PhiladelphiaNative

It Is A SCORCHER Today!

2011-07-18T17:59:00.000-04:00

It is definitely a scorcher today!

Even though I work at home I had to go outside in it - and to make it worse I had to go out during the middle of the day when it is the hottest!

The rest of the week doesn't get any better - in fact its supposed to get much more worse where they are expecting that it might hit 100 degrees on Thursday or Friday - or maybe even on both days!

All I can say is that I hope that everyone will be careful during this heat wave that we are having.

Take your time, get plenty of rest and drink lots of water!

Winter Heating Assistance Available Through LIHEAP

2011-07-09T11:23:00.000-04:00

Winter Heating Assistance Now Available through LIHEAP

I know that right now that we are definitely in the heat of the summer but it's never too early to prepare for the winter especially if you have been having high heating bills and want or need some financial help to help with your heating bill.

this is just another great example of the various forms of free money that is out there and available for those who are eligible!

Assistance is now available to help low-income households pay for a variety of home heating fuel sources and furnace repairs this winter.

Thousands of Pennsylvanians are eligible to receive heating assistance under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Grants are based on income, family size, regional cost of living and heating fuel types.

Income eligibilty limits for LIHEAP are based on the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines, with a family of four's annual household income not exceeding $17,655.

Funding for these programs is limited, and the programs are open only a short time.

To apply for assistance, eligible individuals should write or visit the:

Montgomery County Department of Public Welfare

1950 Calamia Drive

Norristown, PA 19401-3191

or call 610-270-3500

For further details, call the State Department of Public Welfare at 1-800-692-7462.

Operation Warm Hearts!

2010-10-25T19:53:00.003-04:00

The article noted below was found online and I thought that you might be interested in it.

".........WHY? Its going to be a long, cold winter...where will you be? Think of how many folks living on the streets of Philadelphia who may not be as fortunate...

Operation Warm Hearts has teamed up with Opportunities PA to do a Blanket Drive.

With the economy as it is, joblessness at an all time high, and many not for profit and community based organizations are downsizing. There is a CRISES. Shelters, which cater more to families, are running at capacity with 20 percent more beds than five years ago, city statistics show.

Philadelphia's homeless system cannot keep up with the magnitude of today's problem. There are going to be some crowded city streets, back alleys and some back yards. "Efforts to find new emergency shelters and longer-term assisted-living units have been blocked for more than two years by a lack of resources and crippling neighborhood opposition. Even if all the homeless in Philadelphia wanted to come in off the streets, the city would have no place to put them, said Dainette M. Mintz, who has run the city's homeless housing program since 2006"."

The Blanket Drive Began: October 1, 2010

Last Day for Blanket Donations: March 31, 2011

What is needed:

Covers, Comforters, Duvets, & Quilts will be appreciated and accepted. All items must be CLEAN and new or gently used.

FOR INFORMATION ON VOLUNTEERING, DROP OFF LOCATIONS and PICK UPS CALL: 267-243-1468.

Sponsored by

Operation Warm Hearts

OPPORTUNITIES-PA

OPPORTUNITIES is a nonprofit organization that Educates, Equips, Empowers, and Encourages homeless and other at risk youth and young adults to achieve their academic potential and professional goals by offering them supportive services and stable housing.

"In any given year, there are approximately 500,000 children in foster care throughout the United States. Of these, about 20,000 age out* each year and are at risk for a variety of problems, including homelessness, un or under employment, criminal activity, and a lack of education."

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES:

OPPORTUNITIES was established in April 2008, to bridge the gap homeless youth experience transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. Ms Justina Shaw and Nijah Famous states that a lack of local organizations providing supportive services to homeless adolescents ages 16 to 25 motivated them to create a solution. In November 2009, Ms. Justina Shaw became the Chief Executive Officer and a board of 12 members was formed. This team is the driving force for OPPORTUNITIES success.

OPPORTUNITIES provides mentoring, life coaching, educational assistance, career counseling and housing to homeless and at-risk youth ages 18 to 25. Through mentorship, goal setting, and financial literacy training, OPPORTUNITIES residents will be equipped with the skills necessary to become self sufficient adults.

Win A Free Laptop!

2010-10-04T16:50:00.005-04:00

I have just entered a contest to win a free laptop! It is a Dell Inspiron 14R personal laptop and the contest is being sponsored by KYW 1060 newsradio!

I really do hope that I win 'cause I could sure use a free laptop!

To enter this contest you have to go to KYW1060.com and register to become an insider where they will ask for your name, address, email and phone number.

Once you register and enter the contest then you will have to listen to the station at 7:48 am and 3:18 pm to hear if they call your name and if they do you will have 30 minutes to call them to claim your prize!

Again - I hope I win!!!!!

Update!

The contest ended Friday, October 22nd and alas, I didn't win!

A Blog Tax??????????

2010-08-25T18:39:00.003-04:00

I know that the city of Philadelphia is having financial problems but this really takes the cake!

It seems that if you have a blog or website that is making money then you have to pay for what is called a business license. According to an online article:

"All bloggers earning a profit have to pay $300 a year to be licensed in Philadelphia"

If your blog earns you more than $50 per year then you have to pay for the business license!

One way that people earn money with their blogs is with the Google Adsense program. (You can find out more about the Adsense program by visiting The Adsense Consultant's Blog.) The Adsense program lets you earn money from home by placing ads on your website or blog.

You see when you make over a certain amount with the adsense program you receive a tax statement at the end of the year showing how much you earned and I'm assuming that somewhere the city of Philadelphia finds that information - meaning that they will contact you asking for your payment for the business license.

