William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 4-23-15

Ted Bundy almost killed Debbie Harry
Searching the world for interesting and enlightening factoids.

William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 4-23-15

Ted Bundy almost killed Debbie Harry of the band Blondie. Bundy didn’t know that the young women he had enticed into his car was a soon-to-be famous singer. Miss Harry didn’t know Bundy was also going to end up being famous.

Ted Bundy almost killed Debbie Harry of Blondie

Bill Rhoads Engineering Feat

Bill Rhoads Engineering Feat
The hammer beams and uprights tight against the wall at Holy Myrrh-Bearers Eastern Catholic Church in Ridley, Pa. The stone outcrop upon which the wooden structure is resting is called a corbel.

Holy Myrrh-Bearers Eastern Catholic Church is now in service in Ridley and a hero whose story deserves to be sung is Bill Rhoads of Rhoads Plumbing and Heating of Springfield.

The former, and historic, Leiper Presbyterian Church  at 900 Fairview Road was acquired by the Ukrainian Catholic Archepachy of Philadelphia in May 2014 for $525,000 to be the new home for the congregations of Saints Peter and Paul of Clifton Heights and Holy Ghost of Chester.

Leiper closed in January 2012. The existing building was erected in 1850 a year after a fire destroyed the original one built in 1819, the cornerstone for which can still be seen in an inside hallway.

Anyway, when the Archepachy acquired it, it was in bad shape. The hammer beams that supported the arches that supported the ceiling had pulled  from the wall.  The gaps were obvious. Consultants were advocating expensive and unattractive solutions which included removing the beautiful but heavy slate roof and replacing it with an ugly commercial, metal one.

Rhoads, who had done work for Saints Peter and Paul and who was picked to guide the process of upgrading the kitchen and HVAC at the new facility, had a notion that the beauty of the structure could be saved along with much money.

He researched the architecture and learned that the original builders neglected to install the necessary bolts fastening important uprights to the wall. These uprights connected the hammer beams to the interior corbels hence  they supported the entire roof.

Rhoads realized that all that may be needed was jacking the beams back against the wall and installing  bolts. He ran his idea by engineers and the Ridley code enforcers and got a green light.

Hence it was done, and a church and history were saved.

Along with a lot of money.

Maybe the Springfield School District ought to have a talk with Mr. Rhoads.

What could have been a bland, utilitarian building is now warm place of worship and one of Delaware County’s most beautiful churches.

Eastern Catholics are self-governing  churches in full communion with the Pope. Roman Catholics can fully participate in Eastern Catholic services just as Eastern Catholics often attend Roman Catholic services. This of course means the mutual reception of the Holy Eucharist.

Holy Myrrh-Bearers address is at 900 Fairview Road, Pa.  Swarthmore 19081. It will have Masses 10 a.m., Sundays.

The church is named for the women who went to anoint the body of Jesus after his crucifixion and found the tomb empty, along with Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who prepared the Lord’s body for burial. The women who found the empty tomb are Mary the Mother of God, Mary Magdalene and Martha, who were the sisters of Lazarus; Mary, the mother of James and Joses; Mary, the wife of Cleopas; Joanna, the wife of Chuza; Salome, the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee; and Susanna.

Bill Rhoads Engineering Feat

Cable Commando Showed Lack Of Courtesy

Cable Commando Showed Lack Of Courtesy
By Chris Freind

Oblivious to the danger, the operative sprang into action, reaching the junction box where his mission-critical skills would be put to the test. Honed by years of experience, his hands worked effortlessly as they located the sensitive communications cable and severed it. In the blink of an eye, he was finished, making it back to the safe house unscathed. Victory!

An American agent working behind enemy lines to disrupt an adversary’s crucial communications? No way.

Instead, in a typical reaction of the Entitlement Movement sweeping the country, it was a self-righteous, “I’m offended” baby boomer suburbanite who deliberately disconnected his neighbors’ communications cable, knocking out their phone, television and Internet for days. (Disclosure: the author was in no way involved).

And what prompted the suburban commando to choose instant gratification over good relations with his neighbors?

