News, Entertainment, Enlightenment
Sam Priestley of England had a goal of going from a novice to one of his country’s top 250 table tennis players so every day of 2014 he practiced or played and nearly every day his progress was recorded by coach Ben Larcombe as part of the Expert in a Year Challenge.
While Sam didn’t quite make the top 250 he did become a tournament player.
Below is the little documentary Larcombe produced.
William Lawrence Sr Omnbit 2-28-15
Loretta Lynn, the country singer, became a grandmother at age 29.
Gov. Tom Wolf is proposing cutting Pennsylvania’s corporate tax in half — 9.99 percent to 4.99 percent on net income — by 2018.
It’s probably a good thing. Comcast will certainly appreciate it.
And what are corporations but entities created by a legal process? Good lawyers and accountants can minimize net income by creating marketing and administrative expenses that would other otherwise not be considered. These invariably benefit the lifestyles of those running the corporation.
So good for Wolf.
But we kind of wonder about his priorities. Pennsylvania has the highest gas tax in the nation — thank you Tom Corbett. It has an extremely burdensome property tax, which puts disproportionate pain on the elderly and unemployed, which to Wolf’s credit he says he wants to address. It also has a sales tax, which, while on the low end does not account for the reality that the most populated part of the state is a half-hour ride from tax-free Delaware.
The income tax is also on the low end, but that is something Wolf wants to raise.
Overall, tax burden for a resident of Pennsylvania is in the nation’s to 10.
Yet, the first thing Wolf talks about is cutting the corporate tax.
The ease of living in Pennsylvania does not look like it will improve.
Unless you are a corporation.
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 2-27-15
Q — Whose home was Longwood and where was it?
A– It was the name of Napoleon’s residence on Saint Helena
Chris Freind’s column Vaccination Mandates Are Necessary is getting negative feedback on Twitter. Young robot redhead trying to be creative? That’s cold.
Anyway, a friend has sent us the other side regarding why vaccinations should not be mandated.
Many may think something calling itself Off The Grid News should be an object of mirth rather than be taken seriously but it is a huge mistake to dismiss it and similar sites, and fail to discount their influence.
The anti-vaxxer movement should be proof enough of that.
Regarding vaccinations, the principles that should be followed are freedom, honesty and information not force, intimidation and mocking.
It is quite appropriate for a hospital to require its workers to be vaccinated. If one wishes not to be vaccinated one has the freedom not to work there.
It is also appropriate for a public school to require its pupils be vaccinated — providing opportunities are provided for children whose parents wish them not to be. Cyber-charter schools — and they exist in Pennsylvania — would be one example. Property tax exemptions for parents who home school their children works as well. And funding via vouchers for like-minded parents who want to have communal schools without a vaccination mandate also solves the problem.
It should be noted that not mandating vaccinations is not banning them. If people trust the information they get they will act on it. The Amish are noted for their suspicions of modern ways. Did you know that most of the Amish population –63 percent — is vaccinated?
Seattle-based Modumetal has created a nanolaminated alloy that is stronger and lighter than steel, and is being tested in oil fields, according to MIT Technology Review.
The company’s founders are physicist Christina Lomasney, chemical engineer John Whitaker, and mechanical engineer Leslie Collinson.
Modumetal says its product is 10 times stronger than existing steel and much more resistant to corrosion.
A big plot point in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged concerns Rearden metal, a radical alloy lighter and stronger than steel.
It looks like it’s now here and just in time for 2016 which is when the fictional alloy was to come to be.
Chef Bill Sr has gotten a query regarding one his favorite dishes — the U.S. Capitol Bean Soup. The dish is served every day in all 11 Capitol dining rooms at the demand, according to legend, of Speaker of the House Joseph G. Cannon.
Cannon, a Republican, represented various parts of Illinois from 1873 until 1923 with a two-year hiatus coming when he lost the 1912 election.
He served as Speaker from 1903 until 1911 and was the man who graced the first cover of Time Magazine on March 3, 1923.
The story is that one day during his Speakership, he sat for lunch, looked at the menu and shouted “Thunderation, I had my mouth set for bean soup! From now on, hot or cold, rain, snow or shine, I want it on the menu every day.”
And so it came to be.
Here is the recipe courtesy of Soupsong.com 
Strain the water from the soaked beans and put in a big pot with 3 quarts of water and the ham bone or ham hocks. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.
Stir the veggies and herbs into the pot–and the mashed potatoes for the Senate version–and cook over low heat for another hour–until the beans are nicely tender.
Remove the bones from the pot then the meat into bits and return that to the pot. Discard the bones.
For authenticity crush a few of the beans in each bowl to thicken the broth.
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 2-26-15
Yes Anthony, the best selling song of February 1999 was Angel Of Mine by Monica.
An Irish feast will be held 5 to 8 p.m., Saint Patrick’s Day, March 17, at American Legion Post 667, 1112 Steel Road, Havertown, Pa. 19083. 
On the menu are ham and cabbage, boiled potatoes, garden salad, and rolls and butter with coffee, cookies and Irish potatoes for dessert.
Yes, Irish coffee will be available.
Admission is $7 but that doesn’t include the Irish coffee.
The Greater Overbrook String Band will provide entertainment.
Post 667 is a strong supporter of Honor Flight Philadelphia which gives veterans an all-expense paid trip to the memorials in Washington followed by a banquet.