What really seems to be unfair is that bloggers will have to pay for the $300 lifetime ($50 per year) license even if they don't even make enough money to pay for the license itself!

You can read the article by clicking here.

The Philadelphia Inquirer Is On Twitter!

2010-08-02T17:04:00.004-04:00

Actually I really shouldn't be surprised that the Philadelphia Inquirer is on Twitter but when I got an email that said that they were following me I was quite surprised!

You see since I work from home I do a lot of my work online so I am online quite a lot of the time!

If you don't know what Twitter is it is sort of like a social networking site. People sign up (it's free) and they post messages so that the whole world can see them. You can visit my own Twitter site by clicking here.

As far as the Philadelphia Inquirer goes they post the latest news headlines from their paper and if you want to know more you can click on the links in the Twitter posts and that will take you to the full story(s). That way you will know what the latest news in Philadelphia is.

If you're interested in following the Philadelphia Inquirer on Twitter you can visit their site:

http://twitter.com/PhillyInquirer

KYW Radio Has A Twitter Site!

2010-07-13T15:16:00.004-04:00

I listen to KYW Radio all the time! I listen to it mostly for the weather but I also want to hear the latest news going on in Philly! However today I found out that KYW Radio has a Twitter site as well!

If you have a Twitter site like I do then you already know that Twitter is like a social-networking site that is all the rage right now.

If you decided to "follow" KYW Radio's Twitter site then you will be updated on the latest news happening here in Philly.

KYW News Radio's Twitter Site!

Officials Warn of Scams That Steal Homes from Elderly « KYW Newsradio 1060

2010-07-11T16:56:00.001-04:00

Officials Warn of Scams That Steal Homes from Elderly « KYW Newsradio 1060

What Happens If You Don't Pay Your Real Estate Taxes (in Philly)?

2010-05-22T13:27:00.002-04:00

What Happens If You Don't Pay Your Real Estate Taxes In Philly?

The city of Philadelphia uses a law firm to collect delinquent real estate taxes. If your real estate taxes go unpaid then civil tax actions can be filed in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia to enforce the collection of delinquent real estate taxes.

Unfortunately this means that your property can be sold at a Sheriff's sales if your real estate taxes are not paid. Also interest and other fees will be added to the amount that you owe!

In order to prevent a civil tax action from being filed against your property you must send your payment to the city of Philadelphia.

If you reside in the property and are unable to pay the amount due in a lump sum then you should contact the law firm to discuss the possibility of entering a payment agreement to pay the amount due in installments. (Proof of a financial hardship may be necessary to enter into such an agreement.)

Also see if you can obtain a copy of the "Philadelphia Taxpayer Assistance Brochure". For help or assistance in arranging a payment plan, you can call any of the Housing Counseling Agencies listed on page 5 of this brochure.

Did you know that there are millions of dollars owed to the city of Philadelphia. According to the mayor of Philadelphia these taxes are needed to support police and fire fighters plus the money also supports new schools, senior centers, recreation centers and playgrounds.

Real Estate taxes are due once a year, on March 31st of the tax year. If the taxes are not paid by March 31st of the tax year, a penalty charge will accrue on the principal amount of the tax, up to a maximum charge of 15% of the principal amount due. If the taxes remain unpaid after December 31st of the tax year, the 15% addition is added into the principal, and tax liens are filed against the property. Penalties and interest, as well as attorney fees continue to accrue until the tax is paid.

You may be able to postpone a Sheriff's sale of your home one time for 60 days.

You can petition the Philadelphia Tax Review Board to try to reduce the amount that you owe.

Philadelphia Magazine

2010-05-06T12:09:00.005-04:00

I have a copy of "Philadelphia Magazine that I purchased some time ago. Usually I don't buy this magazine because it is just too expensive for me but I decided to buy a copy this time.

In this issue:

an article about philadelphia-native Kevin Bacon
Philadelphia Facts and Trivia:
- "Tons of trash removed from Fairmount Park in an eight month period? 3,608 tons!
- Total number of hockey pucks used in a Flyers season - 75,000 hockey pucks!
- Coldest day on record in Philadelphia was -11 degrees Fahrenheit on February 11, 1943
a small article about a feud between WMMR and WYSP
I didn't know that Philadelphia has a charity circuit?
"Why are New Yorkers coming to Philadelphia for plastic surgery?
according to one of the articles "Why Philly is still America's best college basketball town?
I do have to say that Philly surely does have a lot of nice-looking stores and restuarants that I would love to investigate!
I was looking at the classified and advertisement section near the back of the magazine and I noticed that Philly seems to have quite an S & M and "fantasy" market!
it was quite interesting reading the personals section just to see what people are interested in.

I see that the magazine has a lot of advertisements in it so hopefully that means that the magazine is well funded. I don't knw how many people subscribe to "Philadelphia Magazine but it would be interesting to know.

All in all I can't say that the Philadelphia Magazine is such a bad magazine. It just seems to be targeted to a higher-income/class of people.

I do have to say that I enjoy looking at the pictures - especially the pictures of the products that some of the "higher-end" stores are selling!

We must have some very rich people here in Philadelphia!

Job Openings For Lifeguards!

2010-04-29T11:44:00.002-04:00

If you are looking for a job then you may be interested in applying to become a lifeguard for the Philadelphia department of Parks and Recreation. Some of the requirements and qualifications include:

Must be certified in Lifeguard Training, First Aid & CPR
Must be 16 years of age or older
Must pass a drug screening, criminal record, child abuse and FBI clearance check

Minimum salary is $12.33 per hour

Maximum salary is $14.60 per hour with experience

Members of the NAACP Philly Youth Council have the opportunity to obtain much more info, and direct contact information for more opportunities. Visit the NAACP Philly Office at 1619 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, or attend one of the 2nd/4th Saturday meetings, or any of the community service activities to join our group now!

source

Facebook

William Penn High School?

