Ganked this from the PennLive forums- all due credit goes to the one and only Jason Smith-
Middle class: That over-taxed, under-valued group of people pandered to by politicians as the recipients of government bounty, paid for by the “rich.” Instead of said bounty, they receive a tax increase, blamed on the Rich. See also: Poor.
Rich: That over-taxed, under-valued group of people attacked by politicians as the cause of all the problems the politicians created. Government takes $10 from them and gives back $1, says it is TWICE what was given back to the guy who paid $2 and got back 50�. Confiscate the dollar.
Poor: See also Middle Class.
Politicians: Rich people who pretend they are Middle Class.
Obama: Not anything they say he is and everything you hope he might be.
McCain: Everything they say he is and worse.
Democracy: That antiquated notion that people can rule themselves without the careful oversight of dictator, king, or Congressional sub-sub-sub committee. Their guns were seen as unnecessary as no further revolutions would be required.
Steve Reed: A nocturnal bug-eyed creature, smelling faintly of nicotine, known for collecting artifacts on the public dime. Also collects Vampire Hunting Kits, medieval chain mail, tortilla machines, and subscriptions to Rodeo News. Supports Hillary for her experience and Obama for his inexperience. See also: Provincial Bureaucratic Boss.
America: See Rome. The endish bit, when they ran out of money to pay the barbarian hordes.
I just got in from witnessing an awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping, ass-kicking performance from AC/DC at the Wachovia Center in Wilkes-Barre.
The show was surprisingly…astounding.
And even if you only remotely know me, you should have picked up on the fact that I’m not easily impressed anymore- especially when it comes to concerts and live shows.
Every angle of production is represented on this tour- pyro, video, special effects, props- and a giant locomotive engine are all focal points of this massive stage show.
And the only thing that really grinded my gears about this one was not the six-fifty twelve-ounce Yuengling Lagers. And no, it wasn’t the army of geriatric-aged security people. And I was even fine with the seeming chaos of the check in lines for this invite-only show.
It was all of the people with their stupid cell-phone video cameras.
You could see them- dotted throughout the arena. Dopey concertgoers standing there holding up the tiny screens of their Motorola’s and iPhones. Shaky, far-away-distanced and low-res recordings of songs that- once posted on YouTube (and there will be hundreds of them) will be completely indecipherable from one another.
Seriously- if you really think that your stupid little cellphone video camera is going to shoot something that’s even remotely worth viewing or sharing at a freaking concert- then you should seek medical help as soon as possible.
I love YouTube.
YouTube is absolutely one of my favorite parts of the internets. But I’d probably estimate that eighty percent of the, um, crap on YouTube is, um…crap.
Pure rubbish.
And of that eighty percent of rubbish on YouTube that is crap, proably eighty percent of that is shitty cellphone recordings at concerts.
And it’s not just the big shows- even most indie or smaller bands who’s videos wind up on the YouTube are shitty.
We’re wasting precious server space with shit that shouldn’t be viewed by anyone.
So please, for the good of us all- unless you’re a professional video maker with professional gear, put your stupid cellphone away and leave the concert cinematography to the professionals.
I just got home from participating in the Friends of Midtown Fall Cleanup- a seasonal event which is comprised of a team of neighborhood volunteers who traverse the streets of Midtown and parts of Uptown cleaning up other peoples litter.
The route that my team was assigned was both sides of Second street between Harris and Maclay; my team members were a nice older couple named Ralph and Barbara. (I actually have a friend from Long Island named Ralph Barba. Odd.)
ANYWAY- as we were, literally, on our hands and knees picking up chip bags, beer cans, cigarette butts, random household trash that must have trickled out of curbside trash cans because what other reason would there be to find chicken bones and empty shredded cheese bags while picking up trash on Second street, I had a few thoughts and observations cross my mind.
