“Ask Me What I’m Asking For”

Today was Philly’s turn for the “SlutWalk”.

I didn’t go, but I do care about the message those women are sending.

I imagine that some folks will say that these “feminazi’s” are sending the wrong message because they are selling what people want- sexualized women.  I think anyone who sees it that way is missing the point.

The point is that there has been such a strong response  from women who have been or who know someone who has been sexually abused.  They were assaulted and it wasn’t because of what they wore, or how they acted.  Those things have nothing to do with who becomes a  victim of sexual violence.  I think these women are trying to say that it is part of a culture that needs to be wiped out.

The name “Slut”  needs to have the sting taken out of it.  Women don’t need to feel bad about being sexually vibrant, fully alive human beings.  Exploring their sexuality and feeling healthy and sensual doesn’t mean they are “asking for it”.  It means that they are fully human, fully adult women and no one has any right to abuse or mistreat them!

I hear them!

I don’t think they want to take back the name of “slut”.  I think they want to make it seem foolish to label a woman a slut.    I think they want to show that they are strong and healthy and they don’t want to be blamed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, nor do they want to hear that they are partially responsible because they were wearing something that made someone think they were “available” sexually!

I support them!

love,

mo

After Reading About the Fire in Norco I Just Remembered Another Water Hazard!

I’m grateful for the fire fighting folks but their units aren’t sending out the cleanest water in the world!  So if we are going to start worrying about dumping pools on lawns because the chemicals in the pools might mess with our water ways then I think we have to figure out how we are going to use baking soda to put out fires!

Just thinking.

mo

Fire at Valley View Apartments in Norco

WFMZ was reporting on the fire over at Valley View Apartments Saturday afternoon.  50 people may be without a home.

Fire crews battled a large fire at an apartment complex in Chester County.It broke out early this afternoon at the Valley View apartment complex at 604 West Schuylkill Road in North Coventry Township. That’s just across the highway from the Coventry Mall.All of the residents managed to get out safety, officials said.

That is really tough news.  I’m glad though that no one was injured in the fire.  If anyone needs anything perhaps they can let us know?

Wishing everyone well and hoping they’ve got connections nearby.  If  not please let us know!

love,

mo

Pools in Pottstown!

I’m a little concerned about an article I read in the local Mercury today about PA making more stringent rules about dumping pool water because of the chemicals that kill fish in PA waterways!

Okay, why am I upset with this nonsense?  Well, first of all local townships probably pour more chlorinated and treated water into the river than local pool owners.  While it may be true that a lot  of people are closing up their pools in September and late summer- it isn’t true that those with large pools are necessarily dumping all the water into local waterways!  If you have a large pool there is a good chance you are going to keep it filled over the winter if it is an above ground pool.  I also believe that is the tendency for in ground units unless the pool will require maintenance or some kind of construction.

Second  the fish were spotted upstream of the pool.  That is odd.

Third a spokeswoman from the DEP said that hot water has less oxygen in it than cooler water- nothing to do with pool spill!

Another concern I have is that the stories preceeding this recent event have been about the fish being harmed by too much algae.  Algae is the thing that pool owners struggle with to keep their pools fresh and clean.  If they didn’t do a thing they’d have green soupy swamps which we’ve been told breed mosquitoes and they are dangerous so we can’t let pools turn into green soupy swamps- but if a big box store and a strip mall come into town they can create a wetland area that  is just another place where mosquitoes can grow and that isn’t a problem!

I’m generally okay with rules.  But sometimes I worry that people make up rules!

Can chlorine kill fish?

YOU BET

Can Algaecides kill fish?

YOU BET

Can poor water quality kill fish?

YOU BET

Can diseases kill fish?

YOU BET

What about lack of oxygen? Can that kill fish?

YOU BET

Does that mean we have to have all pools drained into sanitary sewer systems?

Probably not- not unless the water is highly dosed with toxic chemicals!  And then maybe we should stop washing cars on the street or in driveways. And maybe we shouldn’t  power wash houses or vehicles.  And maybe we shouldn’t purchase resin chairs!  And maybe everyone with a pond should get a license.  And maybe we should stop selling survivalists chlorine tablets for clearing pond water or lake water for consumption because they might not drink it all and they might accidentally pour some out onto the ground.