2010-04-14T19:14:00.000-04:00

I actually attended and graduated from this school way back in the late seventies!

However I was recently updating one of my site profiles and one of the questions that it asked was about the schools I attended. I wanted to list William Penn High School as the school that I graduated from but it wasn't in the listings. I thought that was happening because the school was supposed to be closing. I was able to list that I also attended Strawberry Mansion Junior High School.

So I went online to try and find a picture of the school and I actually could not find one! I'm going to have to take a picture of this school so that I can post it here because this school brings back a lot of memories for me!

Here is a recent update about the school closing:

"State Rep. W. Curtis Thomas, D-Phila., announced today that School District of Philadelphia
Superintendent Dr. Arlene Ackerman formally withdrew her proposal to close William Penn High School at a School Reform Commission meeting yesterday. "

You can read more of this news update by clicking here.

Hopefully this is true and this is very good news to hear! Although I work at home now all the education that I received from this school is still within my memories and I do think about it from time to time!

However you would think that with all the free money programs and government grants around that there would be a way to figure out how to save this historic philadelphia school which has quite an extensive and historical background!

I'm hoping for the best!

Philly Got Socked With A LOT Of Snow!

2010-02-07T18:07:00.002-05:00

Yes Philadelphia got a lot of snow over the weekend! I have seen accounts online where Philly got over 2 feet of snow this weekend! I'm definitely glad that I work from home because that meant that I didn't have to go out during the snow storm if I didn't want to!

I am an Adsense Consultant and I do other online consulting as well! This means that I am able to work from home and not be too dependent on the weather!

I did shovel some snow today because thankfully its the weekend and the temperature was in the low 30's and the sun was shining so that made the snow more softer and easier to shovel! I saw a lot of my neighbors also shoveling snow today and its interesting because there is one house in my block that didn't shovel their snow yet.

Well KYW has announced that all Philadelphia public schools will be closed tomorrow (Monday) because of the snow.

The news is calling it the 2nd most worst snowstorm that Philadelphia has EVER had! Even Septa stopped running Saturday - but they are supposed to be up and running today.

I have been reading the Twitter posts from others in Philly and it's very interesting what they are posting about. For me I'm just content to be able to work from home - something which I am very grateful for!

In case you haven't heard the weather forecast is calling for maybe more snow Tuesday night into Wednesday!

For right now I'm just glad to be inside!

Boy Did We Get A LOT Of Snow!

2009-12-20T20:40:00.002-05:00

It stared snowing during the earlier part of Saturday and it snowed ALL day and into the night!

Now this isn't the first snowfall that has happened here in Philadelphia this season but it is the first snowfall of the season (and I don't think that it is officially winter yet!) that has left a lot of snow accumulation!

You can probably find the official snow numbers by going to KYW News radio or by going to one of the online sites that has information about Philadelphia's weather.

All I know is that we got a LOT of snow Saturday. Thankfully I work from home so I really didn't have to go out in this kind of weather. But I was listening to the radio and as you can imagine there were car accidents and delays at the Philadelphia airport and Septa was having major delays!

You should also know that all public and parochial schools will be closed on Monday!

The temperatures are not expected to go out of the 30's for the next few days! This is going to make shoveling snow more harder! It's also a few days away from Christmas and I'm sure that there are a lot of people that still have a lot of Christmas shopping to do!

I was listening to the weather report on the radio and did you know that there is a chance that we actually get snow on Christmas Eve!

Is Septa Going To Go On Strike?

2009-10-31T19:00:00.001-04:00

Is Septa going to go on strike? Well that seems to be the popular question today! People in Philadelphia and the surrounding area are wondering if Septa is going to go on strike. They have a good reason to be worried about it though because a lot of people use Septa! In fact I was at the supermarket today and it was packed apparently because people were trying to get their shopping done before the 6pm deadline that was set for the Septa workers to go on strike.

Apparently the major bone of contention is about salaries and benefits and the last word that I heard from KYW news radio was that both the union and Septa are still negotiating and that they might possible have a meeting tomorrow - Sunday - which is highly unusual but both sides feel that the sooner they solve this thing the better.

So as of right now, both sides are still negotiating and the Septa buses and trolleys are still running! Whew!

Update!

November 3, 2009

I was shocked when I heard on the news that Septa has actually gone on strike! It seems that they made the decision to go on strike early in the morning and there were many commuters who had not heard the news of the strike and so they were caught off guard when they were trying to get to work!

I heard them interviewing them on the news and the people were saying that they wished that they had known that Septa had decided to go on strike so that they could make other plans on how they were going to get to work.

It seems that hospitals in the Philadelphia area have made contingency plans to help their workers get to work. I heard on the radio that one Philadelphia-area hospital would be opening more spaces for parking and charging $5 for their workers to park in those spaces.

Others commuters are taking cabs.

There's no telling how long this strike is going to last!

Woman Accused Of Selling Body For World Series Tickets?

2009-10-28T21:08:00.004-04:00

In case you haven't heard it yet the Phillies are playing in the World Series for 2009! Since they won the world series in 2008, winning again would just be great!

Of course the whole city of Philadelphia is in high spirits hoping that the Phillies will win the World Series again this year as well!

As you can imagine Phillies fans are eager to get their hands on the World Series tickets so that they can attend the games. I know that the Philadelphia sports fans are eager and quite loyal but it did surprise me when I saw online that a woman is being accused of selling her body for World Series tickets!

