17512 Columbia

Archive for November, 2011|Monthly archive page

today’s news … Wednesday, November 30

In Uncategorized on November 30, 2011 at 5:22 am

today’s news and information gleanings from here and there! 

Quote for today… “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke

Columbia quarterback Seth Lefever earns tough yardage during last Friday’s District Three Class A title-game victory over Camp Hill. Lefever and the Crimson Tide will take on District Six champion Penns Manor in Saturday’s state quarterfinals, at 1 p.m. in Hersheypark Stadium. Jeff Ruppenthal/Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era Staff

a look at the other guys … the Penns Manor Comets

In In Columbia, Opportunities on November 30, 2011 at 5:15 am

Here is the path to the Pennsylvania P.IA.A. Class A football championship game in Hershey. MaxPreps ranks Penns Manor as the #10 Class A football team in Pennsylvania; Columbia, as #24. No matter what the high school sports “analysts” say, the outcome is still determined on the field!

We thought it might be a good idea to see what the media around Penns Manor is saying about the team that the Tide will be facing in Hershey on Saturday; this article is from the Indiana Gazette on the other side of the state.

by Eli Nellis, Indiana Gazette

“Maybe Penns Manor fans are still pinching themselves after the Comets’ District 6 Class A championship victory on Saturday night. Maybe they’re just catching their voices.

“Whatever the case, Penns Manor’s 40-14 beating of top-seeded Bellwood-Antis left a lasting impression as a fitting culmination to a unique and special season.

“‘Our community did a great job,’ junior quarterback Danny Ferens said. ‘A bunch of people came out to send off our bus, and they were out here an hour and a half before the game cheering already. It’s just great for the fans to be so into it. It just means a lot.’

“Penns Manor (11-1) advanced to face Columbia (7-5), the District 3 champion, in the state quarterfinals at noon Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium. Understandably, coach Bill Packer didn’t know during the euphoria following the District 6 championship game that next week’s Read the rest of this entry »

Hold corporations and Congress accountable!

In Everyday Living, Government, In Columbia, Opinions, Opportunities on November 30, 2011 at 5:13 am

Massive corporations hate being held accountable when their recklessness and greed hurt our economy, our environment and people in our communities — and they’re spending millions on lobbyists and campaign contributions to put their priorities on top.

So instead of policies that would actually help put Americans back to work, Congress this week is focusing on what the corporate lobbyists want: deregulation.

The House of Representatives is set to vote later this week on bills that would sabotage the regulatory system and further rig the economy in favor of the top 1 percent. Don’t let it happen.

Tell your representative: VOTE NO on deregulation.

Here’s what you need to know about the THREE deregulatory bills coming to a vote this week:

  • The REINS Act (H.R. 10) would block all new safeguards put in place by regulatory agencies from going into effect unless Congress affirmatively adopts them. Given the gridlock in Congress, this means the regulatory system would grind to a halt. Read the rest of this entry »

today’s news … Tuesday, November 29

In Uncategorized on November 29, 2011 at 5:32 am

today’s news and information gleanings from here and there! 

Quote for today… “You don’t understand! I coulda’ had class. I coulda’ been a contender. I could’ve been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.” – Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy.

“Abandon hope, all ye who enter here”

In History and Heritage, Opinions on November 29, 2011 at 5:22 am

From Dante’s Divine Comedy. The 1814 translation into English by the Reverend H. F. Cary is the origin for this phrase in English, although he gave it as the less commonly used ‘All hope abandon ye who enter here’.

Through me you pass into the city of woe:
Through me you pass into eternal pain:
Through me among the people lost for aye.

Justice the founder of my fabric mov’d:
To rear me was the task of power divine,
Supremest wisdom, and primeval love.

Before me things create were none, save things
Eternal, and eternal I endure.
All hope abandon ye who enter here.

Such characters in colour dim I mark’d
Over a portal’s lofty arch inscrib’d:
Whereat I thus: Master, these words import.

Dante Alighieri wrote this allegorical epic poem between 1306 and 1321. Virgil is the guide who takes the reader through the author’s examination of the afterlife. It travels through the Inferno (Hell), the Purgatorio (Purgatory), and the Paradiso (Heaven).

(SOURCE: http://www.phrases.uk.org)

Should churches (defined as churches, temples, mosques, synagogues, etc.) remain tax-exempt?

