Politics Philly makes a fine point, amid the Latoyia Figueroa story, that there are many other missing Philly folks—and some of them are even listed on the press release page of the Philly P.D.’s website.
Often the biggest obstacle to finding missing people is a lack of awareness on the part of the public. Go see if there’s anyone you might have seen lately.
I gotta’ admit, the idea intrigues me, but the cost and logistics may prove a bit much:
A professional soccer league is eyeing spots along Bucks County’s waterfront for a new multimillion-dollar sports complex to host the area’s first outdoor pro soccer team.Although there isn’t a team here now, representatives from Major League Soccer visited Bristol Township and Bensalem this month to scout possible stadium locations, said Bucks County Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Bob White.
Construction of a local stadium would require a “significant” multimillion-dollar investment by the host town and at least 40 acres of land, White speculated. …(source)
I know, most of you are snickering, not at the prospect of a pro team playing in the ‘burbs, but at the idea of soccer. Yes, it is a real sport, thank you. And I happen to enjoy watching it, though not quite as much as I’ve always enjoyed playing it. So there.
I remember watching the Philadelphia Freedom when they used to play at the United German Hungarian field in Oakford. Five dollars to get in (and really cheap concessions), but I suppose that would go a little higher, especially in a new stadium. It does bring back the memories, though.
The second half of this week flew by at an alarming pace. Blog-wise, that had mostly to do with the efforts to bring the Latoyia Figueroa story to the forefront, or at least make it visible. The efforts seem to be working, but a few by-products with which I have grown weary have tumbled along on the coattails of that effort.
One is the raging argument about how the media covers different kinds of missing persons. This argument, while it is a legitimate one to have, has overshadowed the intent of all this activity. Whereas it began in the vein of raising awareness, it has evolved in many circles into an ever-so-subtle marginalization of Latoyia Figueroa and her family’s plight.
A fellow Philly blogger, Steve Reynolds (“The Spin Dentist” at AllSpinZone.com), was a guest on Tucker Carlson’s latest vehicle at MSNBC this past Thursday evening. He was relatively subdued and respectful, but Carlson asserted more than once that the “Help Find Latoyia” blogswarm was made up of left-wing bloggers. Given Philadelphia’s average political demographic, that assertion is bound to be somewhere close to the truth, and Steve tends liberal as well, but anyone familiar with his ASZ content knows he wasn’t in political mode while talking to Mr. Carlson. Among the people leading this swarm, politics was never the driving force. Raising awareness of a missing person who, up until a few days ago, hadn’t received much coverage at all, even here in her hometown area—that’s what this was always supposed to be about.
Steve warned me about the Roman numeral issue, but I can’t be stopped. Time again to fire up the digital music player and skip around a little.
1. Run On – Moby (Play)
2. 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) – Simon & Garfunkel (The Essential Simon & Garfunkel)
3. Tonight, Tonight – Smashing Pumpkins (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
4. Amy’s Song – Switchfoot (New Way to Be Human)
5. Falls to Climb – R.E.M. (Up)
6. Imagine That – Lost Dogs (Little Red Riding Hood)
7. Black Eyed Gypsy – The Prodigals (Go On)
8. What a Good Boy – Barenaked Ladies (Gordon)
9. Miss Sarajevo – The Passengers w/ Luciano Pavarotti
10. DND - Semisonic (Feeling Strangely Fine)
-Best mood song on the list: 59th Street Bridge Song (always kind of makes me feel, well, groovy)
-Longest album on the list: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (sorry, no groovy feelings there)
-Best Irish ballad not featuring an international opera star: Black Eyed Gypsy – Percentage of performers on today’s list that I’ve seen in person: about 18% (saw U2, but no Eno or Pavarotti)
By now, the Google News hits on Latoyia Figueroa are at least noticeable, but in the wee hours last night, Matt synopsized some of the things that can be done to continue to help the situation. He includes running the ad you see on the right—anything to keep the face available to those who haven’t seen yet. He also mentions Richard’s drive to raise money for the reward fund. Just in case you were looking for some ways to pitch in…
I got this link from Frank, who generally knows a good article when he sees it:
The Christian Paradox: How a faithful nation gets Jesus wrong
Only 40 percent of Americans can name more than four of the Ten Commandments, and a scant half can cite any of the four authors of the Gospels. Twelve percent believe Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife. This failure to recall the specifics of our Christian heritage may be further evidence of our nation’s educational decline, but it probably doesn’t matter all that much in spiritual or political terms.Here is a statistic that does matter: Three quarters of Americans believe the Bible teaches that “God helps those who help themselves.” That is, three out of four Americans believe that this uber-American idea, a notion at the core of our current individualist politics and culture, which was in fact uttered by Ben Franklin, actually appears in Holy Scripture. … (read the rest at Harpers.org)
Richard’s effort to raise the level of awareness of the Latoyia Figueroa story has been paying some dividends. Not only has the reward for info been rising, but that all-too-short tail end segment on Inside Politics (the one about blogs) featured some useful details on what the blogosphere’s been doing to help find Latoyia (transcript here—if you’re interested, it’s toward the end).
