|
|
|
Archive: February, 2010
Matrix Fights, organized by the Migliarese Brothers of Balance Studios and Jimmy Binns Jr., will host its first card this Saturday night. Headlining: Daddis Fight Camp muay thai trainer Matt Makowski who takes on Levon Maynard of Virginia Beach, VA. But the late addition of Brock Lesners training partner Cole Konrad to the card raises the stakes significantly.
This event is important for a couple of reasons, aside from the fact that any quality fight within city limits maintains Phillys momentum towards a valid local MMA scene. It has the unique distinction of pulling a real fight venue The Arena, formally the New Alhambra, which regularly host boxing and muay thai matches as well as pro-wrestling (which we degrade in high-brow manor with an italicized pro). The card will garner national and possibly international attention because of Konrad's addition to the lineup. The No. 1 unsigned MMA prospect is a lock (baring a spectacular chumping or doping conviction) to move on to more notable promotions (Bellator and Dream have been mentioned). Hell be fighting Brazilian jiu jitsu purple belt Joel Wyatt. This will give Matrix some claim as a local launching pad, although Konrad is neither local he fights out of Minnesota, and this is his second fight he made his pro debut in North Dakota in January. Regardless, developing new talent for higher profile promotions is something many local organizers claim as their role in this still murky middle-world of local MMA. If Brock Lesner shows up to the event, as he did at Konrads debut, you can bet Matrix will be on the national radar, representing Philadelphia MMA.
Matrix doesnt have their distinction yet and still needs to put the show together with professional execution. The risk of having all their attention hobbled by low-rent antics or wise-guy shenanigans- something the local scene has been conspicuously absent of- is still very real.
The event offers some generous pre and post-fight activities. The weighins and press conference will be a free event tonight at Zee Bar, Front and Spring Garden Streets, from 7 to 9 p.m. And the after party will get a little blue at Delilahs, next to Zee Bar at Front and Spring Garden Streets, Saturday night from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.(show your Matrix ticket for free admission).
The fights go down at The Arena, 7 West Ritner Street. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; fights start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets available at the door, $35-$40.
Here is the full card, with links to the fighters official MixedMartialArts.com statistics:
Matt Makowski vs Levon Maynard
Joel Wyatt vs Cole Konrad
Aaron Meisner vs Francios Ambang
Will Martinez, Jr. vs Mitch Lyons
Julio Rosario vs Steven Baker
Aaron Hicks vs Jimmy Cerra
Luis Vasquez vs Nah-Shon Burrell
Daniel Matala vs Michael Piekarski
Joe Difranco vs Ryan Gunning
Matthew Friedeborn vs Mike Manion
I disagree that Kole Conrad is a top prospect. He's 1-0 as a pro with no amateur record, and nobody knew who he was in MMA until a couple weeks ago when he made his debut. I also don't think we'll see him in Bellator, just because Bellator doesn't run a heavyweight tournament. But with the serious lack of competition in the 265 division outside of Strikeforce/UFC,he's definitely in a position to gobble up some titles in the smaller promotions. Especially if he can tell promoters that he's bringing Brock out to corner for him.
Bellator gobbled up Konrad. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/mma/post/2010/02/bellator-beefs-up-heavyweight-ranks-with-wrestling-champ-konrad/1
Yeah, I feel really silly now. But honestly, Conrad didn't impress me too terribly much. I wouldn't put him up there with Ricardo Romero yet. I mean he's only got two fights with no amateur experience. If he wasn't connected to Brock Lesnar, we wouldn't know him out here.
It's too bad the event came off as totally racist. Both black fighters won their fights (with one of them DOMINATING - Maynard whooped Makowski) and lost decisions. If they don't clean up their acts, black fighters will get the word to not appear at Matrix events in S. Philly where they cant get a fair shake.
