A murder of crows.
Something to strike terror into the heart of any crow — a red-tailed hawk skimming low over a field.
Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang….
Blast off, a flock of pigeons takes to the air.
Fields along Rte. 222 west of Reading.
[...]
WPVI:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the small amount of radiation detected at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant is not significant.
Specialist John White has told ABC News that there is no indication that radiation at the plant exceeded or even approached regulatory limits.
The commission sent investigators to the [...]
The recent theft and publication of electronic records from Britain’s Climate Research Center has revealed a conspiracy of climate alarmists to falsify research and to suppress contrary evidence on climate change. One of the chief conspirators, referenced in several e-mails, is Michael E. Mann, Head of Penn State’s Earth System [...]
WPXI has video of the crowd waiting for Sarah Palin at the Trinity Point Sam’s Club in Washington, PA.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has a short article about the event.
I find her to be inspirationally courageous,” said Denise Brna-Kusky, 44, of Washington, who arrived at the store just after midnight clutching a [...]
The Fighting Quakers cruised to an easy victory over Cornell today 34-0 to remain undefeated in League play and secure undisputed possession of the Ivy title. Cheer Hurrah! Hurrah! for the boys in blue and red. Lift your glasses high and toss a toast or two for “Dear Old Penn”.
ps: [...]
In honor of Sarah Palin’s return to Washington, PA tomorrow, here are a couple of photos I took of her the first time she was there, back in August 2008:
Click for the original size. I left the photos “in context”, so Chris Matthews can see how “tribal” the people are.
[...]
First let’s kill all the women.
Fox News:
In what some see as further attack on women’s health care, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended Thursday that women delay cervical cancer exams, also called Pap smears, until the age of 21 and that women younger than 30 undergo cervical cancer [...]
Breaking right now: Blog Brother JK over at Three Sources links to James Delingpole at the Telegraph (UK) who has the scoop on Climategate:
If you own any shares in alternative energy companies I should start dumping them NOW. The conspiracy behind the Anthropogenic Global Warming myth (aka AGW; aka ManBearPig) [...]
Alex, as a mother, I think reasonable bike laws are something that everybody should be for. After all, if, by some estimates, there are some 50,000 unregistered bikes just floating around the city, how can pedestrians expect to feel safe when every day it seems like you hear about one [...]
Waaaaaaaaah.
Philadelphia’s city council is looking at enacting some regulations for bicyclists. Included among them is a $20 registration licensing fee and fines for riding on sidewalks or with headphones or for bicycle maintenance.
The idea of registration is, in theory, not ridiculous. Especially if it were a tool to help recover [...]
Scott Ott (Scrappleface, Wash Examiner, PJTV) was recently interviewed by Michael Koolidge about Ott’s narrowly lost campaign for Lehigh County Executive.
Go listen.
There’s a lot to absorb in this 26 minute interview, but what I found most interesting and enlightening was “Don’t believe the conventional wisdom.”
[...]
Excellent piece by Jonah Goldberg over at the National Review on the subject of Palinophobia. He makes a lot of sense. I particularly liked this line:
[S]ome of us will always be sympathetic to Mrs. Palin if for nothing else than her enemies. The bile she extracts from her critics is [...]
Today is “Universal Children’s Day”, officially so designated in 1954 by the U. N. This is not to be confused with “International Children’s Day” sponsored by UNICEF which comes in December, nor the other “International Children’s Day” which comes in June, nor with “National Child’s Day” which President Bush established [...]
If they really want to win elections, that is. From my column in today’s Pottstown Mercury:
For years, voters have lamented the fact that there is no difference between the parties; that Democrats and Republicans are all the same. And for the most part, they are right. GOP party leadership is [...]
Chris Matthews continues to beclown himself when he talks about Sarah Palin. (Newsbusters, H/T AoSHQ)
On one hand, isn’t it notable how white- nay, “tribal” the people are who go to the Palin book signings. Those white, tribal, paranoid tea-party birthers, rambling about this thing they call a “Constitution”.
On the other [...]