This was reported by CBS and you can read the story by clicking here.

Michael Vick? - I Guess I Should "Weigh" In!

2009-08-14T20:27:00.003-04:00

Michael Vick was all over the news today and since I'm from Philadelphia I guess I should "weigh" in and offer my own opinion as well.

First a little background information for those of you that don't know what this is all about.

Michael Vick, a professional football player was convicted in a dogfighting ring crime. He spent 2 years in prison and now the Philadelphia Eagles are hiring him back saying that everyone deserves a second chance - which I really can't argue with.

Fans and regular people have been interviewed and it looks as though the opinions are half and half. Half feel that he does deserve a second chance and the other half think that the Philadelphia Eagles should have not signed him back with the Eagles.

Here is my own personal opinion:

I am an animal lover myself and I think that what he did was just awful and horrible! However I can't argue with the fact that people deserve a second chance. So we are just going to have to see how he lives the rest of his life.

It Was The Hottest Day Of The Year Today Here In Philly!

2009-08-11T00:29:00.003-04:00

It was definitely a hot day today! I was constantly listening to the news on KYW AM and I also kept watching our local news on ABC channel 6 - which is my favorite local news channel to watch on TV. As I understand it we reached 97 degrees today but it felt as though it was over 100 degrees! Even with my air conditioning on (it was set to low - conserving those PECO bills you know - LOL!) it still felt kind of warm and I was still sweating!

I am soooo glad (and grateful) that I work from home so that I didn't have to be out in that kind of weather unless I wanted to! I did sweep off my back porch though some time during the early afternoon and it didn't feel so bad but I'm guessing that that is because I have a tree that shades my home.

With this kind of hot and humid weather there have been all kinds of weather alerts on TV. Since the weather is so hot and humid people are reminded to take care of themselves. During hot and humid weather like this your supposed to drink lots of water - even if you don't feel thirsty. Keep checking your pets and the elderly and make sure that they are alright.

There are also heat-related emergency phone numbers that you can call to help you with problems that you are having related to the heat. There are supposed to be a lot of good links at 6ABC.com to help people deal with the heat.

For me, I'm just taking it easy and staying inside with the air conditioner on!

Septa Bus Driver Injured!

2009-05-07T20:32:00.002-04:00

I just heard about this on the news! I don't have all the details but from what I heard the bus driver was nice enough to let the assailants ride the bus without having to pay the extra fare but at the end of the bus's run they still went and beat up the bus driver!

Now I do know a little bit about this "fare" business in that when you go out of the city limits you have to pay an additional zone fare because you're entering another location outside the city of Philadelphia. Add to that - if you have already gotten a bus transfer you still have to pay the addition zone fare if you go out of the city limits.

I know that its upsetting and a hassle to have to pay so much in bus fares but in this particular case, the bus driver was nice enough to let them ride the bus because the bus driver said that he didn't want them to be stranded. Which was a very nice thing to do and look at what happens!

The news reports said that the Septa bus driver is going to be OK and you can read more about this story by clicking here.

The Death Of Harry Kalas

2009-04-13T23:19:00.006-04:00

I heard about the death of Harry Kalas on the news today. Even though I'm not a big Phillies fan, I do remember the voice of Harry Kalas! He had a very distinctive voice which was very nice to listen to.

I believe that he was in his 70's and I think I heard on the news about when his parents took him to a ballgame it was then that he knew what he wanted to do with his life.

He took ill while getting ready for a Phillies game. He was taken to the hospital and unfortunately he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Even though this is sad news for Philadelphia Phillies fans at least everyone knows that he died doing what it was that he loved to do!

Another Winter Storm Alert!

2009-03-01T01:13:00.002-05:00

Well it seems as if the Philadelphia area is under another winter storm alert for the weekend! Actually it seems as if we're going to have 2 bouts of winter weather with the worst being the 2nd one that's supposed to come Sunday night into Monday. We might get as much as 6 inches of snow!

Here are some websites to help keep you informed about the latest weather condition in and around the Philadelphia area:

Brian Dawkins Has Been Traded!

2009-02-28T01:59:00.000-05:00

I'm not a very big sports fan but one of the most popular sports news topics of the day is the fact that Brian Dawkins will no longer be playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. It is my understanding that he has been an "Eagle" for the past 13 years and the fans are sad to see him go.

Apparently there was some issue with the contract offering in that the Eagles didn't offer him enough money so that is when he decided to leave.

There are lots of blog posts and news stories about this and like I mentioned above I'm not a real big sports fan but this is a big part of the kind of current news stories that are happening in the Philadelphia area.

The Philadelphia Inquirer Filing For Bankruptcy?

2009-02-24T01:29:00.000-05:00

I couldn't believe it when I heard on the news that the Philadelphia Inquirer was filing for bankruptcy! Actually its the company that owns the Inquirer that is filing for bankruptcy.

Everytime I see that building on Broad Street it reminds me that the building and the Inquirer are another "staple" of the Philadelphia area! And besides the Philadelphia Tribune, the Inquirer was one of the major newspapers in the area! I always relish getting the coupons that were included in the Sunday Edition of the Inquirer.

Of course I miss the building that used to house the Philadelphia Bulletin and what I miss most of all is seeing the headlines that appeared on the side of the building.

I haven't been in this area for a while and I don't what is in the building now but I'm pretty sure my memory is correct in that the building is located near the 30th Street Station.

I don't know what this bankruptcy filing is going to mean for the newspaper but I'm wondering how Philadelphia would fare if they didn't have at least one major newspaper for the area?