And like it or not, I’m going to share the aforementioned thoughts with you now:
It’s great that so many people participated in the cleanup and was a fun way to interact with the neighborhood while “doing our part”, but sad, at the same time, that it was even necessary.
I say “sad” because, ultimately, I’d think that people- regardless of income bracket or living situation- would want to live in a clean, cared-for enviornment. Perhaps it’s just the way that I was raised, but I do believe that we can manifest our own idea of utopia- but I don’t know anyone who would want crack baggies and Newport boxes lining the streets of their utopia. But this is our utopia and, darn it- we’ll pick up those crack baggies and Newport boxes for ya. No, really…go ahead. We’ll get it.
Perhaps these clean ups would be a great way to both punish AND teach juvenile offenders.
A fifteen year old kid from the city gets caught breaking into a car. Or starting a fight in school. Or maybe even littering. He or she appears in front of a judge who decides their punishment for their crime. And maybe instead of financially punishing a juvinile offender who probably doesn’t have a job or any money, we make him go out and pick up trash for a couple of days. And maybe next time he goes to break into a car, instead of throwing that empty chip bag on the street, he’ll deposit it into a trash can so he doesn’t have to pick it up again the next time he gets caught. Maybe the courts already do this kind of thing- but judging by the amount of trash the group picked up, they’re probably not doing it in Midtown.
Where were our local politicians this go-round?
I know that various council members and administration employees have participated in these clean ups in the past- and perhaps I just didn’t recognize some of the people in the group who MAY be city employees- but what ever happened to “leading by example”? This took two hours. And the last half hour was time spent BS-ing with my fellow litter removers. But not a single city council member was able to make it today? I’m not singling anyone out on this- just observing.
I had a surpisingly enjoyable time participating in this neighborhood clean up. I had to literally force myself out of bed at 8:30 on a Saturday morning-but once we got into it, it was very fulfilling.
Sure, one neighborhood cleanup isn’t going to make our part of the city all sparkley and shiny- and as one the participants, Ben, remarked- it’s almost more symbolic than anything. Symbolic of the fact that the citizens of Midtown are taking matters into their own hands. Symbolic that people of varied backgrounds can work together for the good of the neighborhood. And symbolic that there is power in numbers. And working together, we will make this City a better place.
Great work, Friends of Midtown. I’ll certainly be participating in more of these in the future.
About three weeks ago, I wrote a post about the horrible shape of the Dunkin Donuts on Second Street in Harrisburg.
Empty racks which should be chock full of bagels, donuts, muffins and croissants at nine thirty in the morning sitting barren and empty. Counter service which resembled a prison lunch line. Employees blasting profanity laden gangsta-rap from their iPods during business hours.
I emailed Dunkin Donuts Corporate a link to the post and promptly recieved a phone call from someone in their home office assuring me that the issue would be investigated.
I never did hear back from them, but yesterday, I ventured back to the Dunkin Donuts on Second Street after a three week hiatus/boycott. After I ordered a sausage, egg and cheese on a sesame bagel and a medium hazelnut, cream and sugar, I noticed something … different.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on it at first. But then it struck me- the staff.
All completely new people.
And when I got my coffee and sandwich within about three minutes (a record at that DD), I asked the woman behind the counter “You’re new here, right?”
“Yes, I’m the new manager.”
“Oh, cool. And that guy there…he’s new too, right?”
“Yes sir. We’ve…um…hired a new staff” she borderline-whispered.
“Well that’s pretty cool.” I told her…as I happily strolled back out to my car.
Could it be? Is it possible that my post from three weeks ago had something to do with the overhaul of the staff at the Dunkin Donuts on Second Street?
Or was it a long time coming and just coincidental?
Whatever it was, it made me happy. Happy to see not only a fresh new staff at the Dunkin Donuts on Second Street; but happy, also, that the higher-ups at Dunkin Donuts Corporate actually do listen to customer concerns.
Way to go, Dunkin Donuts. You’ve just re-confirmed me as a happy customer.