AJ's Web Blog

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Don't Allow PPL To Increase Your Rates! An E-mail From Senator Lisa Boscola
2008-04-02 17:50:00
The following is an e-mail from Pennsylvania State Senator Lisa Boscola in regards to PPL wanting to increase their rates, despite the fact that they're not allowed to.Please read the following:On Wednesday, April 2, 2008, the Public Utility Commission (PUC) will be conducting a Public Input Hearing on the PPL Electric Utilities request for an electric rate increase. This will be held at Northampton Community College?s Fowler Family Southside Center, 511 East Third Street, Bethlehem, PA and begin at 3 p.m. and last until approximately 7 p.m. All individuals who would like to speak on this proposed increase will have the opportunity to do so.This important hearing may determine whether or not PPL will be able to raise your rates in the next couple of months, well in advance of deregulation. PPL wants approval from the PUC to start charging their customers higher ?deregulated? electric rates in mid-2008. Under state law, electric rates for PPL are ?capped? and cannot be deregulated u...
More About: Mail , E-Mail , Rates

Daily Show Interview With Alex Kingsbury (Video)
2008-03-23 05:23:00
On March 20th, John Stewart interviewed reporter Alex Kingsbury on The Daily Show . Kingsbury speaks about his visits to Iraq.In my opinion, it's one of the best interviews Stewart has ever conducted. It is one of the most unbiased, honest interviews I've seen regarding Iraq. Check it out:
More About: Video , Interview , Daily Show

Media And Political Prejudice
2008-03-23 05:07:00
I just wanted to point out the prejudice that still exists in society. It is so blunt that even the Associated Press goes without being noticed.On Saturday, the AP published an article about New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson endorsing Barack Obama. The headline read, "Hispanic Gov. Richardson endorses Obama."Apparently it's more important to point out that Richardson is Hispanic instead of the governor of New Mexico. But, then again, isn't it race that has driven Richardson to endorse Obama?How can the nation overcome prejudice and racism when its media and politicians indulge in it? Am I a bad of a person for pointing it out? I guess everyone's guilty. You be the judge...
More About: Media , Political , Prejudice

Iron Pigs Won't Allow Resting In Peace
2008-03-15 17:50:00
I'm just as excited as the next baseball fan to finally have a team here in the Lehigh Valley that will (hopefully) be around for more than a few years. But does anything other than controversy arise from this growing sports spectacle?First, the mascot wasn?t allowed to be named ?Pork Chop? because it?s apparently a racist term. I?ll be the first to admit that I?ve never heard of that term before as in regards to Puerto Ricans. However, now that a fiasco was made out of it, I hear the term all the time ? mostly I read it over at The Morning Call comment forums.The most recent disturbance linking to the Iron Pigs is a sign recently erected only a few steps away from cemetery plots.Actually, two days ago, I was driving on Airport Rd. and saw a couple of guys doing work on the sign. I immediately thought, ?how are they allowed to put a sign up right next to a grave site?? Later that night, I joked about it at work.Today, I read a column that Bill White wrote regarding a complaint abou...
More About: Peace

Hillary Bombs On Campaign Commercial
2008-03-10 04:53:00
You know that campaign commercial Hillary Clinton approved?You know, the one that asks, "Who do you want answering the phone?"In the commercial, there is an 8-year-old girl sleeping in her bed. That girl, who will be turning 18, is an OBAMA supporter! Her name is Casey Knowles and she has even been campaigning for him!The Associated Press reports that the Clinton campaign bought the footage of Knowels sleeping from Getty Images. The footage was originally shot for a railroad advertisement.Keep an eye out for Knowels in a future Obama advertisement.With that being said, it looks like Hillary bombed again! Click here for the article.Oh, yeah... Hillary, who accuses Obama of plagiarism, actually stole that commercial plot from a candidate who ran years ago! I heard McCain has jumped on the bandwagon, but I haven't seen his yet.Besides, it's all about Nader!
More About: Commercial , Campaign , Bombs