Number of comments: 1 Today is “Have A Bad Day Day”. Wow! Sounds bad! Wishing misfortune on others — that’s what comic book villains do. But it’s not as perverse as it sounds. The commemoration was established by folks fed up with hearing people say “Have a good day” at the end of every [...]
Number of comments: 1 There is much to say about Sarah Palin, but I think that the most apt observation to come out in recent weeks is that she is a litmus test. In some she inspires an almost Obama-like devotion; in others an irrational seething hate that makes the ire directed at George [...]
Even the Crosby-haters have to admit that this is cool. Sidney Crosby was chosen to carry the Olympic Torch through Halifax in his home province Nova Scotia, as the Flame makes its way westward to Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Olympic Hockey is going to be awesome this year. Imagine [...]
Number of comments: 1 So I was thinking…
Given that the recovery.gov website is a fictional mess featuring ridiculous amounts of money per job created, wouldn’t it be great if our state’s Auditor would look at the numbers & spending?
Especially if said Auditor is running for Governor?
You know, prove that he’s independent of party or [...]
Editor’s Note: Dick Stanton is an friend of the watercooler from Montgomery County, Pa.
Guest Post is a occasional feature at the watercooler… if you’d like to post a piece please email it to me, and I will put post it. Same rules apply as to the cooler contributors. You [...]
Here’s what was missing from Dr. Nancy Snyderman’s report on the new Government guidelines on breast cancer screenings: a little journalistic objectivity.
View more news videos at: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/video.
Lu Ann Cahn of Philadelphia’s NBC affiliate apparently did not get the memo from Corporate. Of course, the execs at GE who run NBC [...]
Today is “Occult Day” so go out there and spend the day getting in touch with your paranormal side. Dabble in Theosophy or Ariosophy or Astrology; hold a seance, complete with spirit rapping; seek out Madonna and ask her to explain the Kabbalah; or answer an ad for the Rosicrucian [...]
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
I’m posting a different clip than I promised earlier because Snyderman basically parroted the same line that Dr. Susan Love did on the earlier clip with Brian Williams.
In this clip, watch how tense Snyderman is. It’s almost like [...]
If you have some time to spare, and would like to help with the Temp Smith recount efforts in Philadelphia, please contact Joe DeFelice @ jdefelice@pagop.org or call him at 215-756-4158
[...]
Today is “World Peace Day”. An admirable sentiment, no doubt, but one also has to ask at what price. A number of studies have shown that since the collapse of the Soviet evil empire the world has been getting steadily more peaceful, that is, the levels of conflict, both between [...]
Number of comments: 1 Daughter-in-law of Pennsylvania’s favorite former RINO, Tracey Specter resigned her post as the Chairman of the Republican Committee of Lower Merion & Narberth.
He will stay an active Republican, except for working to re-elect Senator Specter.
Full note after the jump….
Dear Committee People, Ward Leaders and Office Holders:
I am stepping down as [...]
Number of comments: 5 More fun with Excel & Recovery.gov
The numbers by Congressional District:
Red & Blue colors denote party affiliation. What’s funny are the Congressional districts in black. The 00th, the 65th & the 96th districts have never existed. Did anyone even do a cursory look at the figures? There’s only 50 states, so [...]
Number of comments: 2 Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
MSNBC:
NEW YORK – Most women should wait until age 50 to get mammograms and then have one every two years, a government task force said Monday in a major reversal that conflicts with the American Cancer Society’s long-standing recommendation [...]
Number of comments: 2 I can’t believe my eyes are seeing this.
It can’t be right.
From the recovery.gov website…. here are Pa’s figures…
I plug these numbers into Excel… and behold.
I’m not really clear on how the fractional jobs are computed, but really now…. is the Obama administration telling us that each job “created or saved” [...]
Innocent until proven guilty, right?
The former Speaker of the House participated in the afternoon’s voting session despite Attorney General Tom Corbett charging him with 82 criminal counts last week in connection with alleged misuse of more than $10 million in taxpayer money. The charges against Perzel and 9 others connected [...]
Back in my days at Orange Brick University, we never called the steam plant the Drexel Shaft.
I can understand the connection, but the Drexel Shaft was more an inevitable state of mind.
Not a building.
