Hmmm….

I don’t know if this is of any interest.

But Jeremiah Wright graduated from the same high school I attended.

And he received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English.

Interesting.

Urban Word of the Day – Visit their website!

Urban Word of the Day
April 21, 2008: web shy

Unwillingness to expose one’s thoughts, feelings or identity on the web, knowing that doing so means freaknobs from Baton Rouge to Bangladesh will know everything about you.

“Jeez, Paul–you need to get with it! You should create your own web site, post your picture, do some blogging about your beliefs, and generally trumpet yourself and your innermost thoughts via that there Internet.”

“You kidding me? I am waaaaaaaay too web shy for any of that!”

It’s that time again

There’s something about summer in the city that turns perfectly normal men into animals.

A little something involving a combination of miniskirts, breezy summer dresses, low cute denim short shorts combined with thong sandals that turns men into cat-calling apes.

Oh who am I kidding, Philly men find something to hoot and holler about no matter the season. However, it’s bad enough the rest of the year, but in the summer it’s worse.

“Hey baby! Want a ride?”

“Hey beautiful, you look sexy today!”

“Want my number sweetheart?”

These (and worse) are thrown at any female of any appearance who dares walk down the sidewalk starting from North Philadelphia’s Broad and Olney and ending way past South Philly’s Citzen’s Park somewhere.

It reminds me of Pakistan or India. There youth regularly harass women who aren’t ‘conservative’ enough, etc.

Thus proving that stupid men are universal.

Rock the Vote?

I am having trouble coming up the perfect slogan for today’s Democratic primary in the state of Pennsylvania.

I want something succinct, classy, and to the point.

Here is the finished product, along with a theme song for election day!

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Business Time.

How NOT to Pay for Retirement…….

Kiddies, this is why I keep telling you to start saving for retirement NOW!

“Two elderly women have been convicted over the murder of two homeless men in an attempt to collect $2.8m (£1.4m) in life insurance”

– bbc.com

Head to your nearest ING Direct, Morgan Stanley, Charles Schwab, etc….

Harold and Kumar Go to the SAT ACADEMY

For those of you who live near Abington/Jenkintown it’s a great idea to check out H-MART or Han Ah Reum Supermarket right on Cheltenham Ave and Old York Roads. It’s hands-down one of the best places in Philadelphia to get Korean foods, fashions, stationary, etc. This area is known as Little Korea to those geographically-challenged Philadelphians who fear to venture near Olney.

The prices are wayyyy reasonable, whether it’s fish or produce. Try out some Korean junk food. I recommend the Aloe Vera water (mmmm – better than it sounds), the Kasugai Roasted Hot Green Peas, as well as the large variety of Ramen noodles that blow generic versions out of the water (spicy chicken!).

The other stores are just as interesting. Beware! Some of the owners are rude and unfriendly. I went to the beauty store that sold Shi Sheido products and found the owner thoroughly ignored me in favor of Korean customers. Unfortunately I choose to buy some of the incredibly cheap facial products either way (much better masks than Biore!).

My favorite store by far was the stationary store on the 2nd floor. It has your usual Hello Kitty notepads, but other stationary as well. I got a fantastic planner with adorable Americana icons for $5. Wayyy better than the flimsy planner I’ve been using from Target.

Also, totally random but I teach at a Korean academy and Korean kids have it rough. Man, their parents show some tough love. Most spend Saturdays from 9-3:30 studying additional work to ensure their success at their respective high-school.

I’m torn between sympathy and admiration. I recall lazy summer days and can’t imagine spending so much time indoors. At the same time, I do wish my parents had pushed me to take my standardized tests seriously.

Hmmmm.

Killadelphia

Last week, someone called me a closet liberal.

Because of gun control.

I’ve changed my mind. Yes, I’m a country girl. I understand the thrill of hunting seasons, etc. My mother used to shoot pheasants in Pakistan with her dad, and quite enjoyed the experience. I’m not exactly a bloodthirsty carnivore, but I can understand people wanting to supplement their diet in certain parts of the country/world.

Philadephia, on the other hand, needs some sort of help – legal or illegal.

The city’s reputation is not flattering. In certain parts of the country it’s even known as ‘Killadelphia’ for the high number of homicides. Granted, most city (and especially state officials) don’t think it’s their problem. After all, what’s the big deal about black-on-black violence? It’s not hurting us. It’s not our problem. Well, actually it is.

So when newly-elected Mayor of Philadelphia Michael Nutter proposed a series of measures that would regulate the sales of guns, I rejoiced. I approve of the mayor’s tough stance on combating city violence. Unfortunately, his measures are quite illegal.

Hopefully he’ll be able to think of something. And hopefully Lynne Abraham, who has always been a great DA will be able to reach some sort of resolution that will be both constitutional and effective.

GED

Recently, I have been helping a co-worker study for her GED in order to gain admission to a nursing program established by Community College of Philadelphia. As I’ve been working in my neighborhood of Olney in North Philadelphia, I have been saddened to see the number of extremely intelligent children who due to lack of parental reinforcement lag behind in reading (and probably other subjects). The other day I asked a child who was in third-grade to read Dr. Seuss’s “Red Fish, Blue Fish” to me. He had trouble and made it through with help. I know he’s a smart kid. He’s great at math and obviously intelligent. But when I questioned him, I realized his mother had her hands full with her six children and generally employed her oldest son as a baby-sitter, rarely doing schoolwork with him.

Still, it is heartening to see those who recognize their inadequacies and seek to empower themselves! There are a lot of young people in Philadelphia succeeding despite difficult situations. Take my GED friend. A father in jail. A mother with a life-long struggle to overcome a strong drug addiction. She dropped out of high-school to support her younger siblings. All that and she’s always cheerful. You never see her without a smile on her face. She’s responsible, holds a steady job, and pays her own bills. And she doesn’t want a handout. She willing to do anything to achieve her educational goals. Take two buses and the subway to Center City for classes. Work extra hours to pay for her rent. She has a strength and maturity I would be hard-pressed to find in her situation.

I think it’s important for residents of Philadelphia who are blessed with an education from magnet and other schools (think Central, Girls’ High, Mastermen) to help others who did not have the same opportunity. Every child should be able to go to a school like mine where there were adequate facilities, excellent teachers, and positive peer-pressure. But not everyone can.