Boscola Angered Over LVC Settlement - Backs Students
2008-02-27 17:04:00
Lisa Boscola spoke out against Tom Corbett's settlement regarding Lehigh Valley College. "If you've done something wrong, you pay the price, I would hope -- not the case here," Boscola said.Lehigh Valley College, once the Allentown Business School, lured unexpecting students into believing their credits would transfer to other schools, would receive adequate job training, and have an affordable student loan.Many students were unaware their loans would jump from 5% to over 20% upon exiting the school. Now, those who have graduated and who are about to graduate will have no steady backing behind their bogus degrees.Tom Corbett doesn't care. His solution to this is creating a Web site that will alert students of education issues. However, this will not help restore money into the wallets of those already ripped off. "People don't understand that is going on," Corbett said. "They're not taking the time to read the documents that are right in front of them." If students were aware t...
More About: Students , Settlement

Nader Announces Presidential Run - Democrats Pissed!
2008-02-25 06:55:00
Ralph Nader , that guy with the awesome list of accomplishments and more experience than both Democratic candidates combined, also known as that guy who the Democrats hate because voters tend to lean his way instead of towards big party politics, has announced he?s making another run for presidency.Nader is that guy who is accused of stealing votes from the Democrats. He has been kept off of many ballots because of this. The American way, eh? Nader responds to those accusations by saying, ?If the Democrats can't landslide the Republicans this year, they ought to just wrap up.?Hillary Clinton called Nader's run for President a "passing fancy," but who cares what she thinks...Barack Obama recently said that Nader ?thought that there was no difference between Al Gore and George Bush and eight years later I think people realize that Ralph did not know what he was talking about."Nader personally responded to Obama on VoteNader.org with the following statement: ?In fact, what I said was ...
More About: Presidential , Pissed

School Bus Safety - A Strobe Isn't The Only Solution!
2008-02-19 20:24:00
Dan Hartzell, also known as The Road Warrior, writes a column each week. He answers select questions from readers regarding transportation in the Lehigh Valley. Sometimes I agree with what he writes, other times I'm angered. Then, on other occasions, such as now, I'm stuck in the middle about how useless and idiotic people are.This weeks column was regarding school bus safety and the strobe light installed on the roofs of some Lehigh Valley school busses. The hypocritical and idiotic commenting was active as always over at The Morning Call?s forums. But screw those jerks ? I?ve got my own opinions.A majority of the debate was regarding the strobe lights on top of the roofs of school busses. A study done by the Pupil Transportation Unit, according to this site, reported that: ?...the observable frequency of don?t pass law violators decreased by 55% following the installation of strobe lights.?However, there is no actual proof ? that I can find ? that shows it was the strobe lights ...
More About: Safety , School , Solution

Woman Dies When Ignored by 9-1-1 Dispatcher
2008-02-12 04:09:00
All over the news today and spreading across the Internet at a decent speed is a story about a disabled woman who dialed 9-1-1 and was put on hold.Brenda Orr of Doylestown, PA died in a fire two weeks ago. She called 9-1-1 from her burning home and after seven rings, the dispatcher finally picked up and proceeded to ignore her and put her on hold for 27-seconds. They were also rude to her.Below is a short transcript of what was said: Dispatcher 1: "911, can you hold one second, please?"Orr: "No I can't. It's an emergency, 9-1-1 emergency. 3-4-0 Doyle, bed on fire." "After 27 seconds -- or 55 seconds into the call -- another dispatcher started taking Orr's information, resulting in another delay of approximately 30 seconds." Dispatcher 2: "Are you still in the house?"Orr: "Yes."Dispatcher 2: "Alright, well you want to get out of house?"Orr: "No. I'm disabled. The bed is fully in flames."The way this situation was handled is utterly sickening.There's no telling whether or not the...
More About: Woman , Dies

Eliminate The Electoral College
2008-02-11 06:49:00
Perhaps it's my youth speaking, but I don't believe this country should have an Electoral College . In a country whose government is of the people, by the people, for the people, I don't need some jerk I've never met telling me who the president and vice president should be.Dr. John R. Koza is just one of many supporting the Popular Vote to count as a deciding factor in our presidential elections. He is on the board of directors of National Popular Vote Inc., along with Barry Fadem and Chris Pearson. In a recent article, Koza said to a reporter about the organization's views:"We're just coming along and saying, 'Why not add up the votes of all 50 states and award the electoral votes to the 50-state winner?' I think that the candidate who gets the most votes should win the office."Unlike Koza, I believe in dumping the Electoral College completely. I see no use for it. Having an electoral college does not allow for an honest and independent country with a government "by the peo...