Due to some nearby construction, a thin communications cable was temporarily above-ground, running in front of his house. That’s it. It wasn’t the latest chapter in a Hatfield-McCoy feud, nor was it an act of desperation because his life had been turned upside down. It was only a small cable, which didn’t affect anyone. And the kicker is that our “hero’s” actions hurt those who had absolutely nothing to do with the situation.

Did it matter that his neighbors’ kids couldn’t log on to do their homework? Nope. Or that people missed work deadlines because of no Internet? Or that baby sitters without cellphones had no way of calling the parents (or 911) in an emergency?

Absolutely not. So long as he still had service, that’s all that mattered, everything and everyone else be damned.

In straying from what were once our values, he succumbed to the do-whatever-you-want-that-makes-you-feel-good mentality, where consequences and accountability are ignored.

Several thoughts:

–First, tampering with a company’s equipment is a serious crime, so he’s lucky not to be prosecuted. Ironically, if he did jail time, he’d still be able to watch cable TV, but it’s just not the same when Bubba, your ax-murdering cell mate, doesn’t share your programming tastes. (Suggested shows/movies while in the pen: “Law And Order,” “The Jerk,” “Dumb And Dumber,” “The Cable Guy”).

–Obviously, the rerouted cable was a result of the construction. So clearly, he should have addressed the construction manager, not disrupt his neighbors. That’s common sense, but it didn’t happen.

–It’s pretty sad when people have nothing better to do with their lives than complain about trivialities while assailing their neighbors and friends.

–By far, most disconcerting is today’s total lack of courtesy. Not that long ago, when people had a problem, they’d walk next door and talk things out civilly. Imagine that. Same at work, school, on sports teams, and yes, even in government buildings. But somewhere along the way, that all changed, replaced by an it’s-all-about-me attitude.

Far too many now deem it acceptable to hide behind social media while demonizing others. Or shout obscenities at the motorist ahead who didn’t stomp on the accelerator the second the light turned green. Or insult someone at the ATM because we’re “inconvenienced” by waiting a whopping two minutes.

It has become commonplace to see adults (and, sadly, their children) butt in front of others at the amusement park while acting as if that’s their right. We see parents screaming at referees during youth sports games, acting like it’s the NCAA championship. And these same parents accept their young children rudely calling teachers and coaches by their first names.

Manners, let alone etiquette, have become foreign concepts. (Though the oasis in the desert of rudeness are Wawa stores. People go out of their way to hold open doors, wait patiently in the coffee line, and even behave themselves finding a parking space. Whatever causes that phenomenon needs to be studied and emulated.)

The biggest irony is that the same people who are just dying to tell the entire world their life story on the back of their cars — yes, we know: You went to Ohio State, vacation in Sea Isle, have been to Disney World, love Pomeranians, brake for squirrels, hate guns, support the troops, save the whales, and have brainiac kids who, despite their massive social ineptitude, are middle school honor students, play the cello, are mathletes, and attempt to play lacrosse — won’t give you the time of day in the elevator or walking down the street. No hellos, God Bless yous, or good mornings. Nothing. All too often, it’s just a sneer.

Ronald Reagan and former Democratic Speaker Tip O’Neill disagreed on most issues, but at the end of the day, they shared a beer while laughing, telling stories and enjoying each others company.

So why the change? Crazy as it sounds, maybe it was the fall of the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, the threats of the Red Menace and nuclear war were always with us. While we naturally still had our disputes, the common perils we faced kept us disciplined, focused on the big picture. Once the Communist walls came tumbling down, so did the common bonds that kept us united, replaced by the new “causes” of unchecked consumerism and greed — an unprecedented thirst for materialism that would make Gordon Gekko blush with envy.

Or maybe it’s air conditioning and back decks keeping us totally isolated from our neighbors, unlike the days when everyone in the neighborhood would sit on their front porches. That made for tight-knit communities where neighbors were intimately involved in each others lives.

Maybe it’s a pipe dream, but Americans would do well to put down the phones now and then, and try that lost art of talking to each other. Will we ever return to those halcyon days of yesteryear when respect and courtesy were commonplace? Hard to say. But this much is certain: that transformation can only begin one conversation at a time.

