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

Quote for today… “In the first decade of the 21st century, the U.S. borrowed $1 trillion in order to give tax cuts to households earning over $250,000.” – One of 35 Mind-Blowing Facts About Inequality in this AlterNet article.

• The bull$hit continues; how long do we allow this? government trough to lobbing for the bad guys – The New York Times

• More info about house explosion at this news site than this one.

• The editorial in today’s LNP – Always Lancaster seems to support school consolidation: by “collaborating on services such as transportation and sharing personnel.” Is Columbia Borough School District ahead of that curve? A communication from a Columbia news, views & reviews reader indicates that Columbia’s food service director left over a year ago and that CBSD has been using Carol Gilbert, the food service director at Hempfield … ” Various Websites list Gilbert as the Child Nutrition Director at Hempfield rather than the food service director. Gilbert’s Website lists Columbia Borough School District as one of her current clients.

• But … the Columbia Borough School District’s Food Services Webpage says that Michelle Westerman is Columbia’s Food Services Manager.

• “plain vanilla or not!” – “Black shoes. Basic blues. No names. All game.” – The Daily Collegian

• They say what they think we want to hear – until they get elected. – The Morning Call

• Interesting note from this Website: “Food safety is required for schools, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, markets, well let’s just say if your (sic) selling food you have a responsibility to meet food code regulations.”

• This week’s food inspections in Lancaster County – Lancaster Online.

• The week’s food inspections in York County – The York Dispatch

• A complete listing of all inspections at food serving facilities in Lancaster, York counties and the entire state, except those in Columbia, are listed at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Website. “Inspections are a “snapshot” of the day and time of the inspection. Also, at the time of the inspection, violations are recorded but are often corrected on the spot prior to the inspector leaving the facility. Inspection results are posted as inspections are conducted, and only represent eating and drinking establishments and retail food establishments that fall under the inspection jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and those county and local health departments which have elected to post results.”

• Of course, if you’re trying to see the results of any food serving establishment in Columbia, you’re out of luck – Columbia’s codes folks choose not to share that information, if it exists, unless a right-to-know request is submitted.