Tom Ferrick on Philadelphia's Libraries

Tom Ferrick, formerly of the Inky and now writing for WHYY has a great blog post on It's Our City. Read "Waging Class Warfare Over Public Libraries." Here's how it starts:

To begin with, libraries are not libraries. They are sanctuaries.

This is especially true in big cities, where life can be hard and the streets mean. They are places for latchkey children to go after school. They are destinations for the elderly to ease the loneliness that sometimes comes with old age. They are warm in the winter, cool in the summer, usually genial and safe havens.
So, anyone who sees libraries simply as a dispenser of books misses the point.

He looks at the economic status of the areas where libraries are slated for closure.

Arianna Huffington's First US Visit

From "The Oracle" by Lauren Collins, New Yorker 10/13/08 (p. 128), a profile of Arianna Huffington:

The first time Huffington came to America, she found herself in York, Pennsylvania. She was fifteen, and a summer exchange student.

who knew?

A Few State House Thoughts

Even those who claim to have little interest in what happens politically at the state level need to pay some attention to it.

The Thicket, a blog from the National Council of State Legislators, has an interesting post pointing out that half of the U.S. Congress once served in state legislatures.

Knowing the future of our Congress is incubating in Harrisburg is not always a comforting thought. Reading that Bill DeWeese has decided not to seek re-election as House Majority Leader kicks the confidence factor up a few notches (see "DeWeese to surrender post as House leader," by Mario Cattabiani and Angela Couloumbis, Inky 11/15).

Now if only we could get the House Journal published with less of a time lag -- it currently takes 6 months (yes, half a year), for the House Journal to show up on the state legislative website. And there's no index so if you want to know what your legislator said on the House floor or what was said on a particular subject you have to read it page by page day by day. With a 6 month delay.

PA in the WSJ

This is a list of articles regarding Pennsylvania in this week's Wall Street Journal. Chances are I missed something, but these are the articles that caught my eye.

It should be noted that I routinely do not read the editorials in the WSJ. So any discussions of the state, its elected officials, businesses, or citizens, in editorials will not be mentioned here.

PA Politicians

Philadelphia Major Michael Nutter does the honors this week. He went to Washington, as outlined in “Cash-strapped big cities seek TARP funds to stimulate local economies,” by Kris Maher and Paulo Prada 11/15

PA Businesses

Two mentions of Toll Brothers. The firm gets a passing mention in ”U.S. steps up help for homeowners,” by Damian Poletta, Jessica Holzer, and Ruth Simon, 11/12. It is the focus of “Toll Brothers sales sink to new low,” by Michael Corkery 11/12

Brookville Equipment Corp of Brookville, PA is mentioned in “Mass-transit projects fared surprisingly well as voters preferred new taxes to higher gas prices,” by Christopher Conkey and Paul Glader 11/12. The company expects sales to double this year.

S&T Bankcorp of Indiana, PA and Susquehanna Bancshares of Lititz are mentioned in “Banks wage rate war for deposits,” by David Enrich 11/14

Other PA

Dr. Charles Brooks of Allentown is mentioned in “Another ‘safe’ bet leaves many burned,” by Eleanor Laise 11/11

University of Pennsylvania research (no names or details attached) is mentioned in “Taking the gross out of grocery cart,” by Anne Marie Chaker 11/11

Two of the executives mentioned in “Inflated credentials surface in executive suite,” by Keith J. Winstein 11/13, have claimed degrees from Pennsylvania colleges that they did not actually earn.

Stephen Hoch of the Wharton School is quoted in “How it felt to be kicked by a running shoe,” by Neal Templin 11/13

Other Interesting Tidbits

Just of note: “Small firms get local loans,” by Anjali Cordeiro 11/11, on community banks.

