Month: May 2010

INTELLIGENCER NEW ERA

Article “PAM declares itself bankrupt” goes on to remark “Finally, the new board and [Executive Director Thomas F. ] Godfrey have questions about the moves made in December by the earlier board.” WATCHDOG: Talk about locking the barn door after the animals are out! The “moves” have to do with PAM’s prior board turning the […]

NEW ERA

Editorial “Debt worsens with each passing day” states “In the year-plus that Barack Obama has been president, the national debt has increased at a rate of $4.8 billion a day.  That’s nearly three times the daily average of the Bush administration.  But it doesn’t mean the former president deserves a pass.  The Bush administration spent […]

PAM’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy: Six months too late and now perhaps one month too soon

First in a series by Robert E. Field, Publisher

My few months as an adviser to the Business Committee of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music (PAM) gave me a bird’s eye view of how the insular nature of the Lancaster community leads to bad decisions as a result of an outsized desire to get alongby the many, and the license of a few to bully and mislead for selfish and even vindictive purposes. This is the first in a several part series, largely based on contemporary correspondence.

Imagine if the Tea Party Was Black

“Imagine if the Tea Party Was Black” – by Tim Wise Let’s play a game, shall we? The name of the game is called “Imagine.” The way it’s played is simple: we’ll envision recent happenings in the news, but then change them up a bit. Instead of envisioning white people as the main actors in […]

Pennsylvania Academy of Music files for bankruptcy

From LANCASTERONLINE: The Pennsylvania Academy of Music today filed for bankruptcy reorganization, its interim executive director announced. Dr. Thomas F. Godfrey said the filing will help PAM resolve a lingering debt of about $100,000… Godfrey said the bankruptcy process also will help PAM sort out other financial issues, including more than $1 million in unfilled […]

Rail yard Project: Getting to bottom of bog turtles

Franklin and Marshall College  submitted a 206 page amended final report to Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) late Tuesday afternoon and posted it on its web site yesterday.  DEP must act by Tuesday, June 1.  Obviously the public does not know about this document and will not be able to read it and comment.  I […]

Link between tanning beds, melanoma grows stronger

From USA TODAY: Strong evidence now links tanning beds to melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer that afflicts nearly 69,000 Americans a year. People who have ever used tanning machines were 74% more likely to develop melanoma than others, according to a study of 2,268 patients reported today in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Obama’s New Security Strategy Breaks With Bush

NEWSMAX / AP:  President Barack Obama is breaking with the go-it-alone Bush years in a new strategy for keeping the nation safe, counting more on U.S. allies to tackle terrorism and other global problems. It’s an approach that already has proved tricky in practice. The administration’s National Security Strategy, a summary of which was obtained […]

DAILY LOCAL NEWS (West Chester):

Congressman Joe Pitts writes “Before 2001, the government taxed the transfer of an estate worth more than $1 million at a 55 percent rate. Handing down a business or family farm to a son or daughter required extensive estate planning to ensure that property or equipment did not have to be sold to pay the […]

Joe Pitts: Permanently repeal the estate tax

By [Congressman]  Joe Pitts, Guest Columnist DAILY LOCAL NEWS:  One of Sweden’s most profitable exports in recent decades has been IKEA, the furniture and home goods retailer. IKEA stores have spread to 39 countries and customers will travel hours to reach the nearest store. Their stylish but inexpensive products have made IKEA one of the […]

BP in wait-and-see mode with ‘top kill’ procedure

Venice, Louisiana (CNN)— BP officials may know by Thursday afternoon whether the oil company’s latest attempt to cap the runaway leak in the Gulf of Mexico is yielding results. “I think we just need to take the next 24 hours and actually see what the results are,” said BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles from […]

Apple’s market value overtakes Microsoft

From the FINANCIAL TIMES: Apple has overtaken Microsoft  to become the largest technology company by market value, crowning a stunning corporate comeback. After more than three decades of rivalry between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, the founder of the  iPad maker saw his company take the lead on Nasdaq. When the New York markets closed […]

LETTER: Root cause of dysfunction of government

One thing Barry Lynn points out in reviewing “Cornered: The New Monopoly Capitalism and the Economics of Destruction” is how all of the economic issues we face are connected to concentrated corporate power. This is the root cause of the dysfunction of government as money dominates elections and, just as creativity is shut out of business, new ideas are shut out of the political dialogue and real change to policies that would fix urgent problems are not considered. This dysfunction makes it impossible for government to be responsive to the urgent necessities of the people and nation.