Views from Point Breeze

There is an interesting process that is occurring in the 2nd Councilmanic District in the City of Philadelphia. On Saturday, Councilman Kenyatta Johnson announced his reelection effort at an event that was well attended and informative.  Many incumbent politicians also attended this event.  He spoke on his record and referred to his sense of urgency to accomplish things as a result of his growing Family.  He mentioned public safety and education as two of his soon to be platform issues.  It looks like it will be an interesting race in the upcoming months. The opponent in the upcoming primary that will take place on May 19th, 2015 is Ori Feibush.  I have met Ori a few times and had a few political conversations.  I think that he is a pleasant person who is preparing for a sometimes thankless role as a public servant.  He has a decent website and has put together a group of supporters that he hopes will propel him to victory.  He is know for his...

I love Washington, DC for the embassies, museums and restaurants.  I love it for Howard University and also for being the center of power for my country.  Recently, I have taken notice of some of the statues that are placed there.  I was staying in DC for the party of Jon Wright when I noticed a statue of General James B. McPherson situated right in the middle of a park.  McPherson Square is the site of a Metro Station and walking distance from the Hamilton Hotel.  I have always loved history and wanted to do some research on the inspiration for the statue. James Birdseye McPherson was born on November 14th, 1828 in Clyde, Ohio.  Clyde is a very small town and a Google search shows not too much of importance.  It is five square miles and only has 6,000 people according to the 2010 Census.  It provided the foundation for a historical figure that would play a pivotal role in the Civil War.  General McPherson graduated first in his class from...

I am over the sting of my Eagles not making the playoffs.  At the height of the Donovan McNabb era, I might not have been able to watch playoff games after we lost.  I did boycott a few Super Bowls because I thought we should have been there.  I will definitely enjoy this one.  The Seahawks versus the Patriots will be an excellent game. I rooted against Tom Brady twice when the Giants played.  It will be no different this time.  I take nothing away from Brady and his greatness, but I will be rooting for the NFC.  If it had been Dallas, then Brady and the Patriots rule. The Seahawks were playing like they had partied the night before.  Before anyone knew it, the Packers were up 16 - 0.  They would regret not scoring TD's when they were inside the red zone twice.  It sure came back to haunt them in the end.  Mike McCarthy refused to go for it on 4th and 1.  He played it safe and the way the game ended called for a little more ...

I read in the paper this morning that the NCAA is in negotiations to restore 111 wins that were stripped from Joe Paterno because of his apparent acquiescence in the presence of a convicted serial child abuser.  Many of us in Pennsylvania lived through the sordid details of the trial.  Jerry Sandusky, under the guise of Penn State acceptance, recruited children for his Second Mile Foundation.  He would offer them trips to Bowl Games, tickets to his suite and assorted romps in the showers.  He would then abuse them.  When he was arrested for his crimes, he had on a Penn State track suit. The sanctions imposed by the NCAA were draconian and I think warranted.  One of the most telling statements I heard Joe Pa say was that he 'never heard of sex and a man.'  What part of the idyllic splendor of Happy Valley is that?   Jerry Sandusky coached on Paterno's staff for almost thirty years.  It was a foregone conclusion that he was going to succeed ...

I am an observer of world events.  Presently, I teach Social Studies to 5th graders at the Universal Creighton Charter School.  One of my assignments this weekend was to research a current event that occurred anywhere in the world. One of my students researched a town in Canada called Mayo.  Another turned in a few paragraphs on the weather in China.  The Seattle Seahawks and its playoff win was the topic of another student.  Among the many was an article on protests in Germany in solidarity with the individuals killed in Paris as a result of terrorist actions.  Violence is an unavoidable topic in our world today. I wanted my students to focus on good news stories.  Weather was a safe topic even though we lost an elderly woman in Philadelphia due to the onslaught of frigid temperatures that we had recently.  I purposely wanted the students to stay away from the Paris massacres but you cannot shield students from what is going on.  Our curr...