Another interesting note: 8.2 cents of every retail dollar (other than cars) spent in the US last year was at a Wal-Mart of Sam’s Club last year; see “Wal-Mart flourishes as economy turns sour,” by Miguel Bustillo and Ann Zimmerman 11/14

Community Bank Stock Update

Last spring I wrote a long post on community banks in Pennsylvania. Reading about the banking crisis made me wonder how our local banks are doing. The Pennsylvania Association of Community Banks has a list of member banks. I pulled the names of all the banks in Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties, and then checked to see how many were traded on a stock exchange. There were nine that fit the criteria. Then I looked at those ticker symbols in The Motley Fool. Two banks on my list were not in MF so that left 7. Below you will find those seven banks, their ticker, the 52 week high and low (the high and low prices for the past year), and the current price as of close of trading today.

Abington Bank ABBC / $8.44 - $12.40 / $10.35

Harleysville National Bank & Trust Co. HNBC / $10.24 - $20.60 / $14.18

Bryn Mawr Trust Co BMTC / $16.13 - $28.21 / $19.01

Alliance Bank ALLB / $6.53 - $9.75 / $8.01

Beneficial Savings Bank BNCL / $8.73 - $14.64 / $11.85

Prudential Savings Bank PBIP / $8.32 - $13.00 / $10.00

Republic First Bank FRBK / $4.20 - $10.73 / $9.00

None of these banks are trading at their lowest price for the year and some are trading near the 52 week high. While the rest of the financial world is going someplace warm in a handbasket, local community banks seem to be holding their own. [Full Disclosure: My household owns a small amount of stock in one of these banks, which is one reason why I'm interested in the topic.]

Catherine Baker Knoll Dies

Capitol Ideas is reporting that Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll as died.

Knoll died Wednesday at approximately 6 p.m. at National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she was recovering from treatment for neuroendocrine cancer. She was surrounded by her family.

Under the Pennsylvania Constitution, Knoll will be replaced as Lieutenant Governor by the Senate President Pro Tempore, Joseph B. Scarnati III (R-Jefferson).

Big Canvas Finale!!

From the inbox:

Love the arts?
Care about culture?
Worried about the economy?
Then join civic and elected leaders, along with citizens from all over the region, to craft an action plan to improve arts and culture throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania.

The event is free and open to everyone.

Free parking and refreshments.
Register at www.GreatExpectationsNow.com.

Saturday
December 6
1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Radisson Valley Forge
Hotel & Convention Center

Don’t have a car?
Don’t like to drive near the mall?
Sign up for the “Philly Van Go” trolley.
It will take you to the event and \ back, free of charge.
Multiple stops around Philadelphia.
For background on The Big Canvas project see the Web site.

See also Chris Satullo's column, "Help enliven the arts."

DEP Newsy Bits

In my neverending search for fun and entertainment I read the daily news reports from the state Dept. of Environmental Protection. Since the political world is a little sluggish this week, let me share some newsy bits from the DEP:

"Credit crunch puts ethanol plant on hold," by Joe Napsha, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 11/12. Excerpt:

Construction of an ethanol plant in East Huntingdon, Westmoreland County, is being delayed because the company can't secure financing for the project amid the national financial crisis, a local official said Tuesday.

"Building interest County may have found a home for its energy incubator," by Rachel Carta, www.newsitem.com, 11/08. Excerpt:

A factory where men and women once rolled cigars by hand, by the light of electric bulbs dangling from the ceiling, may help take Northumberland County to a future in the renewable energy industry.

The 60,000-square-foot former General Cigar Co. building, where 600 local people once worked, has been targeted by the county as the site for the Energy Technology Energy Commerce (E-TEC) Incubator.

Iberdrola press release, 11/05, Excerpt:

IBERDROLA RENEWABLES last week released the wind power industry's first company-wide Avian and Bat Protection Plan.

The IBERDROLA RENEWABLES plan is modeled in part after the 2005 Avian Protection Plan template developed by some 30 electric utility companies, numerous electric cooperatives and rural utilities, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to address impacts of transmission and distribution lines on birds. The IBERDROLA RENEWABLES plan applies those principles to its wind fleet and addresses bats as well as birds.

IBERDROLA RENEWABLES is the largest owner of wind energy projects in the world with 8,500 megawatts of wind power in operation globally. Its Eastern Development office is located in Radnor, Delaware County, and employs approximately 80 people.