Maybe a pool like the one at French Creek needs to be moved further from the Lake?

Maybe refrigerators and used cars shouldn’t be located at metal dumps right next to waterways!

Maybe we should stop using Air Conditioning in our cars!

My point is that there are enough other serious pollutants in our environment that I’m thinking that restricting summer pool use is a little nonsensical.

Besides, let’s find out what they are planning on doing over in Cobbs Creek before we make any municipal changes here in Pottstown!

Sheesh,

love,

mo

PS, this story has been changed because when I first researched the story, I relied on information from another creek with the same name.  Obviously I had to remove that portion, but the general feeling for me remains the same.  Thanks.

The Keim Street Bridge; or Frittering Away Money!

This story starts with a bridge that was built eons ago.  The bridge, informally known as the Keim Street Bridge saw almost 10,000 people cross it’s struts daily- that is until engineers began to worry about the conditions of some of Pennsylvania’s bridges.

An engineer got out of his truck one day, or at least that is what I  imagine happened, and he placed some bright orange cones around the side of the bridge and he ducked underneath to take a look at the crumbling concrete joists.  Apparently he or she wasn’t very happy with the results of that quick check because the next thing we all knew was the bridge needed to be shut down for a more thorough examination.

The “more thorough examination” took place and what we had hoped would be an easy fix turned out to be something a lot more expensive.  So the bridge remained closed.

Recently there has been some renewed interest in what we were going to do with that bridge.  Of course the interests may have been high all along, but we only heard about it in local news reports over at the Mercury or at the Sanatoga Post. 

The new reports were apparently confirming that the bridge was going to be closed for quite some time and Pottstown had actually begun kicking around the idea of doing without it entirely!

But another group made up of several local townships had been meeting and discussing what we were going to do with that crazy bridge!  They figured they’d hire someone to figure out what to do with the bridge.  The cost of that examination was going to be about 150,000 big ones!

You’d think that this group of township planners might have talked to the folks in Pottstown about what Pottstown wanted to do with the bridge but you’d apparently be wrong!

Unless I’m mistaken and unless North Coventry and Lower Pottsgrove feel like chipping in to repairing that bridge out of their own tax dollars- then I think Pottstown’s decision is probably going to be the main factor in whether the Keim Street bridge is repaired or not.

But who knows what will happen!?!

Do you think more money needs to go into exploring what to do with the bridge that needs 10 million dollars of work?

Personally I think we should pay Joe Zlomek, the editor of the Sanatoga Post  for keeping us straight on what the heck is going on with the officials around here!

Here is the link to his story:http://sanatogapost.com/2011/08/04/next-move-on-keim-street-bridge-possible-next-week/

I think it’s worth reading!

love,

mo

PS, thanks Joe 🙂

 

Mozzarella and Tomato Salad

When it’s summer I start thinking of eating fresh food.  Driving by stands filled with vegetables makes me want to live a more vegetarian lifestyle.

So why don’t I?

I guess it’s because I don’t have to think too hard about buying fresh when I can just grab a can out of my pantry but I’m thinking that even when I live using food I can find in my own house I don’t have to give up eating fresh do I?

For example I always have a tomato or two lying around.  And the other night I had the kids pick up some mozzarella for a loaf of cheese bread.  So I’m just going to go crazy and slice up some cheese and add some sliced tomatoes and drizzle it with a bit of italian dressing that is in my frig.

For tonight I’m going to heat some canned mushrooms in butter, add some garlic from my frig, toss in some frozen spinach and then add some more shredded cheese and wrap them all in two tortillas which I’ll slice on the diagonal into 2  inch  packets so I have a side dish with grilled chicken and  rice.

My family will prefer ordering a pizza because it’s Friday night and that is what we do…but it’s summer and I’m going to force some faux fresh food on them. 

Then I’m buying more fresh food this weekend!

I’ll let you know what recipes I try next week.

Have a great weekend!

love,

mo

 

Grandma or National Parks! Tough Choice!

