Letters to the editor MUST be accompanied by your daytime and evening phone numbers for verification purposes. Letters without phone numbers cannot be considered for publication. Letters must include first and last names. Short letters have a better chance of being selected for publication. We do not publish anonymous letters.
Let’s get the
pedestrians, too
While traveling north on Roosevelt Boulevard from Hunting Park, I wondered if the so-called "Safety Corridor" included pedestrians unlawfully crossing against lights and playing "chicken," etc.
Is this "Targeted Enforcement Area" aimed only at drivers who mistakenly run yellow/red traffic lights? Surely, PennDOT can install cameras that encompass the whole terrain (medians included), so that fines can be levied toward the folks who choose to roam the Boulevard at night, ignoring traffic laws.
One wonders if this 12-mile stretch of highway is merely a revenue earner (i.e., doubled fines) or a true safety measure for everyone.
Michael Bates
Lawndale
Town Watch
needs our help
I am glad that Rhawnhurst Town Watch still has a pulse, according to Mr. Paczkowski’s letter in last week’s Northeast Times. I suspect, however, that with no base station or meeting room, it is in critical condition.
My inquiries to a city councilman, two state representatives and the police and district attorney’s offices could not name an active Town Watch in the Rhawnhurst/Bustleton community.
Town Watch obviously needs more support and a higher profile. Certainly a local church or business could provide a Town Watch station. Many local residents could easily donate one or two hours a month to help the group. It’s better than spending hours cleaning up broken glass and graffiti, or chasing the hooligans from your street.
I urge Mr. Paczkowski to hold public meetings and publicize and recruit for Town Watch.
I intend to call the 215-333-5412 number and offer to help. I hope many of you will call, too.
Richard Iaconelli
Rhawnhurst
Section 8 is a loser,
suburbanite says
I enjoy reading the Northeast Times every week to keep me informed on what is going on in Northeast Philly.
I live in nearby Cheltenham and work in Burholme as a truck driver. I have a part-time business doing house and business cleanouts. I would like to inform everyone in the Northeast about what I see when I clean out Section 8 houses.
I have done more cleanouts than I can count, and every time I do a Section 8 cleanout, I always see the same things. I always run into cockroaches and other nasty bugs. Every room in the house is ransacked, every piece of furniture is broke, and basically the people leave with the shirts on their backs. When we rip up the carpets, the floors smell like urine.
I have never done a Section 8 cleanout where I haven’t found drugs or drug paraphernalia — NEVER!
It’s funny how someone getting assistance from the taxpayers of this city can still find enough money to buy drugs — to either do them or sell them.
I do cleanouts in every neighborhood in Philadelphia. Some are better than others, some are horrible. I just wanted to inform the people of Northeast Philly what Section 8 does to the neighborhood. Even though I don’t live in the city, I still pay my taxes to that wonderful mayor. Hopefully, the Northeast won’t turn into Germantown or North Philly, but only time will tell.
Jeff Frearson
Cheltenham
Knowledge is power
when fighting MRSA
I thank Councilman Jack Kelly for hosting an informative Aug. 29 news conference on the deadly infection CA-MRSA (Community Acquired-Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus).
I have received countless requests for information from families who have suffered from this potentially fatal infection. The news conference brought to light necessary preventative measures, as well as the warning signs and cures.
Theresa Drew, mother of 21-year-old football player Ricky Lannetti, who passed away in 2003 from MRSA, was also gracious enough to attend. Her Web site, www.MRSAAWARENESS.COM, has received countless hits from folks seeking information. Maggie Fulmer, whose son Chuck has suffered from MRSA for six years, also attended to relate her family’s MRSA horror stories.
Councilman Kelly is sponsoring a City Council resolution declaring September "MRSA Awareness Month" in Philadelphia. He will also be urging the city’s public and private schools to provide students with information on MRSA in health classes. MRSA should be a mandatory reportable illness on each single case, not reported only as a cluster, as is currently required by city health officials.
As a father whose entire family was stricken with MRSA this summer, I am thankful for people like Jack Kelly for calling attention to this horrible disease.
Scott Cummings
President, Mayfair Civic Association
Blame St. Leo’s woes
on registration
I read Mrs. Scally’s letter last week concerning the opening of a charter school on the site of the former St. Leo the Great School. My only response is one of shock. What else did she expect to have happen?