Boy Did We Get A Lot Of Snow!

2009-02-04T21:52:00.004-05:00

Boy did we get a lot of snow yesterday! I believe the official numbers were that Philadelphia got around 6 inches of snow yesterday!

For right now we all seem to be shoveling ourselves out of it now and I heard on the news that Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has said that the city of Philadelphia was only able to shovel about 25% of the side streets!

It does make for a gorgeous site but if you have to be out in it it doesn't feel as "gorgeous"! Personally I could stand the snow - it's just the ice that I hate! A lot of people (at least on the news anyway) seem to be taking it in stride because they say it is winter of course and we should expect winter weather.

It's supposed to be brutally cold tomorrow and Friday but then it looks as though we'll get temperatures in the 50's during the weekend! Sounds kind of strange to be getting 50 degree-plus temperatures in February but if it will help to melt the snow then I am all for it!

The Mummers Parade Continues for 2009!

2009-01-02T04:05:00.002-05:00

Well it looks like the Mummers' tradition continues!

The Mummers were able to have their traditional 2009 parade and strut down Broad Street!

A few weeks ago it was announced by Philadelphia's Mayor Michael Nutter that the city of Philadelphia wouldn't be paying for the Mummer's Day Parade and that got a lot of people upset! However, the Mummers were able to secure financial donations so that they could have their parade this year.

Here are some related links where you can find out more:

Shopping The Day Before Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T21:41:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's right, I went grocery shopping the day before Thanksgiving! And yes I had to buy a turkey!

Now I went during the later part of the morning and even then the Shoprite was crowded! It was especially crowded where the frozen turkeys were! Shoppers were looking into the bins looking for the right sized turkey and to make things more complicated there was a decision to be made as to whether to buy a frozen or fresh turkey (remember this is the day before Thanksgiving!).

I often wondered how someone could get a frozen turkey on the day before Thanksgiving but expect it to be cook-able and thawed out for Thanksgiving Day but Marsha told me that people use a hair dryer to thaw out their turkey!

Like I said, Shoprite was packed! - even for the early afternoon and I suspect that it would probably be more crowded as the day wore on!

The parking lot was crowded, the Cheltenham Mall was crowded both inside and out!

I just could not wait to get home and out of the madness! But I did manage to get everything that I needed!

Sister2brother

Our First SnowFall!

2008-11-20T22:30:00.004-05:00

I could hardly believe my eyes when I looked out the window to see it snowing! At first it was just a little trickle of snow and I thought that it was just debri from the trees falling but as time went by I saw that they were definitely snowflakes! And then it started snowing more heavier! Looked at the local news and they said that since the temperatures were above freezing then the snow wouldn't accumulate. However there is the forecast of more snow tomorrow!

Now don't get me wrong it was a very pretty site watching the snow falling down - especially from the comfort of my own home - but I'm just wondering if this is a sign that the upcoming winter wil be more harsh as far as the weather is concerned?

Even if it is the people in the area learn to adapt well no matter how bad the weather gets. It's just a matter of inconvenience. But then again we are talking about Mother Nature here!

I don't think that anyone can 100 % accurately predict the kind of winter that we are going to have and its just going to have to be a case of being prepared just in case we do get some bad weather.

"Getting Out The Vote!"

2008-11-14T10:35:00.000-05:00

From my own personal perspective, Election Day was a beautiful day to behold!

Here is an excerpt of a recent email I got:

Hello Friends

While I can only speak for myself, I'm always glad when Presidential campaigns are over. I know that sounds funny coming from a guy who serves in the Pennsylvania Senate, but the endless commercials, analysis from pundits and opinions from talking heads is almost more than I can stand. If it weren't for the Phillies, I would have unplugged the tube.

The news that always brightened my day was to see young people turning out in large numbers at campaign rallies for both Democratic and Republican candidates.

Whatever your political leanings, the growing interest of young Americans in our political process is exciting to watch. Observers say the large voter turnout we saw November 4th reflects a surge in the number of younger voters casting ballots. That's good news for our country.

In recent decades, young Americans were largely indifferent, voting well below their 17 percent share of the population. That may have been due to both the candidates and their political parties ignoring the opinions and issues important to young people.

As candidates become more in tune with voters between the ages of 18 and 30, we've seen the number casting ballots rise. In 2000, 18 million people under the age of 30 voted. Four years later, over 20 million did. In Pennsylvania, of the more than 218,000 new registered voters since January 2008, over 70 percent are between the ages of 18 and 35.

Both Senator McCain and Senator Obama worked hard to win the vote of the more than 50 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 30. (There are an estimated 1.9 million young people in Pennsylvania who are eligible to vote.) From registering new voters through Facebook to texting supporters to get out the vote, both presidential candidates spent enormous resources to curry favor with younger voters. While still to be dissected, returns show that young voters supported Barack Obama by a more than 2-1 margin.

Here in Pennsylvania, I believe more needs to be done to reach out to this newly invigorated electorate. As public servants, we must do more to extend a hand to young voters and address the issues that matter to them. For example, it is estimated that 71 percent of students who left Pennsylvania higher educational institutions in 2007 owed money. The average debt load was $23,613, the sixth largest in the nation, yet Pennsylvania is doing little to address this issue.

As importantly, we must do more to keep Pennsylvania's young people in Pennsylvania. Between 1990 and 2000, Pennsylvania lost more young people than any other state in the Union.

Since being elected to the state Senate, I have heard from interest groups from almost every aspect of our society -- groups that represent everything from dry cleaners to ice cream vendors to egg producers. And that's a good thing. People voices should be heard. But Pennsylvania's young people have no such voice to represent their interests or concerns. It may be because they are too busy with school or starting new jobs to lobby the halls of Harrisburg, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be listening. After all, in 10 or 15 years, these people will be running things.

