Every State Should Chip In $5 For Each Of Its Own Residents

I suggest every state (except MS, AL, LA and FL of course) make a donation for the survivors and victims equal to $5 for every resident in their own state.

For, example, Pennsylvania would send about $60 Million or $5 for each of the approximately 12 million residents in Pennsylvania. Since the state of Pennsylvania has an annual budget of about $4 Billion, giving away another $60 Million is less than a 1.5% increase. Hell, Governor Rendell spends that much each year on cheesestakes.

If every non-affected state did their share, the aggregate total would be more than $1.2 Billion dollars! That's a good start, heh?

So call your governor and tell him you approve the state donation!

Blame It Oil On Global Warming (and the USA of course)

I think I just penned a song title for the tree-hugging crowd......"Blame it Oil on Global Warming and the USA".

Ross Gelbspan, former journalist and professional Chicken Little has carved out a nice little career for himself over the last 10-15 years warning about the evils of Global Warming.

Yesterday, Gelbspan had a column in the Boston Globe where he blames Hurrican Katrina and almost every other natural dissater else on the USA and its reluctance to approve the Kyoto treaty, etc.

In my opinion, people like Gelbspan are dangerous- he is not a scientist- he is a journalist but he gets an audience for his alleged substantive arguments as wide as if he were an Einstein. In fact, you or I are just as qualified to form an opinion. I am not yet convinced there is a global warming crisis.

Btw, I wonder how many square feet Gelbspan's home is? It's pretty common for these lib enviro whackos to decry SUV's but live in humongous houses. I will try to find out how big Gelbspan's house is- he lives in Brookline, MA.

For your reading pleasure, I have provided the link below so you can see what a nutcase he is and how much he disdains America.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/
08/30/katrinas_real_name/

Good Takedown of So-called Smart Growth Advocates

Wish I could think,argue and write as clearly as this guy, Thomas Sowell, who takes apart so-called smart growth advocates and assorted civic groups / planning commissions. Sowell's column claims these groups including "naturists" actually help to inflate the cost of real estate and homes.

For your reading pleasure, here is the link to the story via real clear politics via jewish world review.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell1.asp

You Must Admit The Web Is Full Of Funny Stuff

Here is a humorous post at a website called www.blamebush.com

The site is a spoof of those who blame Bush for everything. For your reading pleasure, I have provided the link below:

http://blamebush.typepad.com/blamebush/2005/08/farewell_uncle_.html

Hurricane Makes Detroit Look Good

New Orleans has hosted more Super Bowls than any other city. Today, even Detroit (the site for this year's game) is looking like an excellent Super Bowl site when compared to post-hurricane Nawlins!

Unfortunately for New Orleans, the latest news clips suggests many looters may have re-located to New Orleans from their home turf in Detroit.

Help The Hurricane Victims If You Can

Here are links to the Red Cross and to the Salvation Army if you'd like to make a donation.

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/

https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation-form.asp

More Proof of Growth In Non-Profit Sector

Here is an article from the Philadelphia Inquirer that substantiates a prior post where I stated the non-profit sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy.

The most interesting tidbit (to me) in the article was the wide variation in the average wage paid to employees (depending on which segment of the economy employed them). According to the story, the government sectors pay the highest average wage today AND I would venture it also provides the most expensive benefits and pension plans. Here are the average weekly wages by sector for the state of Pennsylvania in 2003:

• Non profit sector $641
• For profit sector $679
• Local govt. $737 or 9% higher than for profit sector
• State govt. $843 or 24% higher than for profit sector

So our government workers are the highest paid and get the best benefits. Sweet huh! Below I have provided the link to the story.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/12493895.htm

When Hijackers Were Just In It For The Money

Here is a good story that re-caps a time when airplane hijackers were just in it for the money.

This guy, called D.B. Cooper, hijacked a plane, got $200,000 then parachuted from the plane over the woods of the Pacific Northwest. He was never found or caught and the story was pretty astounding and appealing on some level to me and the gang I hung around with (we were 19-20 years old at the time).

For your reading pleasure, I have provided below the link to the LA Times story.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-dbcooper28aug28,0,4127944.story?coll=la-home-headlines

I'd Like a Starbucks and a Bagel With My Free WIFI

Here is a NY Post story regarding government-provided wireless internet service. I generally oppose taxpayer-funding for what I would call a semi-luxury or non-essential commodity. But I thought the Post report is a good and balanced story.

Here is a very telling quote from a program bureaucrat (Dana Spiegel, Executive Director of NYC Wireless). I assume she heads up the incipient and free (?) WIFI program for New York city..."Just like the grass and the trees and the benches are provided by the city, we think that broadband internet access should be provided as well".