IBERDROLA has ownership interests in wind farms generating 67 megawatts of energy in Pennsylvania, including the 35-megawatt Casselman project in Somerset County dedicated by Governor Edward G. Rendell in October. Iberdrola has another 102-megawatts of wind projects under construction in the commonwealth.

DEP press release, 11/06:

DEP's Southeast Regional Office has received a Sustainable Healthcare Partner Award from EPA Region 3 for its leadership in helping Philadelphia area hospitals adopt “green” operational practices.

Thanks to a $78,500 grant from EPA, since 2006 DEP and its partners – the Health Care Improvement Foundation and the Women's Health & Environmental Network (WHEN) – have guided 20 Delaware Valley hospitals toward measurable and sustained reductions in their environmental footprint. The Green Hospitals Pilot project grant has been supervised by Heather Cowley, OETD manager for DEP’s southeast region.

“The project has produced results. Reduction in red bag waste, improved recycling, better management of pharmaceutical waste, greater awareness of sustainability as a whole, and better partnerships between hospitals are just some of the benefits that were realized by participating hospitals,” she said.

Cowley believes the participants also appreciate the green hospital's bottom line. “Health care costs continue to rise and this is an area where you can reduce both risks and costs,” she noted.

Cowley, who accepted the EPA award for the department at an October 30 annual meeting of the Delaware Valley Healthcare Council's Annual Meeting, will remain involved with the pilot project until it ends in June 2009.

For Those With Election Withdrawal

The weeks right after an election are tough to the politically minded. Your candidate won or didn't. You are tired and your email inbox is empty. Fear not, dear friends, there are still a few undecided races to tide you over until the next round.

One of these is a Dec. 3rd run-off election in Georgia. Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss is facing Democrat Jim Martin. This is of particular interest to friends and supporters of former Sen. Max Cleland, who lost three limbs in Viet Nam. Chambliss, who defeated Cleland in 2002, ran ads questioning Cleland's patriotism; it especially rankled that Chambliss received deferments during the war and so did not serve himself.

Max Cleland visited Pennsylvania a number of times in 2006 to campaign for veterans running for office. I heard him speak a couple of times while he was here.

Should you have any spare leftover election money, you might consider sending it to Jim Martin.

A Look Back at Interviews

In compiling the list of 2008 interviews I also did a quick analysis of the interview procedures over the past three years. It isn't good from a time management standpoint.

Fourteen interviews were published in 2006. There were four other sets of interview questions sent out that did not come back. I will take responsibility for two of those -- arrangements were made too close to the relevant election in one case and in the other I was too slow in getting questions out. The other two just didn't send the questions back with answers. So out of 16 question sets sent out, 14 came back. That's not really bad odds.

It was a little different in 2007. I sent out six question sets and five came back, a much lower percentage.

This year it got worse. I sent out eight question sets and five came back. Clearly the trend is against me.

Unless I am extremely familiar with the person being interviewed it takes eight to 10 hours to research the candidate / official / whomever to come up with relevant, intelligent questions. That's a lot of time, and it's wasted when those questions go unanswered.

The basic process is that, once there is an agreement on an interview, I compile and email questions. After six or eight weeks I send a reminder email, with two more reminders at three or four week intervals. After that I assume there was a breakdown in communications somewhere or they've changed their minds or the campaign just became too crazed time-wise and good intentions fell through. I haven't posted the names of people who stiffed me for interviews; it's not my way.

It might be easier to just sit down with people and ask them questions in person but that really isn't feasible for someone who writes under a pseudonym. And, personally, I like to see the longer answers that usually come through on email. Also, that provides a transparent view of the candidate's answers, without me as a filter (other than obvious spelling errors what you see is what I was sent). It also makes me uncomfortable to try and interpret someone else's thoughts. Journalists are trained in that; I am not.