Bill Gwaltney, assistant regional director for the National Park Service- Intermountain Region,  was interviewed for an MSNBC story about why more  Blacks, Asians and Latinos aren’t visiting national parks. 

It seems that there is a larger number of White visitors to National Parks and Bill says that there are some shadow answers, or things that aren’t easily teased out of the data that may account for the discrepancy in  numbers.  One answer he suggests is that  familiarity  draws in White folks. White people have a history of visiting national parks and they share stories and take pictures and brag about their vacations.   If your family or friends haven’t gone to visit a state or national park then it isn’t likely you’ll decide to take your family on a trek there or on a vacation  there either!

I thought it was  funny when Bill imagined what a family might be thinking:

One problem, suggests Gwaltney, is that unfamiliarity breeds apprehension: “If someone says, ‘Let’s go to Yosemite,’ the answer becomes, ‘Well, where’s that? I don’t know anybody who’s been there. Let’s go to visit Grandma in South Carolina instead’.”

Makes sense!

Whites as a group have all been taught since they were toddlers that it can be extremely dangerous to go visit Grandma!  ( See Red Riding Hood). 

Personally I’d like to weigh in and set matters straight by saying  that it is probably just as safe to visit your local national park as it is to visit Grandma.  Just make sure you have plenty of water, some disposable snacks, and a woodsman along  with you for either trip!

love,

mo

Midlife Conversations!

“Where are my glasses?”

“What is Centrum Silver?”

“How old do you have to be for a 55 and over community?”

“AARP says I’m somebody!”

“What lab do I have to go to?”

“What is a triglyceride?”

“I’m  not graying!  I’m turning sparkly!”

“If only my fingernails grew like my toenails!”

“It’s another surprise scratch!”

“Did I tell you this story already?”

” I think it needs salt.”

🙂

love,

mo

 

Grads of PA Colleges Doing Pretty Well!

In a survey of a thousand schools Lehigh University placed 9th when they looked at what grads made both directly out of school as their starting income and then a couple of decades later in their 40’s.  Lehigh ranked up with CThe average Lehigh grad makes $112,000 a year by age 42, according to alumni surveys conducted by PayScale. They don’t start out too shabbily, either: Two years out of school, students are already bringing home $57,200.

That puts Lehigh first in Pennsylvania, ahead of the University of Pennsylvania (No. 33), Penn State (No. 189) and the University of Pittsburgh (No. 274).

Locally, Lafayette College graduates make $100,000 by the middle of their careers; Muhlenberg pulls in next at $90,100, followed by Moravian College at $73,500, DeSales University at $71,300, Kutztown at $64,000 and Cedar Crest College at $60,100.

The top earners nationally hail from Princeton, where your just-starting-to-gray graduate brings home a hefty $130,000. Just over 1,000 colleges were included in the report.

Maybe that 40 thousand dollar a year tuition isn’t that bad afterall?

love,

mo
olgate and Stanford!  Only schools like Yale, and MIT and Princeton ranked higher.

Here are some other PA schools listed at where they rank-

 

Bed Bath and Beyond Loves College!

Today was the day that my college kid went back to school.  I didn’t want her to go!  She did!

I hate that.

Honestly I’m just joking.  I mean I know she’s excited to go back to school, but I also know she’ll miss being home too.  She gave me  a super hug and kiss before she left promising she’d call me regularly. 

She won’t!

In the mail yesterday I got an ad from Bed Bath and Beyond.  It’s for 20 percent off hundreds of thousands of items and on the top of the brochure is a sign that says “We ❤ college”.  The junk mail has this image of a family unloading their minivan.  Mom is reaching out to Dad and they are both ecstatic.  Junior is hauling what appears to be a large speaker or a tower fan out of the car. He’s smiling at his parents who are holding bed bath and beyond bags.   They all look so happy. 

Their experience is much different than mine!  My college kid couldn’t wait to be away from her doting parents.  She also remembered at 6:30 am that she needed a shower curtain!

That 20 percent off coupon would have been great if I could have purchased a shower curtain that she could take with her this morning- but of course they aren’t open at that time. 

It’s a good thing Walmart loves college too!

love,

mo