Let's think about this for a minute.....the city must be pretty well off if it can afford to spring for free WIFI for all its citizens. So I think the city should throw in a free delivery of the morning paper, a Starbucks coffee and a bagel with cream cheese. Cause I really can't start my web-browser without those accoutrements! Then I would support the program.

For your reading pleasure, I have provided below the link to the story.

http://www.nypost.com/business/51774.htm

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Excellent Unmasking of the NEA Agenda from Hube (a teacher) at the Collosus of Rhodey

Dave Huber links to a good and scathing analysis of the National Education Association's latest platform.

Here is the link below to Dave's post. He now posts at the Colussus of Rhodey.

http://colossus.mu.nu/archives/114398.php

Suspect's Photo Released by Cops But Paper Fails To Publish It

The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a news item reporting the police had identified a rape suspect and the police had also released a photo of the suspect. For some reason, the paper failed to include the photo with its story.

I will email the reporter and ask him. Interestingly, the reporter, William Gibbons is a former Philadelphia cop who was shot on duty almost thirty years ago and then took up a career as a crime reporter.

Below is the link to the article.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/12489206.htm

Philly Zoo Elephants 1874-2005 RIP

The Philadelphia Zoo has housed elephants since it opened in 1874. And to the best of my knowledge, there have been no incidents of mistreatment or egregrous neglect of the pachyderms.

Now, the AZA ( American Zoo Association) has set new guidelines for how AZA/ member zoos must house and care for elephants. The AZA wants elephants to have acres of space to roam around just like they were still in the wild. The bottom line is the Philly zoo may transfer its elephants to better-suited zoos and our kids would no longer have a chance to see elephants at the Philly zoo.

That's crazy!!! Elephants have been well cared for at the zoo for 131 years!! And now some meddling, buttinskis are telling Philly what to do. AND I do understand this threat is a not-so-subtle attempt to blackmail the donor and government community to force them to ante up millions of dollars so the zoo can build a habitat for the elephants that meets the AZA new standards.

Here is a quote from the Philly Zoo chairman, Peter Gould ..."we need to do the right thing by the animals. It's clear the status quo is not a long-term, sustainable status quo." Blogger's comment .....UNLESS YOU CONSIDER 131 YEARS LONG-TERM!! GOULD MUST BE A WEENIE AND AN IDIOT. HE SHOULD TELL THE AZA TO GO POUND SAND. I BET THE ZOO WON'T DARE POLL ITS ANNUAL SUBSCRIBERS AND FINANCIAL SUPPORTERS TO SEE HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT LOSING THE ELEPHANTS.

Here is the story's link below.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/local/12493913.htm

This Is Funny & Yes I Admit I Hate Her

Dear Abby,

My husband is a liar and a cheat. He has cheated on me from the beginning, and when I confront him, he denies everything. What's worse, everyone knows he cheats on me. It is so humiliating. Also, since he lost his job three years ago he hasn't even looked for a new one. All he does is buy cigars and cruise around and jokes with his pals, while I have to work to pay the bills. Since our daughter went away to college he doesn't even pretend to like me and hints that I am a lesbian. What should I do?

Signed
Clueless

Dear Clueless:Grow up and dump him. For Pete's sake, you don't need him anymore, you're a United States Senator from New York, act like it.

Note this joke was borrowed from Atlas Shugs via Rightwingsparkle(because it was too funny not to)

Good Article Re Lack of Conservatives in Academia

For your reading pleasure, I provided below the link for an article that discusses the dirth of conservative voices among America's college faculties. It's not a revelation but the articlequotes some of the leading libs at their bestest. Enjoy- here is the link:

http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2005/08/26/johnson

Non-Profits Can Be Corrupt Too

I have been told the non-profit sector of our economy is the fastest-growing part of our economy. That said, I believe there is a lot of fraud, personal greed and deceit in this sector and that does not include the highly-compensated (overpaid) execs running many of the non-profits.

The financial data for all non-profits should be 100% transparent and available for public scrutiny. There are three types of non-profits in this country:

• The traditional church or religious organization that pays its employees below-average salaries and pays even less to its priests/ministers and nuns.
• The small and struggling non-profit that scrapes by on its meager donations and the work of its volunteers.
• And the mega non-profits like the Pew Foundation, bureaucratic paper-pushers like the United Way and mega churches like that run by Pat Roberson.

This last group (like Robertson's) is where the gross malfeasance typically occurs. Just today, the WAPO (link provided below) reported today that Pat Robertson is making a bundle in a for-profit company selling his special milkshake and he may have screwed one of the product developers out of the lucrative deal.