The gist of this rant is that someone is going to have to be awfully convincing as far as their ability and interest in returning answers before any more questions go out. The interviews are fun and I enjoy doing them, but it just isn't an effective use of my time when so few people respond.

Allyson Schwartz Statement on Veterans Day

From the inbox:

U.S. Representative Allyson Schwartz released the following statement in recognition of Veterans Day, November 11, 2008. On Veterans Day, Schwartz will attend several commemorative ceremonies in Philadelphia.

“One of my earliest memories I have is of my father, who just returned from service in the Korean War, arriving at my elementary school to pick me up. I did not remember my father. His face was unfamiliar to me. My older brother had to tell me that it was alright, that this man here at school, was our father.

“I keep that memory with me when I think of the enormous sacrifices made every day by our veterans, soldiers, and military families. That memory is why I make the needs of veterans a central focus of my work in Congress. As a member of Congress, I believe it is my responsibility to honor the sacrifices of the men and women who have defended our country by ensuring that their voices are heard and that their needs are met. America’s veterans have provided invaluable services to our country and we have depended on them to defend our freedom, and protect our homeland.

“To the tens of thousands of my constituents in Philadelphia and Montgomery County that are veterans, I say thank you for your sacrifices and loyalty to America. You have my lasting appreciation and gratitude for your service on behalf of our country.”

2008 Interview Series

This was a sparse year for interviews, with a total of five.

Betsy Meyers (of Obama for America) (4/08)

Mary Caraccioli of CN8 (8/08)

Robert Traynham of CN8 (9/08). This interview was in 3 parts due to the focus of the questions. The link is to part 3; it has links to parts 1 and 2.

John Linder, Democratic candidate for the 9th state senate district


Lynn Doyle of CN8

Best PA Places to Raise Kids

Business Week has come out with its "Best Places to Raise Your Kids 2008" list with one winner and two runners up for each state. Top spot in Pennsylvania goes to Pittsburgh (!!!!!). Second place to Scranton -- so I guess Joe Biden will have to stop talking about what a scruffy place it is. And third goes to Levittown -- the only spot in the region to get a mention. I don't know that I agree with the list, and can certainly think of a few places they missed, but at least one town in the southeast was listed.

You Can't Increase Education and Remove Libraries

I like Michael Nutter and think he is doing a good job as mayor.

Mayor Nutter has some very admirable goals, as noted in "Nutter agenda blindsided by the economy," by Patrick Kerkstra and Marcia Gelbart (11/09):

But Nutter did not back off his most ambitious goals, such as halving the high school dropout rate within seven years, and doubling the city's four-year college-degree attainment rate within 10 years.

I agree with him wholeheartedly that decreasing the dropout rate and increasing the percentage of college graduates in the city would improve the area economy.

In response to the city's budget crunch the mayor has called for closing 11 branches of the Philadelphia Free Library. According to "Hoping for a happy nonending at branches," by Kathy Boccella, Inquirer (11/09):

The 11 are in mostly lower-income areas that have no other libraries nearby and where public schools do not have libraries of their own.

This is a problem. There are a number of examples of city's combining school and public libraries in tough budgets. There are some articles on this topic included in a bibliography on the Young Adult Library Services Association website. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction makes available Combined School and Public Libraries: Guidelines for Decision Making. School Library Media Research published an article on this, "School and Public Library Relationships: Essential Ingredients in Implementing Educational Reforms and Improving Student Learning," by Shirley Fitzgibbons.

However, closing public libraries in areas where there no school libraries simply leaves those areas completely disenfranchised. Even if there were laptops on every desk, which there most definitely are not at this point, that does not mean students would have access to books, databases, or printers to find the information they need to research science projects, find literary criticism, read historical documents, or look at maps. Let alone the myriad of other things they need. Where will they type papers and print them out. Where will they read magazines and newspapers? Not everything is online and without a doubt not everything is online for free. And who is going to show students how to use these resources. Teachers often know the literature of their own discipline well but are seldom versed in others or in the overall structure of information. That is one of the things librarians do.

If there are few places to cut the budget and libraries need to take a hit, then so be it, but the cuts should come from places that can afford them.