One of my objectives for the coming year is to become an advocate for advancing youth issues within the state legislature. The first step in this effort is to meet November 19th at the Harrisburg Area Community College to hear from stakeholders and lawmakers about what we can do to support our state's youth. While our overall goal will be to make Pennsylvania a premiere state in which young people can live and be heard, I am focused on three driving principles: education, entrepreneurship, and empowerment. I am confident that improving these "3 Es", will make Pennsylvania a leader among states where young adults can successfully live, work and start a business.

The event is open to anyone with an interest in these issues.

Pennsylvania has the potential to be one of the best places in America to go to school, start a career, and raise a family. It's important we start listening to our state's youth and work with them on developing a plan for the future growth of our Commonwealth in the 21st century.

By Pennsylvania Senator Rob Wonderling (R-24th)

Well, The Phillies Have WON The World Series!

2008-10-30T07:36:00.003-04:00

well the Phillies have won the World Series! It was quite a long wait and I expect that the city of Philadelphia is going to go crazy!

Unfortunately I was just too tired to watch the baseball game but sometime during the wee hours of the morning I heard people honking their horns and I assumed that the Phillies had won!

Lo and behold when I went online I saw the news heading that the Phillies had won the World Series!

I 'spect that the city will be crazy today!

Philadelphia People - Congressman Chaka Fattah

2008-09-02T10:41:00.000-04:00

Congreesman Chaka Fattah is a Congressman for the 2nd District.

Below you will find more contact information:

Main Office:
4104 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: 215-387-6404
Fax: 215-387-6407

Northwest Regional Office:
6632 Germantown Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19119
Phone: 215-848-9386
Fax: 215-848-3884

2301 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-4001
Fax: 202-225-5392

Website: http://www.house.gov/fattah/

Times Square In New York at 9:45 PM On A Monday Night!

2008-08-18T21:54:00.004-04:00

lindys.jpg (JPEG Image, 640x480 pixels)

And I thought downtown Center City in Philly was crowded! Just take a look at the number of people who are walking around in Times Square in New York!

I don't that I have been to New York yet but I still think that it would be an interesting place to go - but I didn't know that it was so crowded!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

9/27/08 Update! - Ooops it looks like the link I provided for the picture is working better than I thought because it shows current webcam pictures of Times Square - depending upon the time of day that you are looking at this blog!

EarthCam.com

2008-08-18T16:33:00.002-04:00

Ground Zero!

EarthCam.com

This is one of the webcam pictures from New York's Ground Zero!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Mike!

2008-05-05T05:38:00.003-04:00

Here is a picture of Mike! He works at my local Shoprite that's located on the far side of the Cheltenham Mall. He also used to be a co-worker of mine as I used to work at the Shoprite too!

I still shop there though because it is so close to me and I took this picture of Mike one day with my camera phone part of my cellphone.

He is always very busy because he works outside of the store gathering the shopping carts that the shoppers leave in the parking lot. If you have been to this store then you know that it is HUGE! and the same thing applies to the parking lot!

New Cellphone Plan? No Thanks!

2008-04-18T19:38:00.002-04:00

I got a text message on my cellphone today from Verizon. They want me to "upgrade" to one of their newer plans where you get unlimited nite and weekend minutes BUT you pay $2.99 a day when you use your cellphone during the day.

Since I use my cellphone everyday that would come out to roughly $90 a month and I don't think that includes text messaging as well!

'No thanks' I'll just stick to my little old monthly cellphone plan thank you.

It's bad enough with all the advertisements that we are subjected to but now they are on the cellphones as well!

Germantown

2008-04-07T04:44:00.003-04:00

I was talking to someone about the Germantown section of Philadelphia and it brought back some fond memories. Personally I remember the area as having those great big old beautiful houses that I later found out were quite historical in nature. I also remember the area having a lot of "green" in it - meaning trees and grass.

I haven't been in that particular area since last year when I was at Germantown and Chew avenue doing some shopping. Unfortunately there was a lot of trash in the area but it was full of people including a lot of students, people who were going to lunch from their jobs and just a lot of people in general. Germantown and Chelten is quite a congested area during almost any time of the day.

I see that the Germantown branch of the library is still there and it is still in that cute old-looking building. (I have been looking for an online picture of it but haven't found one yet but will post it when I do).

The whole entire area is steeped in tradition and their historical society is supposed to be quite popular.

The further up Germantown Avenue you go the more shops and stores that appear and I seem to remember that they decorate the outside streets with Christmas decorations during the holidays. I also remember some of the shops being quite pricy but there are also stores there where you can get a good bargain as well.

Now that I'm remembering I seem to remember there being a fabric shop in the area but I don't think that it is there anymore )-:

Unfortunately My Brother Is Back In The Hospital Again

2008-03-21T00:33:00.002-04:00

It just happened within the last few days!

Ironically enough he was going for a regular doctor's appointment and while he was there he told his doctor that he wasn't feeling well. They checked him out and thought his condition warranted him a longer stay at the hospital so that they could take some tests to see what is wrong.

My brother is a veteren and he's currently at the VA hospital.

I talked to him a few hours ago and he said that he is feeling better as long as he doesn't over-exert himself.

So while the hospital is taking tests he will be there for a while.