Bill. Matrix has ZERO control over judging and officiating. So please don't tie the name of the promoter to scoring. Its the PSAC. This is what I hate about "MMA fans", no clue what's going on. The State Athletic Commission assigns judges, referees and inspectors. If you have a problem with the way it was scored, talk to Greg Sirb, and DO NOT blame the promoters.
A tipster alerted us this evening to the unfortunate fact that the totally super-awesome Big Ass Beer Fest (some 50 craft brews for $35 bucks), scheduled for March 27 at the Sheraton on Race and 17th, has been canceled.
Why, you ask? According to the event's Web site:
We regret to inform you that this event has been canceled. The hotel's bartender's union WILL NOT allow brewery reps to pour their products and they want way too much money to work the event without us raising the ticket prices past what we feel is fair for a selection of beers that we could fit into the space available.
The bartender's union will not allow brewery reps to pour their products, and wanted too much money to work the event. I sent an email to the event organizers, and will try to get a hold of the union reps this weekend/Monday for comment. But yeah, seems pretty ridiculous, no?
The event organizers say they'll be back next year in a more accommodating venue.
Wtf I love beer f the bartenders
[...] to the Clog, who calls it pretty [...]
[...] to the Clog, who calls it pretty [...]
 |
| casinosmack.com |
Philadelphia, meet Steve Wynn, the new prospective financier of the former, flailing Foxwoods casino.
He's charming; he's funny; he's unnaturally tan; and he's just absolutely, totally thrilled at how close his new casino venture is to "every conceivable stripe of ethnic group that likes to shoot craps and gamble," notably: Jews, Italians, and Vietnamese.
So he remarked in a conference call yesterday, in which he assured stockholders and financial experts that his casino will make money. Wynn seemed to place special emphasis on the proximity (four blocks!) of his casino to a Vietnamese neighborhood.
That might not sit so well with activists for Philadelphia's Asian-American communities, who have highlighted problem and pathological gambling as a particularly serious problem, and who accuse the gambling industry of engaging in the predatory luring of gamblers, especially gamblers of Asian descent.
But hey as a Jew myself, I say it's nice to be in the spotlight or is cross-hairs a better word?
Full quote:
"On the other side of the bridge is Cherry Hill, New Jersey, all full of good ol' ... my old friends Italians and Jews and every conceivable stripe of ethnic group that love to shoot crap and gamble. And they're ten minutes away in their cars or in a bus from my casino on the Delaware river. I love the proximity to these people. I love the proximity to the Vietnamese neighborhood. And I'm gonna put in a beautiful Vietnamese restaurant for them. I'm going to build a very pretty place ... that is perfectly responsive to that market."
I just noticed in an article on Wynn that his profit was only 20.6 million on $3 billion in sales. That is small enough to be an accounting error (i.e., "cooked books). His company is obviously hurting and is looking for a quick fix in Philadelphia. He is not looking to build an enduring facility. What a sham. If the regulators let this one pass, they deserve to be impeached.
i find these remarks to be very insulting and i'm even MORE against steve wynn's casino than foxwoods for this reason and also because of matt dejulio enlightening remarks.
CasinoFreePhila is going to Harrisburg to protest this man and his plans tomorrow. Join if you can! Philadelphia, please don't let yourself become the next Detroit.
[...] billionaire Steve Wynn says he's excited to come to South Philly, because he "love[s] being only two blocks away from a [...]
In a Capitol Wire piece published earlier this week, State Rep. Dwight Evans makes a fairly scary prediction about the future lack of state funding for state-related universities, including Temple University and Lincoln University:
After Penn State President Dr. Graham Spanier, University of Pittsburgh President Mark Nordenberg, Temple President Ann Weaver Hart and Lincoln President Dr. Ivory Nelson expressed mostly gratitude for what they received from the state this fiscal year and what theyre proposed to get next year, [House Appropriations] Committee Chairman Dwight Evans, D-Philadelphia, told them to prepare for a complete cut in the future. Although Evans did not indicate university funding would be affected next fiscal year, he said state funding could be eliminated entirely in subsequent years.
