| |
May
2
|
 |
The American Lung Association released its annual list of the nation’s most polluted cities earlier this week, and to no surprise Philadelphia is on the list.
After all, it’s a big city, our giant green Comcast Center isn’t finished and the currently mayoral candidates are the ones interested in environmental issues, not the current mayor.
What is kind of surprising is that Philadelphia only 24th, which (I suppose) isn’t so bad, considering York-Hanover-Gettysburg took 14th place and that bastion of pollution, Lancaster, was the 11th most polluted area in the country. (This is all in the “Most Polluted by Year-Round Particle Pollution” list.)
Lancaster, of course, is passing the buck on to the rest of the nation:
Lancaster County gets particle pollution from the Baltimore/Washington, D.C.-area and power plants operating in western Pennsylvania and as far west as the Mississippi River.
Wah wah wah. Hey, start cleaning up after those Amish and maybe then you can complain about other cities.
Update: Breathe easy, city residents! Or, rather, don’t. Philadelphia is still the second-worst city to live in if you have asthma.
York’s air ranked among the worst [AP/York Dispatch]
County air gets poor ranking from Lung Association [Lancaster New Era]
People at Risk In 25 U.S. Cities Most Polluted by Year-Round Particle Pollution [ALA]
|
|
dmac | 11:22 AM | 1 Comment
|
Oct
4
|
|
Oh, the Amish school shooting saga continues: Guess who’s coming to the funerals of the five girls murdered on Monday?
That’s right, Mr. “God Hates Fags” himself, the “Reverend” Fred Phelps!
Phelps, as you may know, believes that things like Sept. 11 and soldiers dying are a reaction to America’s “tolerance” of homosexuality, which he believes is a sin worse than murder, rape or protesting outside of innocent peoples’ funerals, because he read it in Levitticus or something.
The wacky rev has been protesting outside soldiers’ funerals for a few years now, spreading his message of how to survive in America without really having a job or any purpose at all. (And hate.) And what better place to make his next stop than Amish Country, Pennsylvania. Because, really, if God were to take his vengeance out on someone for America’s love of Brokeback Mountain, it’s the God-fearing, pious Amish, who totally are responsible for Clay Aiken CDs being so hot right now.
Fear not! Fast Eddie himself has announced that he’s ready to enforce a new, possibly unconstitutional (but hopefully not) Pennsylvania law that requires demonstrators to be at least 500 feet from a funeral. It’s Eddie Rendell versus Freddie Phelps, winner take on, this Thursday and Friday in Bart Township, Pennsylvania!
Kansas Group May Protest at Funerals, Despite Pa. Law [KYW 1060]
|
|
dmac | 12:03 PM | 3 Comments
|
Oct
3
|
|
I’d like to congratulate the Daily News on their choice of tagline for the Amish school shooting yesterday. Regular papers would have stopped with “Rampage in Paradise.”
But it takes the Daily News to make it “RAMPAGE IN [HAT] PARADISE.”
Well, at least they didn’t use a photo of Weird Al.
Gunman kills 3 girls, self at Amish school [Daily News]
|
|
dmac | 3:17 PM | 2 Comments
|
Oct
2
|
|
• According to a Myspace bulletin, NJ Weedman is holding a raffle “for all potheads” to support his Senate campaign. Hey, you can’t blame a guy for trying. And, really, could he be any worse than any Republicans or Democrats? [NJWeedman.com]
• The man who attacked an Amish school and killed three young girls and himself has been identified as Charles Carl Roberts IV. Police said an incident 20 years earlier may have led to the shootings. Yeah, ‘cuz those Amish are always real assholes. [Inquirer]
• Friday night, Susanna Foo punched a meter maid and was arrested. Ho ho, everyone said, until today, when the Inquirer reported that said officer had a miscarriage. Whoops. [Inky]
• Lynn Swann held a town hall meeting in Buxco yesterday. And who attended? “Billed as a town hall-style meeting, Sunday’s event featured a speech to about 100 area residents — most of whom wore ‘Swann/Matthews’ stickers. He also answered about a half-dozen questions from the audience.” Oh, so it’s a “town hall-style meeting.” Nevermind, then. [Bucks County Courier Times]
• And, of course: Go Eagles! Deadspin weekend editor MJD will be blogging it over at AOL and there’s an an enormous screen to watch it on at the Troc. Or you can watch it on your little 13-inch TV set and still cheer on the Birds all night.
• Finally: It’s gorgeous out. Go outside. Not. Eff work. [Weather Underground]
|
|
dmac | 4:06 PM | 3 Comments
2006 Gubernatorial Race, Amish, Crime, Eagles, Gun Violence, Lancaster, Leftovers, Lynn Swann, NJ Weedman, Susanna Foo, Weather
|
Oct
2
|
|
Somebody went into an Amish schoolhouse and killed a number of people:
NICKEL MINES, Pa. - A “number” of people were killed in a shooting at a one-room Amish schoolhouse Monday, state police said.
“There are a number of people dead….The exact number I do not know yet,” state police Cpl. Ralph Striebig said.
The person who fired the shots was among those killed, Striebig said. There are also a number of casualties, he said.
Okay, who shoots up the Amish? They can’t even defend themselves!
Police: ‘Number’ of deaths in Amish school shooting [AP/Philly.com]
|
|
dmac | 1:03 PM | 0 Comments
|
Jul
12
|
|
Here’s a story I really can’t add much to. It’s from the Harrisburg Patriot-News, and it’s kind of the strange crime you can’t even get in Bucks County:
Amish buggy held up, suspects captured
About 1 a.m. Monday, a man and a woman pulled their car in front of an Amish buggy on Red Wells Road in Salisbury Twp., Lancaster County. The two threatened the 19-year old buggy driver with a knife and a hammer and demanded that he hand over his wallet. The robbers took about $40 in cash from the driver and fled.
Later Monday morning, police said, the two held up a convenience store, ran from police and were captured.
Police charged Jason D. Jarvis, 24, of Kinzer and Megan Leinhauser, 22, of Blue Ball, with robbing the buggy driver and with unrelated charges from the convenience store holdup and police chase. The two were placed in Lancaster County Prison, Jarvis in lieu of $450,000 bail, and Leinhauser $250,000 bail.
Blue Ball. Tee hee.
Amish buggy held up, suspects captured [Harrisburg Patriot-News Blog]
Blue Ball, Pennsylvania [Wikipedia]
|
|
dmac | 12:27 PM | 0 Comments
|
|
|