State Income Tax Website

2008-03-15T17:17:00.003-04:00

I have added a new list of links to the side of this board. What prompted me to do that is that I'm currently filling out my income taxes and since the April 15th date is so near I was looking online to see if there was a site where I could download a copy of one of the Pennsylvania state tax forms that I need. I found the website and here it is:

State Income Tax Website

You can go to the website to find the Pennsylvania State Income Tax forms that you need and you can download them from the site as well.

Temple University Gets A BIG Donation!

2008-03-04T23:29:00.002-05:00

College gets anonymous $5 million in the mail: Kind-hearted donor sends big checks to help educate women and minorities *

The checks to Temple University really were in the mail -- for $5 million. It was a total surprise for the school to receive the anonymous donations, which arrived in a pair of nondescript envelopes sent via U.S. mail from a bank in Arizona, said Stuart Sullivan, Temple's senior vice president for institutional advancement.

source
MSNBC

WURD 900 AM's Albert Butler

2008-02-24T13:02:00.003-05:00

I have a stats tracker widget on this blog. I use it to track my traffic and see where it is coming from. I use it mainly for my Adsense Consultant blog but traffic to this blog is also including in the stats.

With that being said I noticed that there were more than a few people doing searches for Albert Butler and/or WURD Radio. I am taking this to mean that a lot of people are trying to find out where Albert Butler (aka Mr. Midday) is now. He does have a myspace page (which you can find the link to on this blog by hitting the WURD label that appears at the bottom of this blog entry).

Albert Butler used to have a show on WHAT. But if you don't know it by now WHAT has a new owner and a new format - which isn't anything like the old format! The last time I listened to WHAT they were touting something like "independent music".

Albert Butler can now be heard on WURD Mondays thru Fridays from 4 to 7 pm.

Philadelphia Webcams

2008-02-22T14:50:00.004-05:00

Because of the bad weather today I thought I might look around to see if I could find some Philadelphia related webcams. There is supposed to be a webcam site for the Philadelphia National Airport but when I went to that site their webcam was "temporarily" down. I did find another Philadelphia Webcam site which is supposed to be a skyline view and taken from the perspective of the Philadelphia Franklin Institute.

Since the above picture was taken today I notice that I don't see any snow there!

WURD Radio - 900 AM

2008-02-13T17:30:00.003-05:00

I'm currently listening to WURD Radio's Al(bert) Butler who is on Monday - Fridays 4-7pm. However I only get good reception on this AM station from one upstairs room in my house (that static interference starts to kick in at around 5:45pm) - so currently I am listening to it online.

WURD Radio's Website

So I'm listening to it online and it occurs to me that I could probably listen to it via my Windows Media player - but I'm still trying to figure out how to do that.

I didn't even know that this station existed until a few years ago! My station of choice was WHAT which is now no more! It really is a shame that I didn't know about this station before but at least I know about it now and I listen to it a lot.

Remember that WURD is a community talk station.

Al Butler - aka Mr. Midday!

2008-02-09T16:00:00.001-05:00

Here is a picture of Al Butler - aka Mr. Midday who used to have a show at WHAT. I'm glad to report that he is now on WURD, Mon - Fridays from 4 - 7pm. I just found this out today by going to

his MySpace page

If you don't already know WHAT is not WHAT Radio any more. I'm still trying to find out what happened to Mary Mason!

But I'm glad I found Mr. Midday.

WURD is 900 am

"Parking Wars!"

2008-02-06T18:49:00.000-05:00

If anything should scare you about getting parking tickets in Philadelphia - This show will! First of all I can't get over the fact that this show is only using Philadelphia - do we really have THAT much of a parking problem that they don't have to highlight other areas as well?

First my own experience with the Philadelphia Parking Authority -I have never gotten my car booted BUT I did have some rather horrendous experiences with getting tickets!

This was a few years back but once I was going to school in Center City and I decided to park my car along Walnut Street! When I returned to drive home I found that my car was gone - I thought it was stolen! I came to find out that first it was ticketed and then and then it was towed to the tow "place". Well I first had to find out where the towing place was - it way far out somewhere - and I had to take the bus to get there! Once I did get there there was something like $200 I had to pay! Well I decided there and then that I was never going to get another parking ticket again! That scared me enough to NEVER get another parking ticket again!

Another time (again a few years back) I got an $80 speeding ticket! So suffice it to say that I don't speed any more!

Well back to the show - Parking Wars - It sorely reminded me why I avoid getting any kind of ticket or anything like that again. First of all people have to wait in line forever - a lot of them had to take off from work to get down there and they are not to happy to begin with!

Another thing is that a lot of people are there because they either don't have or they have expired paperwork like their drivers' license and/or registration and/or their car insurance has lapsed (or they have let their car insurance expire). (So as much as I grumble about having to pay that stuff I know its better to pay it than to get caught without it!)

As you can guess a lot of these people are NOT happy at having their car ticketed, booted or towed away! A lot of the people got into this situation because they have a lot of unpaid parking tickets. One woman got her car towed because her registration had expired. She had to go to court and get a paper releasing her vehicle, then she had to go back to the parking authority to get her car only to find out that she had to hire a towing service to remove her car!

It's just enough to make you want to scream (and some of them did!)

I kind of feel sorry for some of the Philadelphia Parking Authority staff because they take a lot of abuse from the people!

But if anything will scare you straight about getting a parking ticket - then this show should definitely do it!

Philadelphia's New Mayor!

2008-01-08T16:07:00.000-05:00

Well it looks like Philadelphia has a new mayor. Michael Nutter was sworn in today and I saw a bit of it on the news. One of his main agendas is fighting the high crime rate in Philadelphia. He is asking for community support from all the residents of the city.

Only time will tell as to how good he is.

Philadelphia Wind Advisory Until Tomorrow Afternoon!

