Philly - Efficient parking enforcement.

I missed getting to my car by less than 5 minutes. One of Philly's illustrious meter maniacs had already tagged my car with a $26 fine. Aaaargh... I wish the rest of the city, the parts that actually matter would work half as well.

Oh well, I guess the city needs the revenue. I understand that the honarable Mayor Street was a little fuzzy on the concept of city politboro members needing to pay their real estate taxes the same as the common folk. Efficient collection of parking fines will help offset that lost revenue.

City Politicos destroy 77 year old Holmesburg Group.. After all, shooters are second class citizens.

There was an excellent but sad article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the City of Philadelphia ending the lease of the Holmesburg Fish and Game Club. The club has been in existance for 77 years.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20070914_Final_rounds_for_durable_gun_club_.html

or,
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/
20070914_Final_rounds_for_durable_gun_club_.html

if the first link doesn't work.

Supposedly the prison guards need a larger range to train. The lease will end on December 31st of this year.

Over the past decade or so, Holmesburg has shared it's facilites with the prison guards and other police. The range facilities were built by and funded by the members. Now the city is throwing them out and taking over.

"Corrections officers already use the club's ranges several days a week, and association members said they did not see why the prison system needed a 24/7 facility along with the costs of its upkeep."

Many of the members are third generation. The club is active in the community with training programs and youth programs. They have been sharing the facility for the past several years. This doesn't mean anything to prison commissioner Leon King who offered a laundry list of lame excuses for the grab.

Here are just a few random thoughts

• You really can't trust government to play fair. If they lust after something you worked to build, they will simply use the power of government to take it.
• If you are on the wrong side of the political correctness fence, liberals who preach diversity and tolerance will show neither to you. Can you imagine the outrage if the city did the same thing to a gay or minority oriented club ?

One final question that should be asked of the illustrious Mayor Street and Commisioner King.. Are you telling us that the prisons are so full, and so difficult to control, that you need to confiscate a range that was used by over 1500 people for the use of the Philadelphia prison guards? Maybe the answer is on the Mayor's Blackberry. .....

Sippin by the River - Food and music to benefit the Chron's & Colitis Foundation - 9/23/07

Sippin by the River will be held on September 23rd from 1pm to 5pm. at the Festival Pier at Penn's Landing. (That's down by the Delaware River for those Non Philly people)

The event features fine beer and wine, tasting lessons

For more information, see their website at

Tickets range from $25 in advance to a couple of grand for a VIP table. (It is for a good cause!!!)

You can purchase tickets if you are under 21, but you have to be 21 for the wine and beer tasting.

Check out their FAQ before you go.. Apparently cameras and backpacks are not allowed.

Anyway, this would be a great way to spend the day.


http://www.sippinbytheriver.com/

Terror behind the walls - at the Eastern State Penitentiary -

The Eastern State Pen is creepy enough without halloween exhibits. This year they are having fright tours in the 177 year old prison. Join them for a quiet evening with homocidal maniacs, insane prison doctors, escaped inmates and other assorted creepies.

The event runs weekends and selected weekdays from the end of September through November 3rd 2007. Tickets and times vary from $20 to $30 and go from about 7pm till 11pm or midnight (Unless the ghouls get you, then you are there forever)

The prison is located at 22nd and Fairmount. Just stop and listen for the screams of the inmates and visitors.


For more info, see the Easter State Penetentiary website at
http://www.easternstate.org/halloween/