PA in the WSJ

This is a list of articles regarding Pennsylvania in this week's Wall Street Journal. Chances are I missed something, but these are the articles that caught my eye.

It should be noted that I routinely do not read the editorials in the WSJ. So any discussions of the state, its elected officials, businesses, or citizens, in editorials will not be mentioned here.

PA Politicians

A big hotcha! welcome to newly Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (who won’t actually be a congresswoman until January, but still ….) as noted in “Bruising contests across the nation,” by Easha Anand (11/06)

GOP state party chair Robert Gleason Jr is quoted (from PolitickerPA) in “Obama leads in home stretch,” by Laura Meckler and Jonathan Weisman (11/03)

Suburban Philadelphia voters get their props in “These voters matter the most,” by Gerald F. Seib (11/04)

Mayor Nutter is quoted in a short note “Philadelphia to target jobs, facilities in face of shortfall,” (11/07)

PA Businesses

William Marsh of Farmers National Bank of Emlenton in Emlenton, PA, whose bank is “healthy and viable,” is quoted in “Rescue cash lures thousands of banks,” by Elizabeth Williamson (11/03).

PPL of Allentown and Philadelphia’s PECO are mentioned, both in the context of customers not paying bills, in “More utility bills go unpaid,” by Rebecca Smith (11/03).

Bill Figenshu of Skytop, PA, a radio and media consultant is quoted in “Weak signals: can HD radio find listeners,” by Sarah McBride (11/04)

For the curious, no Circuit City stores in PA are slated to be closed, according to “Circuit city braces for dismal holiday,” by Miguel Bustillo (11/04)

Magazine publisher Rodale to cut 10% of work force,” (11/04). Rodale is based in Emmaus.

Bill Schultz, of McQueen, Ball and Associates in Bethlehem is quoted in “Picking winners can be difficult after everything seems to rally,” by David Gaffen (11/06)

In important media news, Politico plans to add staff. It has also made deals with print papers including the Inquirer to provide Washington coverage. Politicker, the parent of PolitickerPA has been approached about providing papers coverage of state house news. See “Election web sites plot to hold their viewers, by Russell Adams and Shira Ovide (11/06)

Brief notes: Hershey 11/03

Other PA

One-time Wharton prof Gary Gorton is mentioned prominently in “Behind AIG’s fall, risk models failed to pass real-world test,” by Carrick Mollenkamp, Serena Ng, Liam Pleven and Randall Smith (11/03)

Dina Appleby of Kennett Square is quoted in “Family secret: more parents are avoiding the nanny tax,” by Sue Shellenbarger (11/05). Appleby pays the tax.

Other Interesting Tidbits

Oh, the ego slam! From “Campaigns are where real ‘change’ will take place,” by Gerald F. Seib (11/03)

When the Journal, NBC News, and the MySpace social-networking site last month surveyed new and lapsed voters – an audience dominated by young, online-savvy citizens – just 4% said they were interesting in hearing blog writers’ opinions and insight on the election. They expressed far more interest in the views of television commentators, friends and newspaper columnists.

I’m not your friend, dear readers? Such news wounds me deeply.

Wallace & Grommit -- The Real Version of the Wrong Trousers

For Wallace and Gromit fans -- remember "The Wrong Trousers"? Honda has developed something along those lines. Initially designed for auto assembly workers, it has another potential market in the elderly and infirm. Check out "Honda unveils wearable robotic walker,"

Upcoming DVRPC Workshops

From our friends at DVRPC:

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) has scheduled a series of public workshops to help shape Connections, our long-range plan for 2035. Offering food, networking and an opportunity for your voice to be heard, the workshops will examine the issues that we face today as well as those that will be with us in the coming years.

