Wednesday, February 27, 2008

March 20th= Sweater day for Fred


A tribute to children's public television pioneer, Mister Rogers will include an effort to get people everywhere to wear his trademark garb, a sweater, on what would have been Rogers 80th birthday.
The March 20th, "Sweater Day" observance is one of several events Family Communications Inc. of Pittsburgh is promoting to honor Fred Rogers. Rogers created the company to produce his show and other family friendly educational fare.
David Newell, who plays Mr. McFeely on "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," appears in a YouTube video that touts sweater day.
Sweater Day is the capstone to a six-day celebration that will include free or discounted family admissions to Pittsburgh-area cultural institutions and other activities.
Rogers died of cancer five years ago today.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Sunday, February 24, 2008

My 2008 Oscar Predictions


Director-Coen Bothers
Supporting Actress-Ruby Dee
Supporting Actor-Javier Bardem
Actress-Marion Cotillard
Actor-Daniel Day-Lewis
Picture-No Country for Old Men

Org. screenplay-Diablo Cody-Juno
Cinematography-The Diving Bell
Animated-Persepolis
Doc. Feature-NO End in Sight
Adapted Screenplay-too close to call

Friday, February 22, 2008

Cherry 24


Cherry Jones, won't be gracing TV screens as the president on 24 until January 2009. The series was originally scheduled to start in January 2007, and after the strike, there was brief talk of a fall 2008 premiere. But now we have to wait till next January. That's gonna be a big month.!!

What I learned this week


Ninety-five percent of the objects represented by white dots in this computer-generated illustration are human-made debris. Scientists warn that the growing amount of space junk orbiting the Earth threatens the safety of human and robotic space missions.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Beer Mapping


Looking for a local brewpub or brewery while traveling? Going on a road trip? It's now easier than ever with this great Google Maps Mashup: BeerMapping.com. Simply click on your Country, then region and you'll be presented with a cool little map showing all of the brewpubs and breweries in the area. Remember don't Drink and Drive!

MS AWARENESS WEEK=MARCH 10-17, 2008


MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn't. The Ms Society helps each person address the challenges of living with MS through our 50 state network of chapters. The MS Society funds more MS research, provide more services to people with MS, offer more professional education and further more advocacy efforts than any other MS organization in the world. The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. We are people who want to do something about MS now. Join the movement. http://www.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=HOM_GEN_homepage

Check out this interactive site:
It's still there, just visit themsmovement.org

And remember MS AWARENESS WEEK IS COMING UP...MARCH 10-17, 2008

Dr. Seuss' Birthday=March 2, 2008


On Sunday, March 2, 2008 from 1-3, Target Stores will be celebrating a special reading of Horton Hears a Who!, in honor of Dr. Seuss' Birthday and to celebrate the NEA's Read Across America Day 2008 event.
ALSO
Horton Hears A Who! (read-along book) Free to Your Classroom....
For the first time ever, an animated digital version of Horton Hears A Who! by Dr. Seuss is being released. Just in time for NEA's Read Across America Day, this special Seuss classic will be available for free exclusively on kidthing™. The pages come to life on your computer screen with animation, narration and sound effects. Or, turn the sound off and read the book aloud. Download at www.kidthing.com/neasreadacrossamerica/ .
ALSO check out...
http://www.hortonmovie.com/site/index.html

Sally, Shears & Shane


Sally Hershberger, known as the purveyor of the $800 cut is bringing a little sass to the masses. (She has long been rumored to be the inspriation of Shane on the L word). Her new line 'Supreme head' is a collection of shampoos and conditioners, style primers and finishing products all priced under $15 bucks. Sally is offering her tricks of the trade to those who, like me, does not have an unlimited budget.... unlike her regular customers, Meg Ryan and Tom Cruise. A styling how- to for patrons will be offered once a customer enters a bar coded number into a search box on sallyhersberger.com....Shear Genius

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Chick-fil-A Coming to Lancaster PA