The Pew Foundation has billions of dollars and one of its initiatives is "The Internet and American Life" or some other such bull-crap. Can you imagine what the original Pew family donors would think about their gigantic bequest being wasted on something like that??? Yes, I said wasted. The Pew Foundation is always butting their noses into public issues like sufficient spending on education- why doesn't PEW (as an experiment) give a billion or so of its loot to a single school district to see if great gobs money can really solve education problems? Nah, that would never happen cause then the Pew Foundation would go out of business and the high-paid execs would lose their jobs.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/25/AR2005082501806_pf.html

Beloit College Annual List- A Neat Tradition

Beloit College in Wisconsin now publishes an annual list that lists things that are normal for their entering freshmen (i.e Starbucks) or before their time (Jackie Gleason) or an anachronism (the ability to tie a necktie).

I think the list is kinda neat so I have provvided the link below. Re the neckties, I have a friend who used to just loosen the ties because he was somewhat challenged at tying the knot correctly. Once he came home and was dismayed to see his new live-in girlfriend had done some housecleaning including untying the knots in all of his ties.

Lastly, the Beloit list reminds me of the game every generation plays by telling younger listeners how tought it once was. My favorite is to tell them that when we were their age, we only had three TV channels to choose from. I think that scares the crap out of them.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0825/p09s02-coop.html

The Obit As Printed By the Pottsville Republican

James J. Lynch, of Rhawnhurst, died on Sunday. He was in his 89th year and was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Margaret McGee. Mr. Lynch was born in Phoenix Park and was a son of John and Lottie Lynch.

He was one of ten children and is survived by his daughters, Barbara, wife of Michael Pumple, and Judith, wife of Michael Gullotti; his sons, Anthony and Timothy; eight grandchildren; a great-grandchild; his two brothers, Gerard and William Lynch. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Margaret, Anne, Catherine and Mary; brothers John, Edward "Ted" and Francis "Pat."

The son of a coal miner, Mr. Lynch was an Army veteran of World War II, having entered the service in February 1942, and was stationed in the Aleutians Island during the war. Before moving to Philadelphia, Mr. Lynch was a teacher and baseball coach at Branch Township, his alma mater, in Minersville. Mr. Lynch earned a bachelor's degree in education and a master's degree.

He taught math, science and physical education at the Shawmont Elementary School in Roxborough for more than 25 years and retired in 1979. He was a graduate of Kutztown State Teachers College, where he was known as the Irish Flash for his exceptional speed in the 100-yard dash. Unfortunately, neither his high school nor Kutztown had a track team in those days, but Mr. Lynch claimed the Kutztown football team would pause its team practice to watch him show off his speed in the 100-yard dash.

He also gambled a bit at Kutztown and hinted the walls of his dorm room still had dice marks from the many games of craps they played.

He was a lifelong sports fan and coached baseball for several years for the Rhawnhurst Athletic Association. He loved watching sports on TV and was a big fan of the Phillies, Eagles, college basketball, horse racing, women's softball, the little league world series and pool, to name a few. In fact, when he retired, his fellow teachers gave him a pool cue as a retirement gift.

As a young boy, he had seen the powerful Pottsville Maroons play. They were a forerunner of the NFL teams and laid claim to a league championship that is disputed to this day.

He was an avid reader, had an encyclopedic memory and never forgot a birthday for one of his grandchildren. Just one week before his death, during a phone call he learned a grandson had visited Ithaca to check out potential colleges. Mr. Lynch spontaneously launched into a rendition of a fight song he had heard 50 years ago when the University of Pennsylvania football fans would mock their Thanksgiving opponent, Cornell, located in Ithaca.

The family requests Mass cards or a donation to a charity of choice. A viewing will be held at George Fox Funeral Home, Philadelphia, tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. A funeral mass will be at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at Resurrection of Our Lord Church.

Dad's Obit As Printed in the Philly Inquirer

James J. Lynch Teacher, coach, 88
James J. Lynch, 88, of Rhawnhurst, a teacher and coach for more than 25 years, died of congestive heart failure Sunday at Nazareth Hospital.
One of 10 children of a coal miner in Schuylkill County, Mr. Lynch earned a bachelor's degree in education in 1937 from Kutztown State Teachers College. He taught and coached baseball at his high school alma mater, Branch Township in Minersville, until being drafted by the Army in 1942. He was stationed in the Aleutian Islands before being discharged at the end of World War II.
Mr. Lynch returned to teaching in Minersville, then moved to Roxborough to teach math, science and physical education at Shawmont Elementary School for more than 25 years. He returned to college to earn a master's degree in education from Temple University in 1961. Mr. Lynch retired in 1979.
He enjoyed horse racing, women's softball, the Phillies and Eagles, and playing pool. His colleagues gave him a pool cue as a retirement gift.
"My dad liked to act up," said son Anthony. "Two of his four sisters would not get married in their hometown because the six Irish brothers were rowdy and drank too much at weddings."
In addition to his son, Mr. Lynch is survived by son Timothy; daughters Barbara Pumple and Judith Gullotti, eight grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and two brothers. His wife of 31 years, Margaret McGee, died in 1980.
Friends may visit at 7 tonight at George Fox Funeral Home, 7026 Castor Ave. A Funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Resurrection of Our Lord Church, Castor Avenue and Vista Street in the Northeast. Burial will be in Resurrection Cemetery, Bensalem.

