Blog Archives

Lancaster Community Chorus Voted #1 at Four Corners Festival

7/31/2012

Yes! Per Victor Capecce, Department of Communication and Theatre at Millersville University:

"You will be pleased to know that 'Music for Everyone' Community Chorus of Lancaster was the 'People’s Choice' of Four Corners, 2012. The audience response to your performance, energy, and innovative use of music to create 'community' and engagement was inspiring and appreciated . . . Audience response forms mentioning your performance continued to arrive in the week following your performance."

Credit goes to our world-class director, A.J. Walker.

Click the link below to see a sample of our performance on Facebook . . . page down to July 14 (must log-in to view it):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/237885812914714/

Turning Up the Heat in D.C.

7/30/2012

That's Rev. Jerry Lee Miller, left, shaking hands with Rep. Joe Pitts' legislative assistant, Carson Middleton, at last Saturday's anti-fracking rally.

Click here to see video excerpts of the rally by Delaware Riverkeepers. Especially impressive are the folks in hazmat suits in the 90+ degree heat and 70 percent humidity. Also outstanding were the rapsters on the "New Yorkers Against Fracking" float.

Here's a shout-out to Senator Bob Casey for introducing a bill last year to require companies using hydraulic fracturing to tell us what chemicals they're injecting into the rock layers before they do so. Before the rally the bill was given a 12 percent probability of passing by GovTrack.us; that's since been downrated to 10 percent. Oooh, the crowd groans. Well, it's been sitting in committee almost as long as my toilet's been leaking. Time for some plumbers to unclog that pipe.

Its twin in the House has been rated a big fat zero percent chance of going to the prom. And no, Joe Pitts did NOT introduce it. They're not even on speaking terms.

What committee is sitting on Mr. Casey's bill? The 18-member Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. 18-members?! That's a golf course, not a committee. I'm on a committee half that size and we have trouble gaining traction. TEXT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES. FED EX YOUR SENATORS (they love getting overnight mail; makes them feel wanted). Ask them to move it.

Below, Jerry at the rally with about 5,000 friends.

F is for ........

7/27/2012

Today is the huge rally in Washington, D.C. against fracking -- drilling toxic chemicals mixed with water from Pennsylvania rivers (and elsewhere) into the earth to release gas from rock layers. People from as far away as Australia are expected to attend.

Jerry Lee Miller organized a bus from Lancaster and York to the rally, leaving this morning. (I donated $20 to help pay for it). I wanted to interview Jerry at the Lancaster pick-up site, but he is already in Washington. He referred me to fellow activist Don Gallagher. Don's email reply to Jerry, in part (forwarded to me):

"Ms. Miller needs someone spirited and upbeat to speak about hopeful prospects when opponents of hydraulic fracturing unite nationally for the first time in Washington. I'm not that person. My fear is that it will take a global warming sea change flooding DC before environmental concerns alter national energy policy.

"We are unwelcome prophets, at a time when profits rule."

I replied to Jerry:

"I'd rather have that unwelcome prophet talk 3 minutes about how it will take a climate sea change for everybody to take action because he's right! Rather have the heartfelt truth, warts stutters, tics & all."

Jerry forwarded that to Don, but Don still declined, in a lengthy message that would have nearly filled a three-minute video.

Visit the rally's website, www.stopthefrackattack.org, and you'll find, among other information, a message urging people to call Congress to support H.R. 1084, the "Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals" Act. A related bill in the Senate, sponsored by Bob Casey, is S. 587. These bills would require companies to disclose, before drilling, the chemicals they intend to inject into the rock. Anyone who is concerned about what chemicals are being injected should contact their representatives in the House and Senate.

Remember, every corporation is a creation of our own energy. We cannot rail about oil and gas companies' actions when our purchases fuel those actions. That's one more reason to conserve.

Mi Bici (My Bike)

7/27/2012

The 31-day bus challenge is rolling along well. This morning, however, I found I'd left my bus pass in the scanner (long story) and had to bike to the Queen Street Station to make my connection.

Arrived just minutes before departure, and -- uh-oh! -- the bike rack was full (see photo, right).

Yes, there's just ONE bike rack there. It can hold about four bikes. Come on guys, we need another bike rack.