I heard on a Harrisburg News station today that recent Chick-fil-A restaurants have opened in the Capital area and NOW 2 ARE SLATED TO OPEN IN LANCASTER COUNTY! Where and When are still a mystery to me but will be working on finding out the answers to those questions. I rarely eat fast food now but when I do Chick-fil-A is my favorite.

www.chick-fil-a.com/

I will one of the first 100 in line when the local Chick opens!!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

MAY 12, 2008, Stamps will increase again

On May 12 the USPS will adjust prices for mailing services — First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, Periodicals, Package Services, and Special Services. The average increase by class of mail is at or below the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index. A First-Class Mail stamp will be 42¢. Customers can continue to use the Forever Stamps that they purchased prior to May 12 at 41¢, even after the price change. We will have 5 billion Forever Stamps in stock to meet increased demand before the price change. Forever Stamps are widely available through Post Offices, Contract Postal Units, consignment locations, Automated Postage Centers, vending, and at The Postal Store®. So stock up on the FOREVER STAMPS because STAMPS will continue to increase every MAY.....
Consistent with The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, the USPS will adjust mailing services prices each May. By law, these prices can increase on average no more than the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index.The USPS plans to provide 90 days' notice of the new prices each year, to help mailers prepare for the change.
The USPS will also have a 62¢ stamp available shortly after May 12 for 1-ounce nonmachinable First-Class Mail letters, such as square greeting cards.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Calling in Sick Tomorrow?


Notice a lot of call off's Tuesday ( 2/12/08) @ your place of employment...Wondering WHY? No, it is not just the weather...It's OPENING day @ The Hollywood casino in Grantville, PA
Let the Fun Begin....
Hollywood Casino at Penn National
Race Course officially OPENS
Tuesday, February 12th at 10:00 a.m.

Guests will enjoy gaming fun offered on 2,000 slot machines, along with the heart-pounding thrills of year-round live and simulcast racing. The first live racing program is scheduled for Wednesday night February 13th ! Isn't it a little too cold for Horse racing right now?

Now On Tap- Spring House

For those of you that do not have myspace here is a bulletin I got from Spring House Brewing.....

For everyone who has been asking when and where you can buy Spring House beer, we finally have an answer...
Lancaster: Stubby's Bar and Grill (717) 394-1635; 254 E Frederick St....The Fulton Bar(717) 291-1098; 637 N Plum St......Fiorentino's(717) 295-4964; 1411 Columbia Ave
York: Cobblestone's(717) 848-3866; 205 S George St...Quick Six (West York)(717) 846-8646; 1510 W Market St
Seven Gates Pale Ale is selling fast. Give them a buzz, just to be sure it's available. More locations to be added soon!

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Philly Beer Week March 7-16 2008


Philly Beer Week, a celebration of the Best Beer Drinking City in America.
That's right: The Best!
It is a toast to Philly's unique beer culture with an unprecedented 10 straight days of festivals, dinners, special events, tours and meet-and-greets at dozens of area restaurants, taverns and other venues.
Mark your calendars now. Philly Beer Week is March 7-16, 2008.
Philadelphia's beer culture stretches back to the days when William Penn opened his first brewery in town, through the decades when Philadelphia was the brewing capital of America and into the 21st century, an era when Philadelphia is rightly lauded as an exciting, diverse beer-drinking town.
How big is Philly beer?
Nearly every local craft brewer reported double-digit growth last year.
We drink more Belgian ale than Brussels.
Thousands of visitors travel to Philadelphia every year just to hoist a glass.
It employs no fewer than 16,000 workers, produces $422 million in wages and $122 million in taxes.
Philly Beer Week will celebrate all of this more. Come join the fun!