Rendell's 6% Increase In State Education Funding
2008-02-10 00:57:00
I'm not sure what approach to take in regards to Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell in this blog so I'll keep it purely opinionative and allow all of you to decide how you want to accept my comments, but let it be known that I am NOT his biggest fan, or his smallest. Actually, I'm not a fan at all.Rendell was in Allentown today speaking about the increase in state education spending. Being a studying teacher-hopeful myself, I was thrilled to hear that the state is thinking more about the education system and ways to improve it. However, being a taxpaying citizen and a student, I do have a couple of simple and obvious (to me) concerns that follow the increased spending.First, I would like to know where the money is coming from. The 6% increase in education spending is included in Rendell's $28.3 billion spending plan. That's a lot of money! It's no secret that Rendell is a big spender, but where does he plan on acquiring this money from? Although Rendell may piss nickels and dime...
More About: Education , Funding , State

Huckabee Plays Air Hockey With Texas (Video)
2008-02-08 17:14:00
Last night on the Colbert Report, Mike Huckabee announced that he is still in the Republican race and proceeded to play hockey with Texas . Check it out:Huckabee is alive and somewhat well in the race for now. Proof of that was recently shown when James Dobson, a top evangelical Christian leader in the United States, announced his endorsement for the back-runner.Although Huckabee is still alive in the race, he has a very long way to go. John McCain is still in the lead with 512 delegates. Huckabee needs to win big in Texas to keep his hopes of Presidency alive. For the news article on Dobson's endorsement, click here.
More About: Video , Hockey , Plays

Tipping Should Not Be Mandatory, Poll Shows
2008-02-07 21:12:00
Mayor of Allentown (and spineless cheapskate) Ed Pawlowski has been critized today by both the Lehigh Valley Political Blog and Lehigh Valley Ramblings for not tipping his server(s) at Johnny Mañana's on more than one occasion. Now I'm jumping on the bandwagon!I said that to report this little tidbit:According to a recent poll posted over at lehighvalleylive.com, also known as express-times.com, 77% of those who participated believe that tipping should not be made mandatory.This, however, doesn't mean you shouldn't tip at all.I don't think there has ever been a time that I haven't left at least a small tip, even for the poorest service. I guess that's just my conscious warning me about karma, as it often does, but I can't think of any good reason why Mayor Ed "Sorry, no spare change," Pawloski can't leave a little something for his server(s).After all, I'm sure he saves some money driving around in the municipal SUV all day on the city's bill, right?
More About: Poll

New York Giants Win Super Bowl XLII
2008-02-04 06:24:00
My team, the New York Giants, just won Super Bowl XLII in one of the biggest upsets ever in one of the greatest and most memorable Super Bowl games ever played!Many people doubted the Giants, but the real fans stayed true!To pay tribute, I put togehter a blog that lists some of those that doubted the Giants' chances of winning! Click here to view it!
More About: New York Giants

Bucks County Teacher Makes Bomb Threats
2008-02-01 06:02:00
When I was attending a Bethlehem District high school, a teacher made a disturbing threat to the entire class. To this day I can almost quote her directly: "Do I have to bring in a gun and start shooting like those kids in Columbine to get you all to shut up?"Threats are no joking matter. The teacher was never punished. Though this threat caused a bit of a ruckus around the school, news of it never made the papers. Although this threat was post-Columbine, it was pre-9/11 and such threats weren't taken too seriously.Thankfully today such threats are taken seriously and making the papers today and pretty much all of the local media is a 4th grade Bucks County elementary teacher for making bomb threats and leaving a bottle filled with powder and nails in a student's desk. The teacher is now facing 17 charges of making terroristic threats and may face up to 10 years in prison.Contrary to what some of the idiots on The Morning Call's forums say regarding school bomb threats, you canno...
More About: Teacher , Bomb