The clock is ticking... What to do?

My bike went for a bus ride! That's my Schwinn Voyageur hybrid with suspension front fork and seat post. We churn mud at Swatara State Park and dodge urban manhole covers. I really like it a lot. And it got me to the bus, and to work, on time.

It was a beach rental bike in its past life. While staying at a house in Rehoboth Beach in early spring a few years ago, I found a couple bikes in the back yard, so I borrowed one to go exploring -- and found the Junction and Breakwater Rail Trail. Thrilled, I returned to the house and told Judy Hurlbut, and we rented bikes and went riding. What a beautiful trail. It was so much fun that I bought the bike!

Back to the Queen Street Station... More bike racks please, and whatever happened to the restricted smoking area? People smoke all around the station. An RRTA representative told me a couple months ago they were going to ban it completely. Hmm... just having a restricted area would be a good start.

Phantom

7/27/2012

Holy cats, it's Phantom! -- partner of the ferocious Molly. Together they are the leaders of our neighborhood's feral cat pack.

They are usually very elusive, as you can imagine. But here he is, out of the shadows and king of the barbecue grill. Just before settling atop this perch he had leaped over the fence and for a moment I thought I was in Africa -- he looked like a panther. This photo doesn't do him justice. He is one big cat.

Phantom and Molly are the Most Wanted in our neighborhood's Trap-Neuter-Return mission (click link below to read more at:
http://www.streetlevelweatherbureau.net/trap-neuter-return-feral-cats.html).

Double, Double, Toilet Trouble...

7/24/2012

Minutes before this photo was taken, Jon from Haller Enterprises was perched atop the ladder with a flashlight and a huge, contagious grin.

"This is going to be a fun job," he said.

This occult leak has been an ongoing challenge ever since (probably even before) I bought the house. Glad it's finally in the hands of pros.

Arabian Knight Opens in Place Marie

7/22/2012

Who can resist a visit to Arabian Knight Hookah and Coffee Lounge, a colorful and exotic slice of the Mid-East in downtown Lancaster?

Arabic and Turkish coffee and tea, and local, handmade pastries and appetizers are available for sale, as well as packaged treats from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. The lounge also features imported tobacco and hookahs -- elaborate and beautiful waterpipes that filter tobacco smoke through charcoal.

Thirgam Al-Hussaini, 23, owns the business in partnership with his manager father, Ehsan, and assistant manager (and younger brother) Humam. The family came to Lancaster from Iraq 20 years ago. Thirgam attends Millersville University as a business marketing major, while Humam is studying radiology at Lancaster General. Ehsan Al-Hussaini's sister has a Mid-Eastern grocery store in the Grandview Plaza Shopping Center on New Holland Avenue.

Below, Thirgam gives a tour of Arabian Knight lounge in Place Marie, 52 N. Queen St. Their grand opening is August 1; hours are Sunday-Thursday 2 pm to midnight; Friday and Saturday 2 pm to 1 am.

C-Key

7/22/2012

Below, hear Jorge "C-Key" Rosado of Lancaster play a Music for Everyone "Keys for the City" piano near Binns Park, to the delight of passersby.

Colors of the World to Come

7/18/2012

Streetbeets performs a new song, "Colors of the World to Come," by Jerry Lee Miller (vocals, harmonica). Tom Tucker plays guitar, Paul Montigny on percussion, yours truly plays penny whistle.

Art Watch

7/17/2012

Above, take a quick video tour of Kesse Humphreys' watchmaking, jewelry and art studio (what a great combination!). Lawrence Watts Watch Service and Repair is the name of his business, located in Place Marie, a city within the city, accessible from the first blocks of North Queen, West Orange (entrance near Cafe 18) or North Market.

Below, the fabulous watchmaker's bench he designed and built himself.

Left, click to enlarge an etching of the student watch Kesse mentions in the video. He graduated from the Lititz Watch Technicum (also known as the Rolex school). He built the watch from scratch as a school project, and then created the etching.

Store hours are 10 am to 4 pm Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and first and third Saturdays, or by appointment by calling (484) 643-3497. Oh, and "Kesse" is pronounced "Case."

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