Anyway…. the 1930s era Pennsylvania Railroad constructed steam generating plant at 30th Street Station was demolished on [...]
Damn scabs!
Allentown Morning Call:
In pursuit of an Eagle Scout badge, Kevin Anderson, 17, has toiled for more than 200 hours hours over several weeks to clear a walking path in an east Allentown park.
Little did the do-gooder know that his altruistic act would put him in the cross hairs of [...]
A grand jury charged Former Republican State House speaker John Perzel and nine others with misusing public resources for political gain. According to Attorney General Tom Corbett and the grand juries findings, $10 million dollars in taxpayer money was spent to help win political campaigns. This has been an ongoing [...]
The Tea Party on Saturday drew a crowd of over 1,000 people to the Pennsylvania Capitol in the middle of nowhere. Most are very angry about last Saturday’s house vote to approve healthcare legislation. They are also upset about Cap and Trade, and the Socialistic leanings of the new administration. [...]
Today is “Button Day”. I don’t know what it means either.
Lots of military stuff today.
On this day in 1532 the Conquistador Francisco Pizarro took Inca emperor, Atahualpa, hostage after victory in the battle of Cajamarca.
And on this day in 1798 the Brits boarded a United States ship, the Baltimore, and [...]
From the Tribune-Review:
Harrisburg — The Pennsylvania Tea Party took its message of limited government to this capital city Saturday.
Hundreds of protesters from regional groups that came from as far as the Ohio and New Jersey borders gathered at Harrisburg’s City Island early yesterday afternoon for a march through the city [...]
Speaking in Tokyo Obama referred to himself as the “first Pacific President” suggesting that he, unlike any of his predecessors, had significant experience in Pacific affairs based on the fact that he was born in Hawaii and spent some of his childhood in Indonesia. As with so many pronouncements made [...]
Number of comments: 1 Woo Hoo! The Penn Quakers sewed up at least a share of the league championship this afternoon with a 17-7 win over Harvard. There is no joy in Cambridge tonight, the Crimson lies defeated on the field of play. Next up, Cornell and a chance to win the Ivy outright. [...]
This week I’m posting some pictures I took while we were driving through Pennsylvania Dutch country — my favorite part of the commonwealth.
First, migration season is in full swing and the Susquehanna valley seems to be a favored route for a number of species. As we drove through there were [...]
Number of comments: 1 Here’s what I take from Althouse’s screed:
Look at me! Look at me! Pay attention to me! I’m relevant! Look, I’m calling Sarah Palin “dumb!” That’s edgy! That’s cool! Everybody else’s doing it! Somebody listen to me!!!!
Althouse is essentially arguing that a vice presidential candidate exists to be a mindless automaton [...]
Back in early July, sitting East Norriton Supervisor James Staufenberger removed his name from the ballot for re-election. He left the naming of his replacement to the East Norriton Republican Committee. Staufenberg announced his decision with the following statement that should have sent the red flags flying:
“Good government is better [...]
What will the political fate be for Con. Kathy Dahlkemper, Sen. Bob Robbins, Rep. Mark Longietti, or Rep. Michele Brooks in 2010?
Written by Roberta Biros
With the 2009 political season comfortably behind us, it’s time to take a look at the political landscape for 2010. There will be plenty written about [...]
Drudge has an excerpt from Sarah’s book on his site. Read it here. From her account the McCain staffers assigned to handle her were inept, patronizing, and dishonest. This may well be true, but her insubordinate attitude toward them reveals more than Sarah might want people to know. Ann Althouse [...]
Ode to the Facepalm… Just imagine me facepalming after each bit.
(1) They’re trying KSM in a civilian court. In New York. What could go wrong?
(2) So the US Commerce Secretary says, “Trade agreements are going to have to wait.” For what, you ask? “Right now, the administration is focused on [...]
… and gets immunity.
The grand jury presentment Corbett released mentions Scott Migli, campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach, who will face Corbett in the 2010 Republican primary. The grand jury found that former House Speaker John Perzel, charged with theft and conspiracy, gave Migli a $100,000-a-year job in the [...]