In Government, Opinions on November 29, 2011 at 5:15 am

As governments struggle to raise revenues, ostensibly to satisfy services demanded by the Customer, a question surfaces. “Should churches remain tax exempt?” This Website wrestles with that issue.

“US churches* received an official federal income tax exemption in 1894, and they have been unofficially tax-exempt since the country’s founding. All 50 US states and the District of Columbia exempt churches from paying property tax. Donations to churches are tax-deductible. The debate continues over whether or not these tax benefits should be retained.

“Proponents argue that a tax exemption keeps the government out of church finances and thus upholds the separation of church and state. They say that churches deserve a tax break because they provide crucial social services, and that 200 years of church tax exemptions have not turned America into a theocracy.

“Opponents argue that giving churches special tax exemptions violates the separation of church and state, and that tax exemptions are a privilege, not a constitutional right. They say that in tough economic times the government cannot afford what amounts to a subsidy worth Read the rest of this entry »

today’s news … Monday, November 28

In Uncategorized on November 28, 2011 at 6:00 am

today’s news and information gleanings from here and there! 

Quote for today… Some people have a way with words … some people … not have way.” – Steve Martin

  • Exxon robbed – “Two masked men robbed a Columbia convenience store at gunpoint, then fled with an undisclosed amount of cash, police said.” – LancasterOnLine
  • The Deed Deed, indeed! As easy as 1-2-3 – DEEDS RECORDED: (1) Safe Harbor Water Power Corp. conveyed property on a public road to Columbia Borough for $1. (2) Columbia Borough conveyed property on a public road to Columbia Economic Development Corp. for $350,000. (3) Columbia Economic Development Corp. con­veyed property on a public road to Columbia Heritage River Cottage Association Inc. for $350,000. – Lancaster Sunday News
  • “The Millersville 250 grand finale took place Sunday afternoon at the Turkey Hill Experience in Columbia, marking the end of a year-long series of events commemorating the town’s founding in 1761.” - LancasterOnLine
  • “The following area students recently received degrees from Penn State University. Also noted are the campuses they attended, their areas of study and the degrees they received. Marietta –Brianna Bennett, World Campus, political science, bachelor of arts; Erin Garber, World Campus, environmental engineering, master of engineering; Margaret Mbindyo, University Park, curriculum and instruction, doctor of philosophy. Mountville – Diane Thompson, Harrisburg, adult education, doctor of education. Washington Boro – Joshua Fischel, Read the rest of this entry »

ProPublica: Reading guide on Congressional dysfunction

In Government on November 28, 2011 at 5:24 am

Why is Congress so dysfunctional? … click here to read the article.

Movie review – Margin Call: A small movie unveils big truths about Wall Street

In Everyday Living, Government, Opinions on November 28, 2011 at 4:32 am

[EDITOR'S NOTE: At this writing, Margin Call is playing in these area theatres: Allentown - Civic Theater of Allentown; Bethlehem - ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks; Reading - GoggleWorks Film Theatre]

by Jake Bernstein, ProPublica

J.C. Chandor has embraced Rahm Emanuel’s dictum “never let a serious crisis go to waste.” The 37-year-old writer and director used the financial crisis as a springboard to create the most insightful Wall Street movie ever filmed. Margin Call captures a day in the life of a Lehman Brothers-like bank as it scrambles to avoid falling into the first cracks of the financial crisis. Briskly paced and marvelously acted, the movie reveals how large financial institutions operate and the motivations of the people who work within them.

Margin Call should not be confused with journalism. It is not a precise overlay of the financial crisis. You’ll never hear the words collateralized debt obligations uttered in the movie. As the reporting I did with my colleague Jesse Eisinger showed, the Wall Street behavior that helped create the financial crisis was often much worse than what’s depicted in the movie. Chandor isn’t looking for villians or lengthy explanations. He’s mining deeper truths than the intricacies of credit default swaps. The societal costs Read the rest of this entry »

today’s news … Sunday, November 27, 2011

In Uncategorized on November 27, 2011 at 6:00 am

today’s news and information gleanings from here and there! 

Quote for today… “Fair? You want me to be fair? Listen, ‘fair’ is a place where you go to ride on rides, eat cotton candy and corn dogs and step in monkey poop.” – alleged quote; South Carolina State Troopers

Columbia’s student section cheers for the Tide after their district championship win. (Jeff Ruppenthal/Sunday News)

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