Goodbye Dad

Below is the obituary I just wrote for my father. I also submitted to the Philadelphia Inquirer and to the Pottsville Republican (his hometown newspaper to which he still subscribed).

James J. Lynch, of Rhawnhurst, died on Sunday, August 21 2005. He was in his 89th year and was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Margaret McGee. Mr. Lynch was born in Phoenix Park, Pennsylvania in Schuylkill County and was the son of John and Lottie Lynch. He was one of ten children and is survived by his daughters, Barbara (Michael) Pumple, Judith (Michael) Gullotti, his sons Anthony and Timothy, eight grandchildren as well as two brothers Gerard and William Lynch. He was preceded in death by his sisters Margaret, Anne, Catherine and Mary and brothers John, Edward (Ted), and Francis (Pat).

The son of a coal miner, Mr. Lynch was an Army veteran of World War II, entered the service in February of 1942 and was stationed in the Aleutians Island during the war. Before moving to Philadelphia, Mr. Lynch was a teacher and baseball coach at Branch Township (his alma mater) in Minersville.

Mr. Lynch earned a bachelors degree in education and a masters degree. He taught math, science and physical education at the Shawmont Elementary School in Roxborough for more than twenty-five years and retired in 1979.

He was a graduate of Kutztown State Teachers College where he was known as the Irish Flash for his exceptional speed in the 100-yard dash. Unfortunately he attended Kutztown before the school established a track team but Mr. Lynch claimed the football team would pause its team practice to watch him show off his prowess in the 100-yard dash. He also gambled a bit at Kutztown and hinted the walls of his dorm room still had dice marks from the many games of craps they played.

He was a lifelong sports fan and coached baseball for several years for the Rhawnhurst Athletic Association. He loved watching sports on TV and was a big fan of the Phillies, Eagles, college basketball, horse racing, women’s softball, the little league world series and pool to name a few. In fact, when he retired his fellow teachers gave him a pool cue as a retirement gift. As a young boy, he had seen the powerful Pottsville Maroons play. They were a forerunner of the NFL teams and laid claim to a league championship that is disputed to this day.

He was an avid reader, had an encyclopedic memory and never forgot a birthday for one of his grandchildren. Just one week before his death, during a phone call he learned a grandson had visited Ithaca to check out potential colleges. Mr. Lynch spontaneously launched into a rendition of a fight song he had heard fifty years ago when the University of Pennsylvania football fans would mock their Thanksgiving opponent, Cornell (located in Ithaca).

Here is the song: “ On the shore of Lake Cayuga, there was a horrible smell. Was a pack of sons of bitches, called themselves Cornell”. The family requests mass cards or a donation to the charity of your choice. A viewing will be held at the Fox funeral home on Tuesday evening from 7-9PM, the funeral mass will be at 10AM on Wednesday at Resurrection of Our Lord church.

Aidan Delgado Re-surfaces

I was watching Hardball last night. Nora O'Donnell was subbing for Chris Matthews and she was spending much of the program on Cindy Sheehan in Crawford, Texas. They briefly stated there was an Iraq war vet participating in Sheehan's protest and who do they show but Aidan Delgado! He is the vet profiled in the NY Times Bob Herbert column in early May. In that column, Herbert repeated Delgado's claim that American soldiers in Delgado's unit smashed Coke bottles over the heads of Iraq civilians as the soldiers rode by in their convoys.

The blogosphere got wind of Delgado's very questionable accusations and neither he nor Herbert ever offered any additional proof or names to support his claim. Delgado then seemed to disappear but it looks like he came out of his spider-hole to join the Crawford protest.

I am fine with Delgado joining Sheehan's protest as that is his fundamental right as an American, but Hardball should learn to do a little homework regarding their (however brief) guests. Do the MSM folks even know how to google someone? Delgado's background (he got discharged as he became a conscientious objector and his spurious claims to the NY Times columnist) is information that the MSM should share with its audience! Don't you agree?