Are The BNN Rankings Fixed?
2008-01-29 17:59:00
A couple of weeks ago when I posted my On Notice For 2008 list, I without hesitation chose to include the unethical Tony Phyrillas. I challenged the significance of his weekly BNN rankings because his blog automatically refreshes itself. Furthermore, the creditability of his writing alone is often in question due to proven plagiarism and misquotes. It's become a habit of mine to check the Pennsylvania BNN Web site often for recent posts on (mostly) respected Pennsylvania blogs. Believe it or not, my hole on the Web is even listed. But now I'm wondering if it belongs... BNN has recently been plastered with advertisements by the Conservative Book Club which is obviously not multi-partisan to the site's wide range of political stance. This does, however, leave the question on whether or not this is why the self-proclaimed "leading conservative columnist and blogger" Tony Phyrillas continues to have his blog listed and ranked despite the fact that his automatic refreshes are likely a...
More About: Fixed

Casinos Possibly Causing Drop In PA Lottery Sales
2008-01-26 20:28:00
In an article Friday by Charles Thompson of The Patriot-News, it was suggested that the new casinos in Pennsylvania are causing a drop in state Lottery sales.When it was announced that the Lehigh Valley would be getting a casino and others around the state finally began opening, I never once thought it would cause a drop in Lottery sales.My main concerns revolved around the likelihood of an increase of crime. Now we all know that there are, for now at least, possibly other serious issues to consider.Thompson writes:"With the opening of six slot machine casinos around the state over the last 15 months, more bets are being placed in Pennsylvania than ever. "But is the rush to the slot parlors, where players bet $12.3 billion in 2007, starting to hurt the Pennsylvania Lottery? "In each of the last four months, lottery ticket sales were less than during the same months in 2006. "The slide is certain to fuel questions about the long-term balance between slots and the lottery, and the cau...
More About: Sales , Casinos , Drop

BEWARE: IRS Tax Refund Scam E-Mails
2008-01-24 03:16:00
Checking my e-mail can be a real pain for me because I usually get anywhere from 3-10 scams from people saying they want to give me money. Over the last couple of weeks, if the e-mails were actually truthful, I could have gained $2,009,651,201.53. In reality, I'd probably owe my bank just that.The latest popular scam floating around the Internet, again, is the IRS Tax Refund scam. The IRS has been updating a Web site that alerts people of present scams. I just received one of these scam e-mails and realized that there actually are people dumb enough to fall for it, despite the fact that "department" is spelled wrong at the end!Be sure to visit the Web site for more information.I've copied and pasted the contents of the e-mail I received so all of you know what to look for. I didn't provide any of the links included in the e-mail because I refuse to click on them. Also, take notice that the sender's e-mail address appears to belong to the IRS, but it does not. From: "Internal Rev...
More About: Beware , Scam

Green Party Joins In Opposition For "REAL ID" Act Regarding Drivers' Licens
2008-01-20 06:11:00
Many of you have probably heard about the REAL ID act as it will soon pertain to all of our official identification cards, including our drivers' licenses. My buddy Cheese was even talking to me about it last week.On December 27th, 2007, 15 Pennsylvania Senators introduced Senate Bill 1220 which is opposed to Pennsylvania's adaption of the REAL ID act. On January 14th, the Green Party of Pennsylvania announced their opposition to the act.Individual states are currently allowed to decide what information is displayed on a state-issued identification card, as well as what documents are required to obtain one. If, or when, this act goes into effect, the Federal Government will set the requirements that will likely include fingerprinting and other biometric data.The following is from a press release by the Green Party of PA on Jan. 14th: "Today, the Green Party of Pennsylvania announced its opposition to the federal ?REAL ID? act, which requires states to change their drivers? license...
More About: Drivers , Real

On Notice For 2008...
2008-01-18 06:16:00
We're just over two weeks into the new year and I think it's time we recap some of what we need to be keeping an eye on in 2008 :Sam Bennett - Do I even need to explain why she is on notice? Or even why she is at the top of the list? Her sorry excuse of a campaign and countless regrettable past-actions are an example of what we can expect if she is to be elected. I can't stress it enough: DON'T VOTE FOR SAM BENNETT!LANTA - Working within the city of Allentown and along-side Allentown Mayor Ed Palowski, plans of gentrification were spoiled, but "the damage was done" as Chris Casey wrote back in November. Countless merchants along Hamilton St. spoke up, as well as LANTA passengers. LANTA is on notice because if they try it again, everyone will be ready!Tony Phyrillas - This guy is an example of what a journalist shouldn't be. As a self-proclaimed "leading conservative columnist and blogger," he continues to insult us all with his misleading and censored blogs. Yes, I said censored...
More About: Notice