Today is “Sadie Hawkins Day”. For you young’uns out there, Sadie was the invention of Al Capp, whose “Lil’ Abner” comic strip was extremely popular half a century ago. Sadie was an unpopular girl who couldn’t find a man. She was also the daughter of the town’s mayor. So he [...]
Here’s your link for the streaming video.
Update: Perzel is the biggest name so far, former Rep Brett Feese.
Perzel is looking at 82 counts.
The other eight names are staffers.
Update: The picture:
Update: Charges are not for bonses, but a re-election campaign machine on taxpayer dollars.
Update: As expected, these indictments are painted [...]
Philly Daily News:
State Attorney General Tom Corbett, now running for governor, met with state Rep. John Perzel, of Philadelphia, at a Harrisburg hotel in October 2007.
Two months later, Brian Preski, Perzel’s former chief of staff, organized a campaign fundraiser for Corbett.
In state politics, nothing about either event would seem strange. [...]
Sarah will be on Oprah this coming Monday, talking about her book, Going Rogue. The show has already taped and details are leaking out. Supposedly Oprah asked Sarah about hosting a TV show and Palin did not say “no” [here]. Roger Ailes ears must be pricking up. And Mark Halperin [...]
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports today that the crowd at the Veterans Day parade in downtown Pittsburgh was even smaller this year than it was last year.
It was a day to pay homage to all U.S. soldiers, and veterans like Denk, 60, of Baldwin Borough said they were honored by the [...]
Today is “National Chicken Soup Day”. In happier times I would urge you all to go out and get a large, steaming bowl of gastronomical goodness, but these days the National Organization of Screaming Ninnies might object. They would condemn the killing of poultry, the amount of energy required to [...]
After a seven month absence from the print media, I’m excited to announce that I’m the new contributing columnist at the Pottstown Mercury. My first column for the Merc can be found here.
Here’s a taste:
We’ve all been there:
Dining in a restaurant or waiting in a checkout line, when a parent [...]
Allegheny Institute:
Fresh off his election victory, the Mayor of Pittsburgh has decided to take charge in dealing with the fiscal mess that is the City. No he hasn’t decided to cut spending. Instead he has found a new segment of the population to tax–college students. His plan is to tax [...]
Somebody up at UP is doing things right. They now have a course:
English 497: Narrative, Oral History and New Media Technologies in spring 2009. The goal of the course was to help returning veterans become filmmakers by creating short documentaries about the experiences of the Iraq War. Dubbed “Back from [...]
For someone like myself who is very pro-2nd Amendment but not necessarily on the front lines, I found this quite disturbing. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomburg’s pet organization Mayors Against Illegal Guns (”MAIG”) has made significant inroads into Pennsylvania.
MAIG is a driving force behind mandated reporting of lost or stolen guns, [...]
My husband informs me that, after prefacing his remarks with an “I don’t like to talk about other radio show hosts, but….” national radio talk show host Mike Gallagher opened his show yesterday with a rant of disgust aimed directly at Philly’s most prominent faux conservative, Michael Smerconish. I have [...]
Just a reminder that the kickoff Center-Right Coalition meeting, modeled after national tax-reform leader Grover Norquist's successful format, is TOMORROW MORNING, Thursday, November 12, at the Union League in Philadelphia, with Mr. Norquist in attendance.
[...]
Today is “Veterans Day” so go out and find a veteran and sincerely thank him or her for his/her service [in an entirely appropriate way, that is].
When I was a child Veterans Day was still “Armistice Day” and it commemorated the end of major combat in World War I. The [...]
Congressman Patrick Murphy was one of the 220 votes for HR 3962, Pelosi’s Healthcare Plan. In spite of many protests at his office and clear opposition in the Eighth Congressional District, Murphy in the end still voted for the plan. He will pay in 2010. It is also notable that Murphy did [...]
Those neo-con facists!!!!
The grand jury subpoena also required the Philadelphia-based Indymedia.us Web site “not to disclose the existence of this request” unless authorized by the Justice Department, a gag order that presents an unusual quandary for any news organization.
Kristina Clair, a 34-year old Linux administrator living in Philadelphia who [...]