Im surprised youre receiving any funding at this particular point, he said. The state system has always been there. Not that I want to be gloom and doom, but I think its a matter of time. Its a matter of time that you may not be receiving any appropriation from this state.
Evans said its not anybodys particular fault, its where we are today.
(He thinks schools are safe for now because of stimulus dollars.) As it stands, Temple will get $165 million from Gov. Rendell's budget for the next fiscal year, and Lincoln will get $14 million.
 |
| CNN |
If you missed yesterday's health care "Summit," you missed quite a show.
Tuning in at any one point, the summit might have sounded intolerably, mind-bogglingly boring but that was part of what made it so fascinating. President Obama presiding, Democrats and, more importantly, Republicans were forced to discuss the president's health care bill on its merits, rather than being able to spit half-truths (or outright falsehoods, a la "death panels") in private.
And whatever you think of the president's proposal, I think the pres gets a nod for what was nothing less than a herculean display of endurance, fielding (and, often, swatting down like flies) Republican attacks on his plan and their claims to have something better to offer.
I'm putting on my columnists hat: they don't. Republican leadership (I won't be so rash as to write off the entire party) does not care about covering the uninsured.
They don't care now, they didn't care for the last ten years, and they aren't going to care six months from now if, as they propose, the congress scraps the health care bill and starts anew.
The president's bill like the bills proposed in the House and Senate is insufficient and problematic. But it's better than what we have now, and it opens the door to more and better reform in the future. Most importantly, it will make coverage possible for millions of people who can't get it now, among them the unlucky and sick and we the healthy have a special responsibility to those people.
The Democrats should proceed with "reconciliation," - the rather slyly-named procedure that would allow them to pass the president's bill, or something like it, with a simple majority.
And in anticipation of the hue and cry that this is somehow a travesty of democracy (so, by that token, is the fact that another mere procedure - the filibuster - has held the legislative process hostage), I'd point out that:
- COBRA, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, which allows employees who lose coverage the right to continue group benefits for a limited time . . . was enacted through reconciliation.
- A Major expansion of Medicaid in 1997 was done through reconciliation.
- CHIP, the very popular Children's Health Insurance Program was passed through reconciliation.
- And it's not just the Democrats who've used it: Republicans used reconciliation to pass . . . the Bush tax cuts.
OH LOOK! Rep. Eric Massa to resign "Democratic Rep. Eric Massa will resign from Congress on Monday, only days after reports first surfaced that the freshman New York lawmaker was under investigation by the House ethics committee for allegedly sexually harassing a male staffer." (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34001.html) Charlie Rangel should be next! (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/33884.html)
Suggestion to anyone interested in a worm hole to understanding the philosophical routes of the healthcare issue: The Constitution Center is hosting a Moot Court regarding the rationing of health care. It should be fairly complex and they don't dumb down so come ready to think. The details are at the link below but the panel includes some very distinguished judges including Third Circuit Judge and PA First Lady Midge Rendell. The mock lawyers are Kenneth Star and Nina Pillard. It is free but you have make reservations. It goes down Saturday at 1PM down the street from the Constitution Center at 5th and Arch. Here is the link: http://constitutioncenter.org/ncc_calen_Landing.aspx?code=3484
Oh look! There it is - the republicans "do not care" argument again. Using that logic, democrats "do not care" about national defense, or rewarding hard work in a free market system. Democrats want to gut our military and handicap anyone who is more successful than anyone else because success equals greed, selfishness and insensitiviy. See how silly that sounds? Just because someone is advocating less taxes & regulation in a certain area, doesn't mean they "do not care". Republicans want lawsuit abuse reform and the ability of insurance companies to compete freely across state lines, and they don't want an alphabet soup of new government bureaucracies squandering billions of dollars through new red tape trying to address our healthcare problems. Let's think about healthcare a little more rationally & pragmatically...instead of immediately jumping to the conclusion that more government is the answer.