Green Party PA State Convention
2008-01-07 03:52:00
The Green Party of Pennsylvania will be having their state convention this year at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Harrisburg on February 1-3.The convention opens Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. with a reception giving everyone a chance to meet other Greens from around the state. The reception will be followed by a poetry reading that's sure to impress!For a complete schedule of events, including RSVP information, click here.
More About: State , Convention , Green Party

See You In 2008
2007-12-31 07:32:00
The Holidays are just about over which means things at work will begin to ease and a new college semester will begin shortly. It's been a long couple of weeks, and a very long year. Since making the decision to continue my education and pursue a teaching certificate, everything has (once again) become an experience and very expensive. Fall grades were released a couple days ago, finally relieving some stress. It's nice ending the year on a more-positive note for a change, though my acceptance into Moravian College remains a mystery (like the M.W., right Jesse?).I met a lot of new people this year, as well as a few local bloggers. I bowled in my first PBA tournament (and bombed.) I drank a lot of Jack Daniels and ate a ton of hot dogs. I lost 30 pounds and gained 40. I saw some good theatre and went to some awesome concerts. The year was anything but boring. There have been many more positives in 2007 that I am very thankful for, but also some horrible negatives I'll avoid mention...
More About: 2008

Gangs & Graffiti In The Lehigh Valley
2007-12-23 07:24:00
Michael Buck of The Express-Times has an awesome report on local gang-related graffiti. Some of what we see is purely articulate, but other markings can be considered threats or other messages.Some of the recent graffiti popping up in Easton and Phillipsburg is believed to belong to a gang known as MS-13, a gang based in El Salvador that is considered by the FBI as the most dangerous gang in the United States, according to Buck's report.If you're still interested in this issue, be sure to check out the following links:"Writing on the Wall" - Michael Buck's report on graffiti."Understanding Graffiti " - A short blog posted by Stephen Althouse of the Express-Times featuring a short video about deciphering graffiti."Worlds Most Dangerous Gang" - A video that educates all of us on the MS-13 gang. It's a 52-minute video, but definitely worth watching and very interesting to say the least!
More About: Gangs , Valley

Flying Snow & Ice Makes A Smashing Return
2007-12-19 15:38:00
The Morning Call acts like they care about the issue of flying snow and ice, but they are actually more interested in the accidents it causes. It's all about the profits, right? I guess there aren't any profits to be made on actually pushing the issue before somebody gets hurt or killed.In October and November, I was e-mailing Sen. Lisa Boscola my concerns about the proposed law regarding snow and ice removal from vehicles, and was asking her why it hasn't been passed yet. SB-651, which will strengthen the law for snow and ice removal from vehicles and calls for fines without any serious injuries or death being caused, has been sitting in a box somewhere waiting for Sen. Roger Madigan to bring this bill up for consideration.As posted back in November when I urged all of you to e-mail Sen. Madigan about the issue and the bill, this is what Boscola had to say:"Senate Bill 651 is still pending in the Senate Transportation Committee. Unfortunately, I am not a member of this committee...
More About: Flying , Snow , Return , Mash

Keith Olbermann Comments On Bush & Iran (Video)
2007-12-12 19:31:00
Keith Olbermann from Countdown goes off on President Bush regarding his statements about Iran 's alleged nuclear plans. The video is from December 6, 2007, so some of you may have already seen it. This video is definitely worth watching!You can read the transcript of the video here.
More About: Video , Comments , Keith Olbermann

The Morning Call Has Premature Publications
2007-12-08 08:07:00
I e-mailed a few people at The Morning Call concerning the issue discussed in my previous blog about a 14-year-old student being exploited by a newspaper because she stole two cookies from her school's cafeteria. One of those I e-mailed was Chris Pollock, the reporter responsible.Pollock, avoiding the situation, forwarded my e-mail to the Bethlehem Editor, Will Scheihing, who responded to me personally in a timely manor. Though I'm still very frustrated with The Morning Call for allowing this report to remain published, I do want to mention that Scheihing's e-mail to me was very polite and he seems like a decent guy. However, that will not stop me from expressing my opinion honestly, nor will it alter my feelings about the actual issue-at-hand. Since my original blog, The Call's report on the student has changed multiple times. The specific updates are not mentioned, but more details have been added - details that further show why this report should not have been published by a ...
More About: Publications , Premature