Just a reminder that the kickoff Center-Right Coalition meeting, modeled after national tax-reform leader Grover Norquist's successful format, is THIS THURSDAY, November 12, at the Union League in Philadelphia, with Mr. Norquist in attendance.
[...]
Today is USMC Day, commemorating the founding, on this day in 1775, of the Continental Marines. These days we know them as the United States Marine Corps. Happy Birthday, jarheads. You done us proud.
On this day in 1871 Stanley met Livingstone. It’s one of the iconic moments of the age [...]
As I find out more about the East Norriton’s supervisor race I originally posted about here, I become more and more puzzled about this “old fashioned campaigning” article that appeared in Saturday’s Times Herald. A quick perusal of the campaign finance records for winners Harris Dainoff and John Zurzola reflects [...]
I received this in response to an email I sent to my Congressman, Tim Murphy. Here he is, injecting some sanity into the House of Representatives:
Dear Mr. Lewandowski,
Thank you for contacting me to express your views on healthcare. It is good to hear from you and I appreciate the opportunity [...]
Chris doesn’t seem to think it should be a crime for Nidal Hasan to contact Al Qaeda:
He makes a phone call or whatever, according to Reuters right now. Apparently he tried to contact al-Qaida. Is that the point at which you say, â€This guy is dangerous?’ That’s not a crime [...]
Well, they gotta pay for their viagra somehow.
A fare increase of that size could mean the cost of a token would go from the current $1.45 to about $1.60, and a weekly Transpass from the current $20.75 to about $22.75.
But nothing’s certain.
“If there is a fare increase, we don’t know [...]
(1) Jonah Goldberg – True Conservatives Just want a Turn. To summarize, Dubya wasn’t exactly super conservative, so proclaiming the death of conservatism based on Dubya’s failures (real and perceived) does not follow. All we are saying is give conservatives a chance.
(2) iPhone user? If you’re using a jailbroken phone, [...]
Twenty years ago today the United States of America won a colossal victory for all of mankind without firing a shot. It was a political victory, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet-Communist empire. It was barely two months after I left the Army after [...]
Today is the strangely titled “Chaos Never Dies Day”. Supposedly it is a day to contemplate all the random turmoil that characterizes modern existence. I like that. The central conceit of modern culture is that the seeming randomness of life results from the operation of deep, fundamental processes that trained [...]
Number of comments: 1 For realz.
Yes, it appears that labor issues are not the only dysfunction troubling SEPTA workers. The Daily News reported that some are unhappy that their current health-care plans cover – and here it’s important to use caps for emphasis – ONLY 10 VIAGRA PILLS A MONTH.
Some union members want the [...]
As Obama himself said a few weeks ago:
I don’t mind cleaning up the mess that some other folks made. That’s what I signed up to do. But while I’m there mopping the floor I don’t want somebody standing there saying, ‘you’re not mopping fast enough.’ Or, ‘you’re not holding the [...]
Funny line about the President from our very own Governor Rendell.
Talking about election losses and whether the President is taking on too much.
Is he taking on too much? He’s taken on too much, David, because there are crises. He inherited these crises. He didn’t go looking to take on these [...]
Alex wrote:
Based on Joe’s numbers below and history Murtha & Kanjo are safe.
I don’t think 2010 is the year to be counting districts out, at least not yet.
Murtha’s number may finally be up, provided that our candidate (whether Burns or Russell) goes beyond the ethical stuff that’s been dogging Murtha [...]
Mark Steyn quotes a July Happy Warrior column on the Corner today:
Obama believes in “the fierce urgency of now”, and fierce it is. That’s where all the poor befuddled sober centrists who can’t understand why the Democrats keep passing incoherent 1,200-page bills every week are missing the point. If “health [...]
Once again, the American people have allowed themselves to be played for fools by our “representatives” in Congress. This time we fell for Nancy Pelosi’s stratagem of allowing a vote on the Stupak Amendment, which was never anything but a trick.
The vehemently pro-abortion Pelosi appeared to graciously allow a vote [...]
If there was one message from election day 2009 that seemed to resonate, it is the struggle for the soul of the Republican Party between old guard GOP cronyism and Conservatives. The movement began with the purging of Arlen Specter, but there is still much work to be done. That [...]
