whyznott's Blog

I travel 422 to King of Prussia every day for work.

It is not a fun ride, but now that the weather is starting to get nice, I like to have my windows open, especially as i am crawling along the road in bumper to bumper traffic.

My problem is that almost every morning, there is a smoker (or smokers) who refuse to use their ashtray. 

The world is not your ashtray--I understand why you do not want the smoke and ashes in your car, but I do not want them in mine either.  I do not smoke and do not want your ashes or smoke in my car!

I am asking all smokers to be more considerate of their fellow drivers, and of the enviornment.  Ashes and cigarette butts do not belong along side of the road!

If you do not want the ashes and butts in your car--do something about quitting, I know it is not easy--but it would be better for you and everyone around you.

Thanks

I watched most of the debate last night (04/16) and was impressed by both candidates.

However, I do agree with Obama that there are too many distractions, keeping people from the truly important matters that the next president will face.

I do not doubt Obama's patriotism, I also love this country but do not own a flag pin...and okay, so Hillary embellished, and Obama's pastor likes to stir things up, and both have mis-spoken on more than one occasion.

They are both human, and I like that in a president!

But all in all, do these distractions really matter??

The next president will have to deal with issues like Iraq/Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Al Queda, the economy, and on and on....this country is a mess right now and needs someone as president that can pull people together and work to fix these many problems and make this country and our world a better place.

So in the face of all these challenges, how much does a flag pin matter?

There are more important things at stake.

I think both Hillary and Obama are able to meet these tasks, and time we forgot about these distractions and focused on the solutions.

First of all, I think that most motorcycle riders are operating their vehicles safely and have more to concerned about from the actions of people in cars than they do from themselves.

That said, yesterday I was on 422 coming back from the KOP Mall, and was in some traffic when a kid on a motorcycle came up behind me and started to tail-gate me.

There was no where for me to go, as I was passing cars in the slow lane, and did not want to tail-gate the car in front of me, but this kid was right on my back bumper, and I noticed he did not have a helmet on.

First of all, I wonder what possessed someone on a motorcycle to tail-gate, as all I would need to do in an accident is to replace my back windown and bumper?  I mean, is it that important to get to your destination a few minutes sooner (and risk not getting there at all)?

Secondly, I wondered if the mortality rate among motorcycle riders has gone up since the helmet law has been abolished in PA?

Why does it seem like all the local news shows are "proud" of the fact that the girl who helped to unseat Gov. Spitzer was from New Jersey?

I feel sad for this girl, that she had to take such measures to make her life work, or to at least pay her bills.

I also feel bad for her family, they had nothing to do with this disaster, and now they have to put up with news crews and scandal.

I think that her family should be left alone, as well as the Govenor's family--they must be hurting too.

The Gov, he made his own bed, and now he has to lie in it--it is just too sad.

I like Obama, I also like Hillary, just not as much.  In the long run this negative campaigning that is going on, is going to hurt the Democrats.

It is likely that these two will wind up working together in some way or another in the next administration, they both need to keep this in mind and lighten up and work to unify the party, now is not the time for a civil war among the Democrats--unless you want McCain to win.

I was on another Philly channel's site, and read the story about the man from Texas who killed his own son.  It was a very sad, tragic and disgusting story.  It was accompanied by a slide show, which I looked at.

The pictures were just gut wrenching, horrific...then at the end of these slides, was an add for the "Local Gladiator" show, with a (somewhat) attractive woman dressed in next to nothing!!!

How inapprorpriate is that????

Then, it happened again yesterday, as I looked at a slide show related to the murder of a young mother in front of her kids by their father, and at the end of the show, was that same barely dressed woman!

These are such sad stories, and to end them with such pictures, just is not right.

I wrote to the station (it was not easy to find the correct email form) but I have received no answers.

I like this station so much because they allow us to provide feedback via these blogs, easily and clearly and have not edited what I have said, even if it is negative.

Thanks Fox29 and shame on the other channel for being so insensitive.

I figured out where the name "Cloverfield" cam from--because that is all that is left of Manhattan after the attack--a Clover field.  Clover is one of the first things that grow after the earth has been scorched--like after a fire or a nuclear blast.

Cloverfield could be a really interesting movie, and I really wanted to like it--but the camera work is so shakey that I could not even watch the movie.

The camera in this movie jumps around even more than in Blair Witch, and I got sick to my stomach and so dizzy I had to leave the movie after an hour!

If you do not get motion sick from these kind of movies, you will probably enjoy this film, but if you got queasy from Blair Witch, this is not the movie for you!

