Go to an Eagles Game

Now, I have been to many a Philadelphia Phillies game in my youth, although at the old Vet stadium.  I haven’t been to a professional sports game in years and I’ve been eager to check out the new stadiums in Philadelphia.  The chance came unexpectedly when I recieved a call from my mother at work on Wednesday asking me if I wanted to go to an Eagles game on Thanksgiving.  How could I refuse?  It just so happened that someone at her physical therapy session had season tickets but couldn’t make the game and she was looking to sell them.  She got them for less than face value ($50 each).  When I got home I took a look at the seats and, much to my delight, we were only 28 rows up and in the endzone.  (Read More…)

Academics Get Punted

In an article in today’s NYTimes the author goes over reports that Rutger’s football program has been grossly mismanaged in monetary terms.  Now, there’s something great about either watching a game with friends or freezing out in the cold watching a game, however there needs to be a breaking point with these organizations.  It was something that, as a high school student, I was disheartened by… (Click Read More)

Northamton County Council to Taxpayers: Fuck You

It’s time to discuss the unimaginably wasteful and careless Northampton County Council as outed in today’s Morning Call. Last year Northampton County Council called for a personnel study to regulate the pay wages of employees by going over their job descriptions, duties, etc. and recommending to freeze wages where appropriate.  The approval for this was voted on and approved on September 6, 2007.  (More after the jump…)

Wired’s Current Art Offerings

After extolling the virtues of Wired’s college and mid-life subcultural vibe earlier in the week, I also mentioned a bit about the art littering their lounge and showroom.  As promised, I’m going to go into some detail regarding some select artists from the gallery.  There’s a slew of works presented here and I don’t necessarily have the time at work nor the money for the amount of coffee it would take me to go in depth about everyone exhibited.  (More after the jump….)

Telling You About: Wired Gallery and Cafe

I’ve been going to Wired Gallery and Cafe in Bethlehem for a while now.  I by no means consider myself a regular there, but I’ve attended a few events and stop in to grab coffee now and then.  The atmosphere of the venue isn’t overly pretentious, but you get your fair share of hipster vibe.  I know I heard the word “organic” at least twice while indulging in my favorite Wired beverage, an iced chai.  More after the jump…

Photography of Tibet

The second half of Elaine Ling’s Photography in Tibet series is now on display in the Main Gallery at the Zoellner Arts Center. Ling is a physician born in Hong Kong and now resides in Canada. Her medical profession takes her all over the country from India to Zimbabwe. The display on exhibit at the Zoellner Center exhibits beautiful colors and culture that capture a far away land many people will never experience.

The European Lesson

After you binge on some great music and hands down delicious food (I, for one, will be overdosing on Hogar Crea shish kabobs), head down to the Philadelphia Live Arts Fringe. Schedules and such aren’t exactly finalized yet, but the thing to see down there is going to be the European Lesson. After some great reviews by the NYTimes, the Jo Strømgren theatre piece is sure be the perfect post-Musikfest dose of art. Tickets are only $25 and the show is running from August 29 through September 6^th. Get your tickets now in case they all go.

The Upper Saucon Screwing

The real estate market right now is in a hilariously terrible state. Anyone that’s been out from under their rock within the past few months has heard over and over again about it. What’s the solution? Build more homes, of course! McMansions are getting hard to fill because young couples who think they’re on top of the world buy a pricey, spacey house in one of the nice new developments in the area. What happens? They can’t afford it. Unforeseen circumstances (especially something like having a child) drain income and the happy couple can’t afford that nice spacey house any longer. Foreclosures around the country are at their highest and equity at its lowest. But now Upper Saucon’s ban on developing a large portion of their area due to claims that the homes will overload the sewage in the area is about to be lifted.

Two firms are looking to build in the area: McGrath Homes and T.H. Properties. Both, from taking a quick glance at their websites (http://www.mcgrath-homes.com/), (http://www.thproperties.com/) build the same houses everyone’s struggling to make payments on. What’s even more unbelievable is the fact that the Department of Environmental Protection are the ones suggesting the ban be lifted. They propose a temporary solution to the sewage issue which will no doubt turn into a long-term issue costing the taxpayers of the town thousands as their annual fees rack up to further keep up with the new housing built in the area. Residents were hoping for an open air area instead of putting up monstrous “single family homes” large enough to fit three.

The usually racist and hilariously uneducated posters on the Morning Call’s discussion boards surprisingly raise some decent points. All of the development is going to add to school taxes, water run-off, traffic, additional fires, etc. that the homeowners that have been living there many years will have to deal with. Agreeing with one individual on MCall’s boards, Impact Taxes need to be stuck on the developers of these homes. They need to pay for new firetrucks to handle additional call volume, help expand facilities that will receive increased volume like the Post Office and the township building, pay for additional road repair and maintenance, put money towards a fund for a park to counter the environmental damage they’re promoting with their hosing lots, and whole slew of other things caused by developments such as these. If the housing market is in the toilet right now, why build 300 more homes? Why is the DEP telling the township to let them build houses there? Why isn’t the township telling the developers to go get bent?