And a good day to you!

Ignorantia Legis A Good Excuse

Michael Cottone has published an article in the Tennessee Law Review describing how literally no one now can keep the centuries-old principle ignorantia legis neminem excusat lady_justicei.e. ignorance of the law excuses no one.

He noted that it was a great thing in its day when laws were few and based on a commonly understood morality.

Today, however, with the advent of “regulatory crime”, which are laws written to enforce administrative schemes and called “public welfare offenses”, literally nobody can know what all the laws are.

He cited as an example a guy who got lost on a snowmobile during a blizzard and ended up on federal land where snowmobiling was illegal. Rather than be cut slack he was prosecuted. That sort of thing does not happen in a just society.

Traditionally one needed intent to become a criminal.

“Tellingly, no exact count of the number of federal statutes that impose criminal sanctions has ever been given,  but estimates from the last fifteen years range from 3,600  to approximately 4,500,” Cottone said.

Cottone notes that Congress, according to one study, enacts 60 new criminal statues a year and this does not include new regulations that carry a criminal penalty.

“Our criminal justice system fails to be “understandable” so as to comport with the internal morality of law—especially because of the highly technical nature of regulations,” he wrote.

Reforms are needed desperately.

Abuse of the legal process is by definition unjust and those entrusted to uphold it yet abuse it will face an inevitable backlash.

Cottone’s article can be found as a pdf download at this link.

Ignorantia Legis A Good Excuse

 

 

 

SARCC Receives Pathfinders Award

The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape is proud to announce that the coalition’s Sexual Assault Resource and Counseling Center (SARCC) earned the 2015 Governor’s Victim Service Pathfinders Award, reports Adam Kulikowski. SARCC Receives Pathfinders Award

The prestigious award is presented to a program who have made notable contributions to the program for which they work the community they serve or the field of victim services.

“SARCC is honored to be recognized through the Pathfinder Award for the work we are doing in the community to end sexual violence,” SARCC CEO Jenny Murphy-Shifflet.

SARCC serves Lebanon and Schuylkill counties, recognizing the impact of sexual assault on all individuals, families, and communities, counsels and support clients and advocating for the rights of victims and educates for the elimination of sexual assault in Lebanon and Schuylkill counties.

SARCC has been instrumental in bringing two evidence-based programs to the area—a satellite office of the Pinnacle Health Children’s Resource Center and the launch of the Live the Green Dot Campaign.

SARCC has also worked to build services to the Spanish-speaking population in its service-area.

In 2013 and 2014, SARCC was recognized as the Nonprofit of the Year in both Schuylkill and Lebanon counties.

SARCC Receives Pathfinders Award

Scythe Beats Weedwhacker

April is here. The days are now longer than the nights and the frost is gone.  It is now time to cut the grass.  Scythe Beats Weedwhacker

And of course summer is approaching which means trips to the shore will soon be in order.

So, how can one get in shape for the beach, while saving the environment and having a nice lawn, all at the same time?

One word: scythe!

That’s right ladies, the ancient European farm implement is faster than a Weed Whacker, does not release planet-killing carbon emissions and gets you six-pack abs in no time.

Don’t just ask but DEMAND that your husband buy you one right now!!!

Here it is in action:

Hat tip Digg.com

Scythe Beats Weedwhacker

Holy Myrrh-Bearers First Mass

Archbishop Stefan Soroka is greeted before the first Divine Liturgy, yesterday, April 19, at  Holy Myrrh-Bearers Eastern Catholic Church. Bishop Stefan at first Holy Myrrh Bearers mass

The church at 900 Fairview Road, Pa.  Swarthmore 19081 will have Masses 10 a.m., Sundays.

Eastern Catholics are self-governing  churches in full communion with the Pope. Roman Catholics can fully participate in Eastern Catholic services just as Eastern Catholics often attend Roman Catholic services. This of course means the mutual reception of the Holy Eucharist.

Archbishop Stefan Soroka greeted at Holy Myrrh-Bearers First Mass