CHECH IT OUT:
http://www.phillybeerweek.org/

Friday, February 8, 2008

Philadelphia Magazine=Tristan Egolf


I had alittle bit of waiting to do this week while getting my work vehicle serviced and I forgot to bring along a book I was reading. So I took a walk to the Sprawlmart and bought a few interesting magazines to pass the time. I picked up Philadelphia Magazine, February '08 issue on the 50 best Restaurants plus I wanted to read the article on Alycia Lanes's meltdown. Imagine my surprise when I came across an article on Lancaster's Tristan Egolf. The article is entitled: "Embrace Your Madness" and it is written by Jason Fagone. I never knew Tristan but had seen him around town a few times. I found the article very interesting. After hearing about tristan's death, I had wanted to read his books but never got around to it. This article has made me really want to read his first book especially called: "Lord of the Barnyard: Killing the Fatted Calf and Arming the Aware in the Corn Belt'' . For more information on Tristan:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_Egolf
Here is a wen site dedicated to Tristan:

Monday, February 4, 2008

Harrisburg Brewers Fest Scheduled for 6/21/08


Harrisburg Brewers Fest News....The 5th Annual Harrisburg Brewers Fest is scheduled for Saturday, June 21, 2008 in downtown Harrisburg. There will be two sessions 12-3:30 p.m. and 5-8:30 p.m. with a VIP session from 4-5 p.m.The event will take place at the same location as previous years with the entrance at the intersection of Second and Locust Streets. The Harrisburg Brewers Fest website (www.harrisburgbrewersfest.com) will go live in mid-February with complete festival details.

Troegs Brewery Updates


Tröegs Brewery Releases Nugget Nectar in Bottles and Draft Nugget Nectar is now available throughout our five-state distribution network. Nugget Nectar cases went on sale January 14, with draft being released over the next two week.“Nugget Nectar is the second most-requested beer we make,” explains Chris Trogner. “We’ve received inquiries from at least 20 states this year for people looking for Nugget Nectar; but unless you live in or are driving through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware or New Jersey, you are out of luck pursuing this beer.”Finishing at 7.5% abv, Nugget Nectar is an Imperial Amber Ale that draws inspiration from Tröegs’ flagship brand, Hopback Amber Ale. “We start with a base recipe similar to Hopback, but then we take it up a few notches by doubling the malts and tripling the hops,” explains John Trogner. “Anybody can hit you over the head with a ton of hops; but like all of our beers, we are searching for balance in the Nugget Nectar.”

Nugget Nectar features Nugget, Warrior and Tomahawk hops, and uses a six-stage hopping process. “We add hops at four different times during the boil,” explains John. “After the boil, the wort flows through 25 pounds of hops in our hopback; then it is dry-hopped in the fermentation tank with an additional 50 pounds of hops. While the hops are key to this recipe, the caramel malts give the beer a delicate sweetness that tempers the intense hop flavor.”

Scratch Beer Update.....For your pleasure we continue the Tröegs Scratch Beer series in 2008.
Our initial release, a German style Weizenbock, is 40% red and white wheat combined with darker malts to add body to this very hazy, unfiltered ale. Scratch #7-2008 uses the same yeast as Dreamweaver Wheat replicating the pepper, clove and all-spice flavors found in our year-round wheat beer. Magnum and German Northern Brewers hops are used sparingly to create a nice balance of flavor and to slightly mask the high-alcohol flavors that come through in this delicious beer.There are less than 10 cases of Scratch #6-2007, Export Lager, left in the Tasting Room. Scratch #8-2008, Grand Cru, is bubbling away in the fermentation tank and should be available in approximately eight weeks.

Tröegs Brewery Prepares to Invade New York.......Tröegs Brewery will begin selling beer in 14 counties in New York starting in February. “We have signed a deal with Union Distributors to start selling Tröegs beer in Long Island, New York City and the Mid-Hudson River Valley,” said Chris Trogner. “We have been researching new markets for several years, and the New York market fits into our plan of growing the business in states that are close enough to us that we can get to these markets in a day. Union is a perfect fit for Tröegs brand and we’re excited to open our first new market in four years.” “For the past three years, we have struggled with space constraints at the brewery,” said John Trogner. “When we expanded the brewery in early 2007, it allowed us to expand our warehouse and add more space for additional fermentation tanks.
Now, we will be able to open some new markets and still keep up with growth in our current markets.”Numerous Tröegs kick-off events are planned around New York City February 6-8. These events will be announced on the Tröegs website in the next two weeks. Check website for times and locations........www.troegs.com/ontheroad

Friday, February 1, 2008

I want PA Property Tax Relief for ALL Property Owners!