I realize that whole “flip-flop as a slur” hilarity has kind of waned… but it is politics, and it will continue to happen.
… and these Pennsylvanians have gone against their own words:
Chris Carney, Kathy Dahlkemper, Paul Kanjorski, John Murtha
Says Andrew Moylan:
Be sure to read through all of the quotes on [...]
Some enterprising individual has broken down the “yea” votes for Pelosicare by Cook PVI and put it into a GoogleDoc Spreadsheet. (h/t @Ali)
As it pertains to PA…
Carney (PA 10) – R+8
Dalhkemper (PA 3) – R+3
Murtha (PA 12) – R+1
——-
P. Murphy (PA-8) – D+2
Sestak (PA 7) – D+3
Kanjorski (PA 11) – [...]
Number of comments: 3 Ed, my read on this situation is that this is not a failure of Rendell’s or Nutter’s, for that matter; this is an instance of Union bullying. Here’s this morning’s Inky:
A tentative agreement to end the strike by SEPTA workers collapsed in acrimony yesterday, leaving prospects slim for a quick [...]
Number of comments: 2 Not all the news this weekend has been bad.
The fearsome Quaker brawlers obliterated the pathetic Princeton pussycats 42-7 Saturday to remain undefeated in League play. Next up the boys from Cambridge.
Fight Harvard fiercely Quakes.
[...]
Final Vote Result for PelosiCare
How did your Congressman vote? If he or she voted against liberty, vote him or her out in 2010. No excuses. No complaining about how “they’re all bums” or “I don’t like either candidate”. There needs to be a consequence for the action of Congress fighting [...]
“Yea” vote number 218 just came in. The Democrats are all giving themselves a round of applause now for voting against liberty. They should all be tried for treason instead.
219 “Yeas” now. Looks like Obama convinced a lone Republican, Joe Cao, to sell his soul for money. Now the media [...]
I’m sure Denny will be sick when he reads this:
Cutbacks worry Reading fire chief
Residents will see longer ambulance response times and fewer personnel at fires, Chief William H. Rehr III says.
By Don Spatz
Reading Eagle
Cutting $3 million out of the Reading Fire Bureau’s budget next year will require major cutbacks in [...]
Rendell blames union for talks failure
By Paul Nussbaum
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
A tentative agreement to end the tranit strike by SEPTA workers collapsed, Gov. Rendell said early Saturday evening. Rendell blamed union leadership for the breakdown and demanded that union members be allowed to vote directly on the proposed contact, or he [...]
Number of comments: 1 As I type this, Nancy Pelosi is trying to jam socialist health care down our throats, and right now she plans on having a vote on the House floor in the next few hours. Supposedly now the liberals are trying to appease pro-lifers in Congress with a false claim to [...]
Blue Dog “conservative” Democrat Jason Altmire, that is…
Altmire voting for govt health care bill. Enjoy your last year in congress pal. This vote + stimulus vote= you lose in 2010.
I wonder who the poor soul #218 will.
2009’s Marjorie Margoles Mezvinsky, for sure.
[...]
Number of comments: 6 Election day, late in the afternoon, we were on our way to vote. The sun hung low in the sky and its rays slanted across the landscape. Photographers call it the “golden hour”, when everything seems to be infused with an amber glow. “She Who Must Not Be Named” was [...]
What… the…??? Honestly. Tell me, does anybody really think that this is an attractive statue?
I’m not the only one who thinks it looks like it’s made out of fecal matter. And THIS piece of crap is supposed to be a tribute to the great Pittsburgher Fred Rogers? Seriously?
I’d like to [...]
After receiving no answer from emails requesting town hall health care meeting with her constituents, I took up Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann’s call to make a house call on our congressional representative.
Despite less than a week’s notice, up to 50,000 Americans from across the country gathered at the steps of the [...]
C’mon guys.
Get off yer asses.
BusinessInsider compiled a list of the top 25 laziest cities. Pittsburgh is 15th
Fun facts.
26.7% of citizens don’t exercise.
39.0% watch TV during the week.
28.7% are fat.
I dont know how they compute the TV factor. I would have thought it’d be much higher.
[...]