Rumor has it that Tucker Carlson will be doing something with the story on his show tonight (which will be the first reason I’ve ever had to show an interest in Tucker Carlson…)—I think he comes on at 9 p.m. eastern.
It was just a bit warm and humid out there today. How warm and humid, you may ask?
As I grabbed up my stuff to head for work this morning, I accidentally picked up my current read, a book I’d received for my birthday and that I was enjoying quite a bit, even though I’d have no time to read it. I ended up leaving it in the back seat while at work.
Upon returning to the car a few hours later, I drove home. At this point I reached back to retrieve the book to take it inside. The cover came willingly, but the pages came completely loose and scattered mercilessly on the seat. Now I don’t know if it’s just that they’re not making Penguin paperbacks like they used to, or if it was just that hot and humid, but I never saw this as a possible outcome of a few hours in a roasting automobile (especially because I’m pretty sure I’ve left it there a couple time before on days that weren’t too much kinder).
Now the book in question was titled, Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea. It’s a bit mathy (new word as far as I can tell), but it’s completely engaging—well, at least the parts I got to read. I’ll read the rest when I figure out which pages go where. But in the mean time, if you’re looking for the intersection of math history, wit and wisdom, you might enjoy it (or who knows? -you might send me a new copy).
Latoyia Figueroa, a pregnant Philadelphia woman with a 7-year-old daughter at home, has been missing for over a week now. Sadly, her story apparently doesn’t have the hook to draw national media attention, so Philly area bloggers have been called upon to bring the story as much attention as possible. The call came from Richard at All Spin Zone, who also suggests writing an email to CNN’s Nancy Grace (she who has been giving exhaustive coverage to the Natalee Holloway story on her nightly show).
If you’re a Philly area blogger, please join the effort to give Latoyia as much face time as possible. Even sites with limited readership can make a difference just by getting her face seen by one or two more people who might have an idea how to find her. Thank you.
UPDATE: CNN.com finally has a story on Latoyia. Let’s hope other media pick up on it as well.
Cziltang posts some thoughts on personal demons and the great (or not-so-great) struggles of one’s life. I can’t find a suitable quote to steal without ruining what I think is a pretty solid conclusion.
Philly.com reports that PA legislative history could repeat itself:
HARRISBURG - Almost two decades ago, citizen outrage over a $12,000 legislative pay raise prompted lawmakers to share the benevolence. They boosted Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $3.70, 35 cents above the federal standard.That 1988 vote was the last time the General Assembly increased the state’s minimum wage. Since then, the federal minimum wage, and thus Pennsylvania’s minimum, has inched up from $3.35 to $5.15 an hour.
Now with neighboring states raising their minimum wages above the federal level and the Pennsylvania General Assembly facing a backlash for the double-digit pay raise it approved for its members this month, supporters here are hoping history will repeat itself. … (read the rest at Philly.com)
Well, the Teamsters, along with the SEIU, have officially announced their departure from the AFL-CIO, a move which is likely to be the jumping off point for the departure of approximately five million members of the labor federation. This means I am no longer affiliated with the AFL-CIO either, as I am also a Teamster.
I’m not sure what I think of this, though I’ve read some interesting thoughts on this in the past day that put a positive spin on the events. One is a MyDD post, wherein Chris Bowers makes an intriguing point about this move not necessarily being so bad for union organizing:
… Unlike our electoral system, the workplace is not a two-party system structurally enforced by a winner-take all system. There is nothing uncommon, nor has there ever been anything uncommon, about unions competing over the same turf. For example, in almost half of the campaigns I worked on for the American Federation of Teachers, our major competition was actually the National Education Association, rather than management. However, when unions compete against each other, it is not necessarily bad for workers, as the competition can sometimes spur a greater amount of new organizing within each union. The UAW and the CIO found this out in the 1930’s. I have never seen a prospective bargaining unit where two unions were competing that ended up not having a union. … (read the full MyDD post)
Chris also offers a past interview with SEIU President Andy Stern, which offers some background on more current happenings.
In addition, TPM Cafe’s House of Labor has a roundup of content pertaining to the breakup of the labor conglomerate, with positions both pro and con.
The “Photoblogger Fortnight” series at Philly Future, aimed at interviewing some of the impressive photography buffs of the blogosphere, got off to a good start yesterday. The first subject was Kathleen Connally, who hosts the site “A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania.”
Kathleen Connally is a gifted photographer, as even a brief peak into her archives will confirm, and in the interview she confirms a practice that I know is native to writing junkies, but have recently realized is just as crucial to photo junkies, as well. The old wisdom when you write is to keep a pen and paper handy at all times, just in case something comes to you; Kathleen offers the photographer’s side of that wisdom, as she admits to never leaving the house without her camera.
I was just biking this past weekend in Nockamixon State Park when I had that exact pang of regret (several times): “If only I’d brought my camera …”
Oh, and speaking of photobloggers, Albert’s still got those Live 8 photos for sale to benefit famine relief in Niger (got my prints just last week—they’re quite good).
Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed.
-Herman Melville
Without getting too political, I’d like to note how ironic it seems to me to hear the President touting policies that encourage people to lift themselves up by their own bootstraps (so to speak), while he has demonstrated so little of this type of skill in his own life. It seems he often champions this Darwinian sort of philosophy that would have damned him many times over.
Sometimes the most important thing to remember when we see those less fortunate or accomplished than ourselves is the line so many other recovering alcoholics have used as a mantra in twelve step programs: “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”
(Maybe that’s also an appropriate line of thought to hold when looking at those who are apparently lacking the capacity to show sympathy for others.)
Operation Clean Sweep is my latest grassroots passion. This really only applies to Pennsylvania residents in my modest audience (ever more modest when limited to locals). Ales Rarus first opened my eyes to it, but I’m also noticing items in other places now, like at Philly Future. Hopefully this welcome little craze will help bring some sanity back to our state legislature.
One can hope.
Random play on the digital music machine. Mixed bag, no skips:
1. The Difference – King’s X (Gretchen Goes to Nebraska)
2. Something’s Gotta’ Change – Garrison Starr (… live at the 9:30 Club)
3. Dig – Adam Again (Dig)
4. Walk On – U2 (America: a Tribute to Heroes)
5. Told You So – Barenaked Ladies (Stunt)
6. Penny is Poison – The Verve Pipe (Villains)
7. Hold of Myself – Cracker (Gentleman’s Blues)
8. High … and Lonesome – Bill Mallonee (Dear Life)
9. Cemetery Drive – My Chemical Romance (Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge)
10. Anna Begins – Counting Crows (August and Everything After)
-Prettiest song about a dysfunctional relationship: Penny is Poison
-Best vocals: The Difference
-Album that I initially fell in love with, but haven’t heard all the way through in a decade (or more): August and Everything After
-Percentage of performers on this list I’ve seen in person: 60
Usually, since I post this at some ungodly hour of Friday morning, there are no other FRT posts to link to until I come back and edit the post mid-day. But today, Matt beat me to it. Then Schodinger’s Cat is Dead (who added to the Dracula enlightenment) threw in his weekly installment, and Mark came through as well, and for a new flavor, I also refer you to the American Idle version of FRT
Cziltang spotted this sidebar item from the BeliefNet quiz I mentioned a couple days ago, and he was kind enough to pass it along via email. I’d never heard this version of the story before; but then, I honestly never knew Dracula was that closely based in reality. Color me clueless, and quite fascinated, if the version in this story is accurate:
To fans of the Bram Stoker novel “Dracula” or the dozens of Hollywood adaptations that have followed it, Dracula, the legendary Eastern European vampire, is usually viewed as an enemy of Christianity. But in her new best-selling novel, “The Historian,” Elizabeth Kostova offers a surprising look at a Dracula whose choices are often informed by faith. … (read the whole BeliefNet interview)
and some of the results were downright baffling. I moseyed on over to this beliefnet quiz to find out what I believe. Call me curious, but I’m always wondering what twisted ideas these little tests are giving people.
The first ten results (in order of relevance?):
1. Orthodox Quaker (100%)
2. Baha’i Faith (87%)
3. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (85%)
4. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (81%)
5. Seventh Day Adventist (77%)
6. Jehovah’s Witness (76%)
7. Liberal Quakers (76%)
8. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (76%)
9. Eastern Orthodox (68%)
10. Roman Catholic (68%)
-and it just gets weirder from there—#11 is Islam. But the first ten are somewhat strange, too. Baha’i? Really? At #2? I read the page on that little religion and I’m still confused.
The Jehovah’s Witness, Mormons and 7th Day Adventists got in there, too, but I have no idea how. I can understand the Christian denominations being fairly high on the list, as that’s how I normally associate myself, in fact, being quite familiar with some of the Quaker orthodoxy, I don’t think the top pick is too far off at all, at least theoretically…
Clearly, to me at least, this quiz has some flaws.
I vented a little over at Philly Future about the recent legislative pay raises here in the Keystone State.
I’ve been pretty faithful to certain state politicians over the years, but the ones who supported this ridiculously wasteful and entirely unsympathetic pay hike will hopefully get the message next election cycle. And by getting the message, I mean losing their seats in the state assembly. In that vein, I should also applaud my state senator, a man by the name of Robert “Tommy” Tomlinson, who did oppose this raise. I’ve got your back, Tommy.
UPDATE: A great related post from Tony Phyrillas that makes a lot of sense.
Confined Space has this analysis of the Costco gameplan, which contrasts sharply with the Wal-Mart plan. And who would’ve guessed, but it seems to work pretty well.
Jim Sinegal takes less than the average CEO, while his company compensates its employees significantly better than his competitors (including Sam’s Club), and Costco stock somehow performs better, too.
Go figure. I guess that’s something I’ll have to remember next time someone defends Wal-Mart wages with a blind line like “they have a responsibility to their shareholders.”
