News, Entertainment, Enlightenment
Sandia National Laboratories is studying jewel thefts and other noted big heists to determine how to best protect our nuclear secrets, reports Popular Mechanics.
It has reportedly found that the weakest link is the human one as about two-thirds of the heists involved insiders either willing or not.
30 Million Dollars Found Money if Pennsylvania changes the law.
The Springfield School (Pa) District is pushing for a new $150 million high school that would add about $400 to the already crushing and ever-increasing school property tax for the average homeowner.
Leaving aside the dubious necessity of the building, that cost could be cut by $30 million almost literally overnight simply by putting some ink on paper — or erasing some off.
Pennsylvania’s prevailing wage law adds 20 percent to cost of all public construction projects for absolutely no reason other than to enrich those whose wealth comes from playing politics and it is these who are the true “1% ers”.
So why not scrap a law that impoverishes 99 percent of us? Because 99 percent of us don’t like to play politics. We better learn. Springfield residents contact your state representative Bill Adolph (R-165), who has quite a bit of say in what goes on in Harrisburg, and let him know you can’t hurt anymore. Let him know your grandparents can’t hurt anymore. Let him know your children can’t hurt anymore.
The next Honor Flight Philadelphia trip is Sept. 22 with take off and arrival at the Parx Casino, 2999 Street Road, Bensalem , Pa. 19020.
The Bucks County site breaks a long streak of Delaware County-based trips.
Honor Flight Philadelphia gives veterans an all-expense paid trip to the memorials in Washington followed by a banquet.
The are 160 vets scheduled to participate, according to organization President Andrew Schiavello.
All interested in waving a sign or saying thanks are invited to attend the arrival which is 6:15 p.m.
For information call 610-405-9167 or visit www.honorflightphiladelphia.org
After a contentious, Constitutionally mandated redistricting process, the state legislative district boundary lines officially change on Dec. 1, reports State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129)
It’s after the November election so the person you vote for may not be who ends up being your representative.
How Pennsylvania’s 50 state senate districts will look.
How Pennsylvania’s 203 state house districts will look. Remember, the smaller the district the more the representation, which is a good thing.
PDF files of the maps which may provide better detail can be found on the state’s website here.
The beginning of the school year looms notes State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129) and motorists are reminded to use additional caution on roadways with school buses and other school transportation vehicles soon taking to the road.
Pennsylvania law requires that motorists stop at least 10 feet away from school buses when their red lights are flashing and their stop arm is extended. Motorists following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety. Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.
Penalties for failure to obey school bus safety laws can result in a $250 fine, five points on a driving record and a 60-day license suspension.
Parents are reminded to ensure that their children are at the bus stop early to avoid rushing. Students should stay where the bus driver can see them while boarding or exiting the bus.
Click here for information and tips for school bus safety.
School Bus Law Reminder For Pennsylvanians
Commonwealth Foundation has posted this graph of Facebook showing that Pennsylvania spends $2,900 more per student than the national average, and that two thirds of the state’s residents are blithely unaware of it.
Thank you old media. That was sarcasm.
OpenPaGov.org estimates that Pennsylvania in 2012-13 spent $15,341 per pupil.
Hat tip Donna Ellingsen.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is hosting a Mentored Youth Fishing Day on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1, on 17 Panfish Enhancement Lakes, the closest one to Delaware County being Chambers Lake in Chester County’s Hibernia Park which is on Route 82 north of Coatesville.
To encourage participation, the PFBC has reduced the price of a Labor Day one-day adult resident and Labor Day one-day adult non-resident license to just $1 on Labor Day, says State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129). With issuing agent and transaction fees, the total price for the one-day adult license is $2.70.
To participate in the Mentored Youth Fishing Day, anglers 16 years of age or older (adult anglers) must possess a valid Pennsylvania fishing license and be accompanied by a youth (less than 16 years of age) who has obtained a Mentored Youth Fishing Permit or Voluntary Youth Fishing License from the commission.
For full details on program requirements and the availability of these one-day licenses, visit the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s website here.
House Resolution 882 designated Aug. 24 through Sept. 6 as back-to-school weeks in Pennsylvania, reports State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).
Residents are reminded to watch for reduced speed limits in school zones, be cautious around school transportation vehicles and be on the lookout for crossing guards that may stop traffic for students.
Many children will also be involved in extracurricular activities around school campuses even after the school day is completed, so continue to be on the lookout for pedestrians around schools.
The old saw about it not being the heat but the humidity as the cause of summer misery is not the best summation. Dew point is the key to comfort.
“Dew point” is a phrase often seen on weather reports but little pondered. The words describe the temperature at which water vapor — which is measured as humidity — condenses at the rate it evaporates. As this is dependent on air pressure, this is not a constant.
If the temperature is below the dew point, the water stays rather than goes. High dew points mean discomfort. As it is the evaporation of perspiration that cools the skin, the slower the evaporation, the slower the cooling.
If you want to calculate the dew point yourself, this link explains how. We’ll stick to the weather report.
Forbes.com is claiming American poor don’t exist and is basing the claim on this study by the Brookings Institution.
That’s right, there is no poor in the United States. The war on poverty is over. We won.
Of course, Brookings, a liberal-leaning think tank that is called most influential in the world, doesn’t really say it that way. In fact, it claims that “millions of Americans live on less than $2 a day — a threshold commonly used to measure poverty.”
Forbes, however, rebuts it pointing out income, as officially defined, is a bad metric as it does not account for the various government subsidies provided such as SNAP and Section 8 housing vouchers.
More significantly, it points out that the $2 a day standard when applied to developing countries is based on consumption, not income.
When this standard is applied to the United States, it is found that consumption is the same for those who report zero income and those who report $20 per day income — which is adjusted to account for the values of the many different currencies.
According to global standards, middle class is between a globally adjusted $12 and $50 per day.
So, yes, there is no poor in America which is something that could easily be determined by driving through the lowest-income neighborhood one can find and counting the dish antennas, window air conditioning units, cars parked on the street, and observing the absence of malnutrition among the residents.
Suffering in the United States is not caused by lack of material things. It is caused by making stupid choices and living in proximity to those who exalt in making such choices.