldberg on The Corner:
The great moral scandal of global warming hysteria is that — even if it’s a real danger — it steals political and financial capital that might be spent on addressing far more immediate problems and spends it on ideological schemes that empower global [...]
The mommy state continues unabated.
A ban on using cell phones while driving in the city of Philadelphia is now in effect.
Motorists caught talking or texting on a hand-held cell phone now face fines starting at $75.
Police officers have been only issuing warnings for the past month but say they’ll begin [...]
Bruce Castor’s Letter to the Intelligencer’s Editor:
I do not want to turn into Philadelphia, where many complain that government workers with bad attitudes provide poor service to the taxpayers. These workers have been driven into the arms of municipal unions. If we create such conditions, it will drive away our [...]
Written by Roberta Biros
BLOG POST UPDATE–CORRECTION:
After contacting my local legislators I received a phone call from Representative Mark Longietti. Rep. Longietti first clarified that there will be NO COLA this year for legislators. The final calculation was made in mid-November, and that calculation determined that there would be NO increase [...]
Number of comments: 1 Does anyone think that delivering the Montgomery County workers into the ever-lovin’ arms of Obama’s pet union will earn Mr. Hoeffel any favoritism from the DNC just in time for the gubernatorial elections?
[...]
Today is World AIDS Awareness Day, established as such by the United Nations World Health Organization, so if you weren’t aware of the fact that there is a sexually-transmitted disease called AIDS and it is spread world-wide, you have now been informed. Plan your future encounters accordingly.
On this date in [...]
Today is a very special day here in the Gorgeous Commonwealth. It is the first day of Deer Season. When I was a kid growing up in Western Pennsylvania it was a school holiday. There was no point in having classes because most of the students would be absent anyway. [...]
As was their custom, four Lakewood, Washington police officers met at a local coffee house before their shift began, to exchange information, catch-up on paperwork and browse the internet. This morning, things went horribly wrong:
The officers – three male and one female – were in full uniform and wearing bulletproof [...]
Number of comments: 1 6abc
Pennsylvania’s biggest draw for hunters is set to begin with the start of the 12-day firearms deer season.
About 750,000 hunters statewide are expected to take to the field on Monday. However, rain is forecast in some areas.
Hunters are expected to kill between 80,000 and 90,000 deer on opening day. [...]
I spent a little time wandering around the South Hamburg railroad yards today. As a child I lived in a railroad town on the Pennsy main line. Railroading was a vibrant culture back in those days and it saddened to me to see the state to which it has fallen. [...]
Reuters
Michael Mann, co-author of the Copenhagen Diagnosis and lead author of the UN IPCC Third Assessment Report, blamed skeptics for taking the personal emails out of context.
“What they’ve done is search through stolen personal emails—confidential between colleagues who often speak in a language they understand and is often foreign to [...]
About the hockey stick, and no doubt influenced by the “leak.”
WattsUpWithThat:
In November 2005, Representative Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) requested that the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) convene a panel of independent experts to investigate Professor Mann’s seminal 1999 reconstruction of the global surface temperature over the past 1,000 years. The resulting [...]
Number of comments: 1 Morning Call:
Hauling brush and old tires out of the woods in Allentown early Friday, members of the Service Employees International Union learned an Eagle-Scout-to-be is just as forgiving as he is trustworthy, loyal and helpful.
The Eagle Scout service project of Kevin Anderson, 17, of Upper Saucon Township was caught up [...]
Today, millions of people went out shopping for the bargains which stores invariably offer on the day after Thanksgiving. I now offer the pros and cons of Black Friday, for the amusement of my fellow retail workers.
Pro: Today is the biggest day of the year for sales, and the only [...]
Recovering from Thanksgiving overeating festival — so posting is late and will be short today.
Today is “National Pins and Needles Day” — it was originally a publicity gag for a Broadway show — “Pins and Needles” back in 1937. Today it is more generic as a day of excitement and [...]
Longtime Philadelphia media fixture Al Alberts died Friday at his home in Florida. He hosted a local childrens talent show for 32 years, and retired in 2000.
[...]
I’ve been listening to some of the debate regarding the health care bills going through Congress (all that I can stomache anyway) The most recent debate has been on how they’ll pay for the bill should it become law. There’s been ideas floated about that would include a 1% income [...]
On the topic of the Montgomery County ethics ordinance preventing certain officials from running for political office.
The Intelligencer:
Hoeffel, the driving force behind the enactment of the legislation, repeatedly has maintained that no one department was the target of the legislation. However, in support of the legislation, Hoeffel has cited what [...]
That’s a pretty nice climate you have there…. it’d be a shame is something happened to it.
This past September, [Penn State's Michael] Mann told a New York Times reporter in one of the leaked emails that: “Those such as [Stephen] McIntyre who operate almost entirely outside of this system are [...]
Fifth worst in the country!
An environmental group claims new data indicates that Pennsylvania’s coal-fired power plants are among the “oldest and dirtiest” in the country, and are among the biggest contributors to global warming.
Coal is the dirtiest of all fuels, according to PennEnvironment’s Nathan Wilcox, and Pennsylvania ranks fifth nationwide [...]
Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, your crazy uncle.
Swordplay.
A black western Pennsylvanian has been charged with attempted homicide for using an 18-inch sword to stab a drunk white man who yelled racial slurs at his own dog and the suspect.
Forty-four-year-old Vernon Bridges, of Ambridge, allegedly stabbed 48-year-old Ronald Book with an 18-inch [...]
Number of comments: 1 Drudge has several good links up regarding the recently leaked data from the East Anglia Climate Research Unit in the UK. “Climategate”, as it is predictably being called, is continuing to gain momentum and may well put the final nail in the coffin of global warming hysteria.
For those of [...]
A partial list:
Acne, agricultural land increase, Afghan poppies destroyed, poppies more potent, Africa devastated, Africa in conflict, African aid threatened, African summer frost, aggressive weeds, Air France crash, air pressure changes, airport malaria, Agulhas current, Al Qaeda and Taliban Being Helped, Alaska reshaped, moves, allergy season longer, alligators in the [...]
Tis the season to reflect on what we value, what we cherish, and what we are thankful for in this great nation. We live in challenging times and uncertainty is our constant companion – yet there is much I am grateful for every day of the year:
To the men and [...]
By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor– and whereas both Houses of Congress have [...]
Re: “Catholic” Congressmen like Murphy who take umbrage at the bishops telling them they should not participate in Holy Communion if they vote for abortion, well, St. Paul is pretty clear on that:
Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for [...]
Chambersburg used to have a community Christmas creche. It doesn’t anymore. The reason? An atheist group demanded the right to put their own display next to the nativity scene. As a leader of the group explained: “We didn’t want to take Jesus out of the public square…. We want to [...]
Amidst the economic crisis and 10.2% unemployment, the President and the First Lady inspired hope with a lavish gala that was the Obama’s first state dinner, letting the unemployed and downtrodden know that yes, the glitterati do still exist in these tough times, if only amongst the Washington and Hollywood [...]
A Mathews / Hoeffel created ordinance preventing selected employees in the Sheriff’s and District Attorney’s office from running for office was just declared invalid by Montgomery County judge William Nicholas.
The ordinance was such a good idea, even the Philly Inquirer was against it.
By blocking the experienced candidates for running for [...]
I don’t get the faux outrage.
The Catholic Bishops are not telling Congressman how to vote.
It’s just telling them that they are disqualified from receiving Communion mostly because of pro-abortion positions they have taken.
I’m somewhat impressed by the political tack of the Democrats lately. They pretty much have chance of [...]