I can ride any roller coaster and be fine, watch old home movies, and no problem, but with this film, I just could not take it.  I do not understand why someone like JJ Abrams made a movie that literally makes so many people sick!  I wish they had made the character who held the video camera a fomer film student or something.  I like the idea of having the movie shot from the perspective of a video camera but it would have been great if the camera could have been held still at least once during the movie.

Okay, enough of my rant--I just wanted to warn any one before they paid to see Cloverfield and had to leave before it was done--like I did.

First of all, I am glad that the school shooting plot in Whitemarsh was foiled.  Good work to the informant, the police and the other officials involved for stopping this potential tradgedy!

But the boy at the center of this issue is still tragic.  Fortunately he hurt no one, but he is obviously hurting, and I hope now he will get the help he needs!

Clearly troubled, he was teased mercilessly at school, and I wonder what the school staff did to address the issue.  The teasing did not cause the boy's troubles, but it did not help either.

As someone who was teased quite a bit in school myself, I know how painful it can be.  I did not react violently, instead I worked to change, grow, and developed a thick skin, I also began to drink quite a bit as a means of coping and of fitting in.

No, teasing was not the cause of my issues, but did not help.

I would like to see schools do more to make school a safter place for all kids.  No, I do not expect miracles, but at least to address the causes of school violence more effectively, maybe even have some kind of team building activities to allow kids to get to know each other better, and see that their differences are not all that dramatic after all--to find common ground.

Just an idea.

I am glad the boy is getting some help, and hope that this incident may cause other troubled kids to get some help.

When football teams lose over and over again, the coach is usually replaced...same for baseball, and for business also, when a manager or CEO does not perform consistently, they are usually removed.

Philadelphia is suffering from high crime, shootings, a record number of murders, this morning a SEPTA bus was shot up, the other day we had a shooting in a church parking lot, and the list goes on and on....

So why isn't Philadelphia looking for a new Police Commissioner?

The American Cancer Society Bike a Thon is this weekend, (07/15), but there is still plenty of time to support the cause!  Look for ASC Bike on the net to donate!

And good luck to all of my fellow riders, looks like it will be a great day for a bike ride!!!

I think the fan give a ways, to help seniors beat the heat, is a great idea.  Years ago, I met an elderly man who got one of those fans, but did not know he had to leave his windows opened, and he almost died in his apartment from the heat.

He kept his window closed due to fear of crime in his neighborhood--which was a valid fear.  He was hospitalized for a long time, but wound up dying of cancer, his condition weakened from the extreme heat and dehydration.

My idea was, instead of fans, to collect old air conditioners (I often see them in yard sales and waiting for trash pick up) and have the local technical school students rehab and rebuild them, as part of their education, and then give these out to seniors.  There may not be enough for every one, but it would help especially when there is need due to a medical condition.

The air conditioners will keep them cool, and allow them to keep their windows closed and help them to feel safe.

The main problem would be how these seniors in need would pay their higher electric bills--and I thought the cost for running the a/c units could be subsidised by money from the lottery (funds are to go to seniors), the casinos, or perhaps something can be worked out with the utility companies.

The idea is not perfect, but maybe, if someone reads this, and thinks it is a good idea, more suggestions could be offered that would make this program work.

Thanks

How sad that a man can kill his mother and himself and then never be missed.

No one to check on them, or to care, no wonder he might have felt helpless and overwhelmed by his mother's condition.

You have to wonder how people can get so isolated.  Did they have family, friends, anyone? 

We all have connections to others around us, even it if is just to neighbors, but these people lost their connection and that is very sad.

This story makes me think of the connections I have in my life, my daughter, my family, my ex wife, my two jobs, my church, my friends, and I know I could never get so lost...or could I?

It would not take much to break connections--were I to start drinking again, those connections may not prove to be as strong as I think...

I find clowns first thing in the morning to be disturbing.

"Call me Ishmael. Some years ago - never mind how long precisely - having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off - then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. "

This passage is from the first chapter of Moby Dick, and Ishmael refers to the wanderer, the one cast out, foresaken and alone.  In Moby Dick he was a drifter, without ties or connections, in the Bible Ishmael was the son of Abraham and Hagar and was cast out and foresaken by his father.

The Virginia Tech shooter was an English major and certainly knew this passage from Moby Dick, it's meaning and it's source, and I think it fits that he would use the name Ishmael on the package mailed to NBC--as the shooter also appears to have felt alone and foresaken, lost and wandering--alone in the world.

This whole incident is so tragic.  The loss of life is horrific, and the fact that a person can feel so foresaken and lost, and separated from humanity, and from God that he can lose all compassion for others, and can cease seeing value in human life, it is just so very sad.

I have kept all those lost in this and other tragedies in my prayers, and pray that the next Ishmael finds the help he or she needs before it is too late.