Leftovers: Hey There, Blimpy Boy

• The feds arrested 115 illegal immigrants over the past five days in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Holy Geno’s, Batman! [AP/6 ABC]

• The blimp flight that was the dream of seniors went off yesterday, although high winds grounded at least one person’s turn on the blimp. (They went one at a time, it seems.) Alas. [Doylestown Intelligencer]

• NB to vandals: The police have access to your Myspace bragging, too. [Inquirer]

• The space shuttle Atlantis is cleared for landing! Chris Ferguson can come back to Earth and prep for a parade down Woodhaven Road. [AP/Phillyburbs.com]

Local Seniors To Achieve Their Lifelong Dream: Flying On A New Jersey Health Care Company’s Blimp

We all have a lifelong dream. Maybe it’s to play in the NBA or snag the prettiest girl at the ball. Maybe it’s to write the world’s greatest novel or to one day learn how to juggle kittens.

Today at 10 a.m., as set up by the the Twilight Wish Foundation, six seniors from the Philadelphia area will finally achieve their lifelong dreams: Flying on the Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey blimp.

Wait, that’s it? I know that if I were a senior and a foundation that grants wishes for seniors came to me asking what I wanted to do, I’d come up with something involving whipped cream and four 25-year-olds. (And then afterward, we’d go outside and play with Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies. While Merrill Reese announced. Then we’d drive around in a flying car.)

Anyway, I think it’s quite cute (and awesome) than these seniors’ are going to get to ride in a blimp today. They all have different reasons, but the best two are from Betty Frey (”Betty saw the remains of the Hindenburg after it crashed. Now, 70 years later, she feels it’s finally safe enough to ride!”) and Valentine Sidle (”Valentine saw a blimp in 1927, when she was in grade school. She has dreamed of riding ever since.”). Plus, since these guys are going to just be riding in a blimp, in 60 years or so maybe the Twilight Wish Foundation will have enough money left for me to achieve my dreams. (Also, we’d drive the flying car to an Eagles game.)

Full release after the jump.

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We’re Getting There, Away From The Heat

The heat wave continues today — my widget says it’s 97 — and, sadly, it appears a 23-year-old man has died due to it. NBC 10 reports that the Montgomery County man, who has cerebral palsy, was helped into a van in the morning and then left there all day due to a miscommunication.

I know, this is a break from the usual puppy/headline/typo frenzy here — by the way, the two-faced kitten is missing! — but I needed that intro to get to the following. At the end of the sad article, there’s a little note about staying safe.

Here’s the advice Joan Bland, with the Philadelphia Corporation For Aging, gave seniors:

For senior citizens who don’t have air conditioning, Bland suggested using SEPTA.

That’s right, seniors! Don’t go to the library! Don’t go to a mall! No, you should walk to the bus stop and ride the 88 or the 15 around all day! It’s free! Bring your knitting!

If the best thing we can do for people without air conditioning is to tell them to ride a SEPTA bus or train around all day, then we’ve failed as a society. Oh, no wait, we have a Heatline (Word .doc), where seniors can call 215-765-9040 and be told to ride the bus around all day. And, as the press release notes, “IT IS NOT A FAN OR AIR CONDITIONER DISTRIBUTION SITE.” (Emphasis theirs.)

I don’t mean to pick on PCA. And yeah, sure, people should be smart enough to know to find a cool place when it’s almost 100 degrees outside. But, I mean, who’s going to ride SEPTA around all day simply because it’s hot? Can’t we open a movie theater and show movies from the 1940s or something to make sure people stay cool? Okay, that’s just a random suggestion my friend just told me, but I think it’d be a bit more fun than riding around SEPTA all day.

Actually, they should probably just let seniors swim in Swann Fountain. Or maybe they can let them ride with the guy driving around Logan Square trying to stop people from swimming! Ta da!

Stay cool, kids. And adults.

Death Of 23-Year-Old Man May Have Been Heat Related [NBC 10]
Two-Faced Kitten Missing From Home [AP/NBC 10]
Earlier today: Do You Believe In Miracles?
Photo via surplusparts, licensed with Creative Commons