5:30 – 6:15 p.m. Networking and Refreshments
6:15 p.m. Welcome and Remarks by Your County Officials
6:30 p.m. Orientation by DVRPC Staff
7 – 8:15 p.m. Brainstorming Session
Please RSVP to: plan@dvrpc.org

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13: Delaware County Workshop
County Council Meeting Room (Room 100), Government Center
Building, 201 West Front Street, Media

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17: Bucks County Workshop
The James A. Michener Museum, 138 S. Pine Street, Doylestown, PA

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18: Chester County Workshop
Chester County Historical Society, 225 N. High Street, West Chester,
PA

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20: Montgomery County Workshop
Crowne Plaza Valley Forge, 260 Mall Boulevard, King of Prussia, PA
Bring the family. Special activities will be available for all ages.

Meeting on Library Closings

According to WHYY's "It's Our City" blog:

Friends of the Free Library will hold a special Community Meeting on the 11 proposed library closures this Saturday, November 8, 10 am - Noon, at the Children’s Story Hour Room inside the Central Branch, 1901 Vine St. (20th and the Ben Franklin Parkway)

Rahm Emanuel's PA Connection

According to Wikipedia President-Elect Barack Obama's newly appointed chief of state is married to a Wharton grad. Amy Rule, wife of Congressman Rahm Emanuel, attended the University of Pennsylvania's business school.

PA in the WSJ 10/28-11/01

This is a list of articles regarding Pennsylvania in this week's Wall Street Journal. Chances are I missed something, but these are the articles that caught my eye.

It should be noted that I routinely do not read the editorials in the WSJ. So any discussions of the state, its elected officials, businesses, or citizens, in editorials will not be mentioned here.

PA Politicians

Congressman John Murtha is mentioned and quoted in “Boots on the ground or weapons in the sky?” by August Cole and Yochi J. Dreazen 10/31

Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Rina Cutler would not allow “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” posters on bus shelters; see “’Porno’ movie title stirs reaction,” by Lauren A. E. Schuker 10/30.

Kanjo shows up in two articles, both on 10/27: “Congress weighs forming special panel for overhaul of financial regulations,” by Brody Mullins and Elizabeth Williamson, and “Rescue plan chafes small banks,” by Elizabeth Williamson. Both mentions of Congressman Paul Kanjorski are due to his spot on the House Financial Services Committee and the subcommittee on capital markets.

“Gap narrows in Florida and Ohio, not Pennsylvania,” by Sara Murray 10/31

Pennsylvania is one of the states mentioned in “Rising tide of suits filed in search of political edge,” by June Kronholz 10/31

PA Businesses

Better Choice loan program in Pennsylvania mentioned in “Payday lenders back measures to unwind state restrictions,” by Easha Anand 10/28. The program provides funds to credit unions to offer loans with better terms than payday lenders.

In “More car dealers shut down,” by Kat Linebaugh 10/28, the closing of Wilkes-Barre Dodge is mentioned. Pennsylvania is third in the country of states with the most auto dealers, following California and Texas.

Other PA

“The Good news: the Phillies win; the bad news: the Phillies win,” by David Geffen 11/01 notes that when Philly sports teams win the economy tanks.

There is a PA mentions in “Economy forces college hopefuls to lower sights,” by Shelly Banjo 10/20. Kate Malboeuf, a senior at Nazareth Academy High School in Philadelphia is featured and quoted.

In “Playing the market, these kids are losing a lot of play money,” by Jennifer Levitz 10/29, Patricia Schoeniger, of EconomicsPennsylvania, is quoted.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is mentioned in “Hospitals seek to limit use of transfusions,” by Laura Landro 10/29

“Wild thing a baseball goat finds forgiveness in Philadelphia,” by Matthew Futterman 10/28, on Mitch Williams.

Wharton grad Kenneth Zeff is mentioned in “Opening new doors with a fellowship,” by Toddi Gutner 10/28

Other Interesting Tidbits

From “Banks owe billions to executives,” by Ellen E. Schultz 10/31:

Financial giants getting injections of federal cash owed their executives more than $40 billion for past years’ pay and pensions as of the end of 2007, a Wall Street Journal analysis shows.

Personally I don’t think this obligates us to pay them. I can think of companies who went belly up and decreased or ended their workers’s pensions. Goose. Gander.