Property tax relief for ALL PA homeowners !!!

Last year, nearly 540,000 Pennsylvania seniors saw $234 million in property tax relief from the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program thanks to a program expansion made possible by the law that authorized slot machine gaming.
Now, this summer, every Pennsylvania homeowner and family farmer, including those same seniors, will start seeing a property tax cut from slot proceeds. Those who pay the high wage tax in the southeast will see their relief through a cut in the wage tax.
While there are myriad proposals on the table to go further with property tax relief, one thing remains certain: House Democrats are committed to providing deeper property tax cuts for all Pennsylvania homeowners and tax breaks for working people. !!!
This week, The (Allentown) Morning Call and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, among others, expressed in editorials that same sentiment.
We are encouraged by the vigorous debate that is happening right now. It's the momentum that's needed to carry this issue through the Senate and to Governor Rendell.
Governor Ed Rendell delivers his 2008-09 budget address to a joint session of the General Assembly at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 5. Watch the address live via streaming video on the House Democrats' Web site.

February Mayor's


Black History Month is a remembrance of important people and events in African American history . It is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in the month of February. Thinking about this today on February 1st, I picked up a copy of David Levering Lewis's biography on W.E.B. Du Bois. It is the second volumn of the unprecedented 2 time pulitzer prize winning biography. I hope I finish it by the end of the month.

I have been thinking and reading a lot lately about young African American Men, who become Mayors' of Large Urban cities, like Detriot and Newark.

First lets look at Detriot, which has been all over the news this week:

A prosecutor is investigating whether the mayor and chief of staff Christine Beatty lied on the stand during a whistle-blower's lawsuit last summer in which both denied having a physical relationship. The questioning was tied to allegations that the mayor used his security guards to cover up extramarital affairs.

Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said Friday he was paying his own legal fees, not the city.

In court, Kilpatrick and Beatty denied having a physical relationship, but the text messages that came to light last week reveal that they carried on a flirty, sometimes sexually explicit dialogue about where to meet and how to conceal their trysts. Kilpatrick wrote Beatty in 2002: "I've been dreaming all day about having you all to myself for 3 days. Relaxing, laughing, talking, sleeping and making love." On Monday, Beatty announced she would resign. She will not receive a severance package from the city, mayor's spokesman James Canning said Friday. "She was a great asset to our organization," Kilpatrick said Friday of his longtime friend. "She's going to be missed, terribly. At this particular time, it was obvious for her to have to make that decision, and we wish her well."
Kilpatrick made a televised speech Wednesday apologizing to family and constituents but avoiding direct mention of the allegations. His wife, Carlita, sat by his side, stated how hurt she was but also that she loved her husband. He returned to work Thursday morning after a weeklong, self-imposed exile.

Now on to Newark: The New Yorker has a lengthy article in it's Feb 4, 08 issue on Cory Booker's post-racial generation: The Color of Politics. Here is link for an abstract of the article:http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/02/04/080204fa_fact_boyer

Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is the current Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He is a Democratic politician and former Newark Councilman and community activist who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2002 against longtime incumbent Sharpe James. Booker ran again in 2006 and won a sweeping victory against Ronald Rice to become the 36th mayor of Newark.
I could not put the article down and I highly recommend it. Cory Booker is young and I do believe he will one day reside in Washington DC, in a seat of power.

Local Film Showing of "Sir, No Sir ! ": Lancaster PA


"Sir, No Sir" will be playing @ 7pm, Saturday, 2/2/08, @ the East Chestnut Street, Mennonite Church, 434 E. Chestnut St. in Lancaster, Pa. The film, "Sir! No Sir!" Tells the long suppressed story of the GI movement to end the war in Vietnam. This is the story of one of the most vibrant and widespread upheavals of the 1960's - one that had a profound impact on American society yet has been virtually obliterated from the collective memory of that time.

Auntie Anne's Free Pretzel Day 2/2/08


Auntie Anne's is celebrating its 20th birthday by hosting a FREE Pretzel Day tomorrow, Saturday, at stores nationwide, 10am till 4pm.