You see, I’m a former teacher at St. Leo the Great School. I cannot express to you the sense of loss and devastation that occurred when our fine institution was closed. It’s a situation that I wish on no educator anywhere. However, the reason for our closure was declining enrollment due in part to the indiscriminate registration of children from St. Leo the Great Parish by a local Roman Catholic school and Mrs. Scally’s school, St. Josaphat’s! I firmly believe that if it were not for the loss of our parishioners to these two local schools, none of the three schools would have closed as quickly as St. Leo did!
I would say this to Mrs. Scally: St. Leo the Great School WAS a home to the many students it educated. That home was taken from them partially because of the registration practices of her school. There were years when as many as 40 St. Leo the Great parishioners were registered at St. Josaphat’s! Perhaps her anger is misplaced. I propose that it is not merely the addition of a charter school that influences St. Josaphat’s enrollment. Rather, it is the indiscriminate registration practices of a neighboring school.
Surely, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
Charles Tschopp
Former teacher, St. Leo the Great School
Clerk had the
spirit of rudeness
I feel compelled to write and tell someone what happened to me on Saturday, Sept. 1, when I called the Cottman Avenue Wine & Spirit Shop.
About 6 p.m. that day, I called store to find out how late they would be open to that evening.
The conversation follows:
"Hi Debra, I’d like to know what time you are open until this evening?"
"We’re open from 9 to 9," she said.
Although sensing an attitude, I said, "thank you and have a nice…"
I was cut off by her saying, "I can’t believe you would waste my time by calling and asking such a ridiculous question!"
I couldn’t believe what I just heard. I said, "excuse me?"
She said, "you heard me" and hung up!
Still in disbelief, I called back to speak to a manager, Debra answered again and stated that she was the manager. I explained that I could not believe the way I was spoken to. She told me she was not out of line, that now I was being ignorant by calling back and wasting her time on a holiday weekend to ask stupid questions and take her away from her "customers" (what am I???)
I told her that as a retail manager, she should not be speaking to people this way! She continued to defend her position. I was getting nowhere, so I just hung up!
Rule of thumb in customer service — provide great service and maybe (if you’re lucky) a few people hear about it. Provide bad service and you can’t keep track of how many people will hear about it!
After talking to several area business owners, I discovered they had heard of Debra. Several of them asked me if this was "Debra" before I even finished the story!! I normally let things roll off my back, however in this case, I could not. There is no excuse for her behavior, "holiday weekend" or not!
Nanci Miller
Mayfair
Tell Congress: S-CHIP
marks the spot
The Rove administration has announced its intention to continue the valiant defense of the insurance industry against the specter of universal health coverage.
They are attempting to restrict the ability of states to broaden the coverage offered by the S-CHIP program. They see this popular coverage as a threat to the myth of the evils of "socialized" medicine. For 40 years we have had Medicare, which is a "Lite" version of the dreaded socialized medicine. All of my fellow seniors seem to like it.
The loudest screaming that we hear about its horrors comes from the insurance industry. They don’t want an efficient health care insurance that they can’t milk for profits.
Strangely enough, there have been no reports, even from Fox Noise, about the bloody anti-socialized medicine riots in every industrialized country that has a national health care insurance system. One would expect at least that champion of the truth and "fair and balanced reporting" to inform us of such bloody unrest. S-CHIP expansion is what the states want, even those with Republican governors. But the Party of States Rights does not want to overdo it, to the displeasure of their staunchest financial contributors.
Urge your Congress to expand SCHIP coverage.
Robert D. Eckel
Southampton
Do you know me?
Purrfect!
I wish I knew where I ran away from. Several weeks ago, by a stroke of luck the folks at Gloria Dei Estates heard me and found me in the their back sewer. That is correct — they found me in the sewer. I was a mess and had to be cleaned up, fed and given a dry place to sleep.
Now, I am not sure how long I was roaming around before that day, but I do know I was skinny — just fur and bones. They have taken good care of me, taken me to the vet and made sure I am OK, put meat back on my bones, and given me toys and lots of loving.
I have only one problem now. I want to come home, and I don’t know where that is. I guess that I lived somewhere near Rhawn Street and Dungan Road, since my paws were not in bad shape. I know I am smart, about 4 years old, love to play, like lots of attention and miss my family.
The lady that is taking care of me is nice and loves me, but she knows how I feel, so if you know me, call 215-728-0300 and let them know you are calling about "GD the Cat" and want me back. Just leave a phone number and clue that proves that you know I am your cat, and the nice lady will see we get together again.