The Morning Call Lacks Ethics - It's Obvious
2007-12-07 18:25:00
As the headline reads, The Morning Call is certainly lacking ethics. Their lack of respect for the Lehigh Valley shows more and more, day after day. Bernie O'Hare has recently pointed out the types of bigotry The Morning Call allows to remain in their comment forums. If that isn't bad enough, Bernie has been arguing with himself (again) because The Morning Call cannot properly maintain (or monitor) their online posse of anonymous and random commenters.But my post today is not about their ridiculous excuse of a forum. Today I am questioning their ethics towards what they consider "news," and the way it is presented. This will be brief.At the time of this post, one of the top headlines on The Morning Call's Web site - at the very top of their site - reads "Middle school student cited for stealing cookies." Of course, being a student of education, I had to read what they had to write.Needless to say, I was disappointed, disturbed, and angered!The headline isn't represented by an ac...
More About: Ethics , Obvious

Thinking About What Common Sense Actually Is
2007-12-04 21:42:00
About a week ago I blogged about a column Dan Hartzell, The Morning Call's Road Warrior, wrote regarding the use of crosswalk cones. For whatever reason, I decided to e-mail the Warrior about the blog I wrote in response to his column, and the comments it generated. To my surprise, he replied. Now I'm wondering if my "common sense" remark in my e-mail to him actually made any "sense" at all.The term was only briefly mentioned in the e-mail, but it can describe a lot when used in a statement. He agreed with me that people, both pedestrians and motorists, need to exercise common sense when approaching one another. And judging by some of the comments to his column, many people haven't any sense at all.But here's where it gets tricky...Common sense is something I speak of quite often. I always believe good judgement on many subjects (not all) can be made by simply using common sense. However, I made the mistake of using that term in my education class early this week. My professor r...
More About: Sense , Common Sense , Thinking

Man From Richland Township Calls Police For Help, Then Attacks Them! Can Yo
2007-11-29 06:32:00
I'm still trying to figure this one out. There is always more to a story than meets the eye, but in this situation I'm having trouble seeing past the article.From the beginning of the article, Patrick Lester of The Morning Call reports:"A Richland Township man didn't exactly give police officers a warm welcome when he called for help after an apparent BB gun shooting at his house this morning, the officers said."Get in here and do your...jobs you dumb...," Donald B. Reidnauer Sr., 56, told the officers when they showed up at his house at 66 Stonegate Road about 9:20 a.m., according to papers filed at district court in Perkasie. "I pay taxes. I am your boss. Get in here and do your jobs or I'll have to kick your...."Reidnauer then lunged at and hit officer Ray Aleman in the chest and arms, the complaint says. He tried to hit officer Mattew Lawhead as well, police allege."Reidnauer was charged with terroristic threats, aggravated assault, making resisting arrest, simple assault, a...
More About: Police , Calls , Attacks , Then , Atta

Are Crosswalk Cones A Driving Hazard?
2007-11-27 06:01:00
A column published Monday by The Morning Call's Road Warrior, Dan Hartzell, caught my attention. It's regarding Pennsylvania's use of crosswalk cones. These cones are placed in the center of the street, usually on the line, with hopes that drivers will take more caution when approaching pedestrians. Are these cones needed? Do they create a hazard?As the Road Warrior has made known, there are a lot of people that dislike these cones, such as Jerry Morgan of Cumberland County. Jerry writes:"Please don't get me wrong: I support the laws that protect pedestrians who use these crosswalks. When used as a temporary measure, the signs make our roads and pedestrians safer and are certainly worth any risk of cosmetic damage to vehicles. The problem is that these new signs have become permanent fixtures, and a hazard for vehicles."It's no secret that Pennsylvania has some serious idiot drivers, myself included, but some are more dangerous than they realize. Furthermore, the reasons of why...
More About: Driving , Hazard