Site Revisions

We just wanted to post a quick note about some revisions to www.phillyviews.com . We've moved to a new server and have partnered with a new vendor for Hotel reservations.

The new server should be a little faster and more reliable.

The Hotel reservations system will offer a better and more up to date selection than what we previously were able to offer. You can see the Philadelphia hotels at http://www.phillyviews.com/hotels/us-pa-philadelphia.html

Open Letter to Police Commissioner Johnson re Concealed Carry.

Dear Mr. Johnson.



I heard a sound byte from you on 1210AM the other day to the effect that "If I had my way, there would be no concealed carry"



First of all, I would like to say that it is statements like that that drove me and my business out of philadelphia (lower case intentional) to the suburbs.



I would like to pose a series of questions which you or your staff can feel free to reply to

• Exactly how many concealed carry holders have committed crimes of violence? Can you give the numbers as a percentage of the total crimes of violence? HINT - the number is extremely low or is approaching ZERO. The law abiding citizens are NOT the problem.


• Many people have twisted the meaning of the Second Ammendment of the Federal Bill of Rights. However, the Constitution of our beloved Commonwealth, which you are duty bound to follow, reads "The right of the people to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned". The language of our Commonwealth's Constitution leaves no "Wiggle Room" in it's language. Deny the right of people to protect themselves and you are violating the rights of Pennsylvanians as guaranteed under the constitution.


• It is a well known management principle that trying to "solve" the problem by focusing on something that is not the cause of the problem is worse than doing nothing. Decent people exercising their rights under the law is not the problem. Taking away their rights while ignoring the real causes of crime will leave them unprotected while doing nothing to reduce criminal behaviour.


• If concealed carry is such a problem, can you explain Vermont? I vacationed there about 2 years ago. Any adult who does not have a criminal or mental record can carry without a permit. No paperwork required. No need to ask the Government for permission to exercise your basic rights. Would you care to compare the crime rates in Vermont with those of Philadelphia?? I thought not.
• Do you, or do you not, believe that citizens have a right to self defense? I believe that court decisions have shown that the police are not obligated to protect the individual, just the 'public at large'.

There are numerous causes for the decay of our society which contribute to criminal behaviour. Those will take a little bit of work to fix.

• The Decay of the family - Crime was much lower when we had traditional families. We have created a society where the traditional family is a pariah. When my wife and I attended childbirth classes in Philadelphia, I became aware that the instructor was twisting every possible way to avoid the terms "Father" or "Husband", instead using stalistic euphamisms such as "Labor Coach" and "Significant Other". Over a half century of liberalism has shattered the traditional family with predictable results.
• Revolving Door Justice - Criminals know that prison caps and liberal judges will ensure their immediate return to the streets for all but the most dastardly crimes.
• An environment hostile to small business - Guess what, Philadelphia is one of the worst places for a small business person. The taxes are staggering. You are driving small business and even larger business out of the city to the suburbs, other states or even overseas. You reap what you sow. With the loss of those jobs, there is a corresponding loss of opportunity.
• Corruption - Philadelphia --- Corruption??? Who would have thought. .. You need to clean up the mess in a manner similar to that of Theodore Roosevelt in New York City in the late 1800's. Weed out the bad apples. Have ZERO tolerance for corruption. Why is it that drug dealers can operate openly on the streets? Unfortunately I would think that some envelopes full of cash are going into some blue pockets.

Anyway, Mister Commissioner, that is just a beginning. They say that Republics generally only last for about 300 years. I see the that the foundations of freedom laid down by out Founding Fathers are crumbling. I see politicians such as yourself ignoring the God given rights of the people for political gain, or out of ingorance or to perhaps further some other agenda.

(and make no mistake, you are a political animal)

Respectfull,

Christopher G. Mendla

Philadelphia Expatriot.

Sign up for emergency alerts

There is a service that will notify you by cellphone, pager or email if there are any important events occurring in Philadelphia County.

You can sign up at

http://phila.alertpa.org/

or, if you are in any of the counties surrounding Philadlephia, check out

http://www.readynotifypa.org/

Of course, major disasters such as the Philadelphia City Council meeting and passing ordinances will NOT be reported on the network.

SS United States - Historic Ship Rusting in Philly

The SS United States held a number of records and was of an extremely innovative design. Today she lies rusting alongside a pier in South Philadelphia. You can see her funnels as you drive by on I-95 (or crawling along 95 during rush hour)

The ship was built in 1952 and she was the fastest ocean liner to sail. In case of war, she could be used as a troopship able to transport about 14,000 troops. Her great speed would allow her to run from most submarines (and torpedoes of the era). Her once sensitive screws are now on her after deck and are visible in the satellite photo.


View Larger Map





For more information

• The SS United States site - Some interesting info on this great ocean liner
• The SS United States Conservancy site - People dedicated to trying to save this historic treasure
• Wiki article on the SS United States
• SS United States Foundation Site

Ghost Ships in South Philly

Take a look at the Google Map below. This satellite view is of the Delaware River just south of Tasker Avenue. It appears to be the wrecks of several wooden ships half buried in the mud. The Ship just north of the pilings is perhaps in the best shape of the group. The length appears to be about 200 feet or so. You can see the hatches for the holds and the broad beam indicates some type of cargo ship. If you look a little further upriver there is another wreck which is pretty much deteriorated but has a much narrower beam.

My guess is that there was a fire at one time and all of the vessels sunk in place. They may have been sailing vessels or former sailing vessels that were converted to barges. The lines on the most intact of the cargo vessels look a little too elegant to have been a barge.

The narrow beam vessel is also interesting. My guess is that she was an early screw driven steamer. If you look at the pilings it would appear that she could not have been a side-wheeler.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any guesses as to the history of this little ghost fleet



View Larger Map

Photography in the concourses

I came across an interesting account on Flikr about a guy who took a picture of a pigeon on a Pizza Hut sign and was promptly accosted by a Philly Cop and told that it was illegal to take pictures in the concourse without a permit.

That sounds a bit fishy to me. It may be true in that a lot of the concourse is under privately owned buildings and might be considered private property. Other parts of it are under the city streets. When you are underground it is a bit hard to determine exactly where you are.

The guy who wrote the article mentioned the poor guy who was beaten to death a short time earlier and speculates that the cops might want to focus their energies on that and not on some guy taking a photo of a flying rat on a Pizza hut sign. I wholeheartedly agree with that. As he said he wasn't taking pictures of anything sensitive. (Unless the terrorists have deadly plans for pigeons on signs)

So, if you are visiting the city of Brotherly Love, be careful where you point your cameras.

Money doesnt buy happiness but you can do some cool stuff with it

A couple just gave the Philadelphia Academy of the Fine arts Two Million Dollars.

Anyway, it's nice to see that some people have an appreciation for the fine arts.

Details at http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2008/02/25/daily41.html