I DO want to come home. I miss you.
GD the Cat
Requiem for a
fallen Guido
To the person who hit a dog at Torresdale and Unruh avenues on Saturday night, July 28, and then drove away, leaving him in the street, where he died:
Let me tell you about the dog you killed. His name was Guido. He just turned 1 year old on July 4. He had a family, he a had a little girl named Sara. He was her protector, he was her friend.
He was a happy dog, full of life and love. He had a happy bark for everyone. That little girl Sara saw you hit her dog. As injured as he was, he heard Sara crying his name. He picked up his head and looked at her one last time, with fear in his eyes.
We want you always to remember the feel of your car and the sound when you hit him, so when you go to have your car repaired there isn’t enough money you can pay for hitting Guido.
When family or friends ask you what you did on July 28, tell them you killed Guido.
Guido will be missed by all that loved him. Now, when we open the door, his porch is forever empty, his bark forever silent. See you at the Rainbow Bridge, boy.
I also want to thank all the people who stopped to help at the scene, including a nurse, police officers and everyone else.
Denise Presock
Tacony
A poor excuse
for a human
In response to Pat Poehler’s letter in the Aug. 30 edition (Vick, you’re a disgrace), I couldn’t have put it any better!
I feel exactly the same way that you do, and Michael Vick ought to be disgraced right out of the NFL!!
As for your statement abut the example he has set for children who look up to him, isn’t it ironic how soon after this came out (his abuse and murders of dogs) that those pathetic scumbags (who were teenagers) beat, tortured and set that poor innocent boxer dog on fire in West Philadelphia.
There were eight boys who doused the poor pup with gasoline, set her on fire and then began kicking and beating her while she was painfully on fire! Rescuers dubbed her "Y-mee" after she suffered severe burns to her left hind leg, face and rear end.
Why would somebody do that? Boys are supposed to like dogs. Boxes are such sweet dogs, and she looks so loveable in her picture.
According to witnesses, she didn’t even fight back but just cowered in a corner as her eight cowardly tormentors beat her.
Well, Michael Vick set the example, all right! The Daily News stated that the SPCA is collecting money to offer a reward for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of the pup’s tormentors.
It said (Daily News) that to report tips in Y-mee’s case, or any other animal abuse case, or to donate money toward the reward, call the SPCA at 215-426-6300.
I might add that Phillies second baseman Chase Utley and his wife Jennifer, an SPCA volunteer, are paying for the dog’s medical treatment and have renamed her Etana.
Let’s keep Etana in our prayers and pray that her tormentors get caught!
Nobody should be allowed to get away with that. Not even Michael Vick.
Jennifer Johnson
Holmesburg
Today’s kids should have
known the coal man
This is not a fictional story. This is a story of the Depression as I remember it as a kid.
I lived in a small borough near Philadelphia called Sharon Hill. I guess you could call it middle-class in those days. My dad worked at the Navy Yard. Other folks worked at Atlantic refining, General Electric, etc. Then there were those who could not work at all. Times were tough.
In those days we had a coal furnace, so naturally, there were ashes. Those ashes were placed in large cans to be taken out and placed at the curb.
A man would come around and take these large cans to the curb. He charged 10 cents a can. Each house had about two cans. He worked several blocks around the borough. I don’t know what his take was, but he made a living.
Now, the thing that impressed me was his homemade overshoes needed because of the snow. They were made of old burlap bags wrapped around his feet. They were his galoshes. Now the point of all this is that kids today, with the i-Pods and cell phones and all these wires wrapped around them should have known this man, who is long gone.
John Steinkirchner
Morrell Park
Kudos for two kids
with big hearts
This letter is about two special children named Ashley and Joe.
These children wanted to have a lemonade stand not to collect money for themselves, but to send in as a donation toward Alex’s Lemonade. I am so proud of them! They stood out in the heat with signs until all of the lemonade was finished. They collected a total of $53 to donate toward fighting childhood cancer.
Their happy faces and homemade signs were enough to stop people from their busy lives and give a donation along with some words filled with hope.
I would like to thank all of the people who stopped that day to help these children achieve their goal. All those who donated not only gave a donation for some lemonade, they also helped to aid in the fight against childhood cancer. God bless you, Ashley, Joe, and most of all, Alex!
Mindy Naccarato
Pennypack
Share your opinion by e-mail
Click here to return to this week's editorial . . .