2007-12-16T20:28:00.000-05:00

Philadelphia is currently under a wind advisory until tomorrow (Monday) afternoon!

Wind gusts of up to 50 mph can be expected!

The Most Dangerous City In The World?

2007-11-18T22:44:00.001-05:00

You would think that with watching the local news that Philadelphia is the most dangerous city in the world but here is an article that says it is not. I don't think that Philly even made it in the top ten!

Currently it seems that Philadelphia has had more murders than in the number of days so far this year. It's sad to know that there are other areas that have even a higher crime rate.

Camden, NJ is on the list though!

The National Building Implosion

2007-11-11T21:59:00.000-05:00

In case you missed it the old National Building has been imploded and the convention center in Philadelphia will be expanded. Now I have had occassion to be around the area where the convention center is located and it was already a huge place! But I guess they need more room! I do know that if the Philadelphia convention center is expanded then they will have more room for more events thus being able for them to make more money.

I think I remember hearing in the news about how the convention center was saying that their lack of space accounted for them not being able to book as many events as they would like - so this will probably help.

Personally I like the older buildings in Philadelphia but I guess it wasn't feasable to keep that building up and operating. At least its not because they want to put another luxury apartment or condo building in the space but I suspect that we will be getting more of those anyway.

There Is A Manhunt Going On!

2007-10-31T22:15:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately crime is a very big issue in the city of Philadelphia. There have even been jokes made because Philadelphia is known as the city of brotherly love and lots of people like to make jokes about that.

There is a major manhunt going on today because a police officer got shot. At the area of 66th & Broad Street (where Broad Street and Old York Road meet) a police officer was shot in the head as he entered a Dunkin Donuts store. (Before you start making jokes about cops and donuts you should know that in this case the policeman was doing a routine check at the Dunkin Donuts because it had been robbed before.

According to the news this happened around 10:30 this morning. It seems that the policeman entered the shop just as a robbery was taking place. The robber shot the police officer in the head and then took his gun and then fled.

So the police have launched a massive manhunt for this man! Schools and daycares in the area were put on lockdown and the parents that were concerned about their children could check the news and find out the status of the schools and daycare centers where their children were.

I live near the area - well near enough to hear the police helicopters in the sky and they are still there as of late this afternoon.

Of course you can find out what is going on now concerning this incident by checking either your local news or KYW radio.

The Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia Has Job Openings!

2007-10-12T06:37:00.000-04:00

What is so surprising is the number of job openings that the Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia has! There are quite a few of them and they are varied. Everything from RN and nurses to office positions are available!

The only caveat here is that to apply for the jobs you have to apply via their website. I know someone who went to the hospital in person and couldn't even apply for the job in person because the information - including his job application and resume had to be submitted online and submitted via the hospital's website.

So if you're looking for a job then you can visit the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's website

Well It Doesn't Look Too Good For The Phillies Does It?

2007-10-05T17:13:00.000-04:00

I'm not a big sports fans but who can't help but get caught up in the Phillies Fever craze? They are in the play-offs now but they have lost the first two games! The best three out of five - so we still have some time (and some hope) left!

You know what they say - Never Give Up! and Never Give Up Hope!

I Do Most Of My Grocery Shopping At Shoprite

2007-09-06T15:35:00.000-04:00

I do most all of my grocery shopping at the Shoprite at the Cheltenham Mall. Technically its not in Philadelphia but the Shoprite is located just outside the city limits on the other side of Cheltenham Avenue.

I used to work at that store (its a loonnnnnnnng story!) so I'm still friendly with most of the people that work there. But even though I used to work there the store is still pretty good shopping-wise! Their pastry section is to-die-for and they have a very good seafood department.

The store is also at a very good location because it is right near the bus depot at Cheltenham and Ogontz Avenues.

There's also a sale going on and the store has many sample exhibits where shoppers can sample some of the foods that are on sale.

The "Death" Of A Beloved Radio Station!

2007-09-04T12:17:00.000-04:00

Imagine my shock when I turned on to get one of my favorite radio stations - WHAT - only to find out that there was another format playing!

It seems WHAT has been bought! For those of you not familiar with the station it was a local community talk station that discussed important issues in the Philadelphia area. Probably the most famous host there was Mary Mason. She was also a bit of a controversial radio host.

It seems the station had trouble keeping up financially and that was the reason why it was sold. So far I think that the only alternative station is WURD which is 900AM. This is also a talk show radio station about important community issues in the Philadelphia area. I have had a chance to listen to this station and it is pretty good although I know that they need more sponsorship and advertisers so that they won't go the same way that WHAT did. I also believe that you can listen to them online as well (although I not absolutely sure).

We have gone through so many radio station changes! I believe the first one was when WWDB - also a talk station - changed its format. Then another one of my favorite radio stations - WJJZ - changed its format. But now I have come to find out that WJJZ has moved a little "up" the dial so I can still listen to them and their "smooth jazz" format.

It will be interesting to see where Mary Mason turns up and I do miss some of the other hosts like "Mr Midday" - but he does have a myspace site.

So the number of "my favorite" stations are decreasing. I do know that there is an internet radio station called LaMott Radio which is near where I live and there are a number of other Philadelphia-related internet stations online that I have to find out more about.

I'm A Philadelphia Native!

2007-09-03T15:17:00.000-04:00

I was born and raised in Philadelphia!

My initial blog started out with me blogging about Philadelphia but then it branched out into free things that I found on the Internet.

So I decided to start another blog about Philly! Since I still live near the area there are still people, places and things that I still enjoy about the Philadelphia area and I feel that having a blog devoted to Philadelphia is worth it!