Hey Sally, Thanks for the comment and the debate. Here's what I would put back to you:
Sure, the Republicans do care about military spending; about guns; about abortion; about tax cuts (mostly for the wealthy).
That's well and good. But I maintain that they *don't* care whether John McUninsured gets health care. It simply isn't a priority for Republicans - or even desirable, if anyone but John McUninsured is asked to share the burden of his insurance (he's got a pre-existing condition, the poor guy). Ultimately, The Republican Party doesn't believe health care is a right.
Now, maybe you don't either fair enough.
But I think a lot of Americans do. And it doesn't appear to me that the Republicans have doodly-squat to offer them.
It'd be one thing if the GOP just came out and said so but, correctly sensing that might not come off well, they've chosen instead to stall the Democrats' legislation, trying to fling enough muck around to keep everyone too busy wiping the manure out of their eyes to get much done.
I have insurance, and that makes me lucky not responsible, not worthy, just lucky. The way I see it, it's just not the American Dream that our fellow citizens should live or die or suffer or be well by the toss of the dice.
Thanks for a lively conversation. - IsaiahRegardless of where you stand on the reform bills, reconciliation is hardly out of the ordinary for bills like this. NPR's Julie Rovner has probably the best analysis of the use of reconciliation in health care reform. Here's the key quote: "'In fact, the way in which virtually all of health reform, with very, very limited exceptions, has happened over the past 30 years has been the reconciliation process,' says Sara Rosenbaum, who chairs the Department of Health Policy at George Washington University." http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124009985
Republicans care about health care for everyone, they just don't believe a government-run health care system is a fundamental right for everyone. Misinterpreting and warping this fact into "republicans don't care about people without healthcare" may con the uneducated, but most polls clearly show most people aren't being conned. Again, republicans are offering tort (lawsuit abuse) reform, competition across state lines, and people with pre-existing conditions to get insurance through high-risk pools. To dismiss these radical game changing ideas and say republicans are offering nothing, and believe that Obama-care is the answer....is well, typical kook-left politics.
Isaiah I have an idea - let's use the NUCLEAR OPTION to pass a radical healthcare policy bill, instead of a bill that reconcilitation is really meant to be used on (ie. tax / budget bills), that is supported by only 25% of the American public...yeah real smart!
Sally, the nuclear option, as you put it, was the elimination of the filibuster with regard to judicial nominees. And for the most part, this health care bill will pass through normal channels - it has achieved 60 votes in the Senate, and will have to pass the House (which is, to be sure, the difficult part). A handful of amendments to the Senate bill that have an impact on the budget will be passed through reconciliation. There is nothing radical about this. After all, Bush's tax $1.3 trillion (with a T) tax cuts for the wealthy were passed through reconciliation, without a single cent in offset spending, and look where his budgetary moves landed us. Is it really so incredible to pass a fully paid-for $900 billion bill that will ensure 30 million Americans? (Seriously, insuring that many people will require a government outlay. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying or woefully ill-informed.)As for the public, in every poll, support goes up once the actual contents of the legislation are described. And indeed, elections are right around the corner. It's very possible Dems will lose - whether they pass a bill or not. If you're going down, I say go down swinging.
Nice try Tom. Let's review what Senator Robert Byrd, D-WV, one of the AUTHORS of the reconciliation process, had to say on the matter on April 2, 2009: "I oppose using the budget reconciliation process to pass health care reform and climate change legislation. Such a proposal would violate the intent and spirit of the budget process, and do serious injury to the Constitutional role of the Senate." "As one of the authors of the reconciliation process, I can tell you that the ironclad parliamentary procedures it authorizes were never intended for this purpose. Reconciliation was intended to adjust revenue and spending levels in order to reduce deficits. It was not designed to cut taxes. It was not designed to create a new climate and energy regime, and certainly not to restructure the entire health care system."
From one of Billman's favorite websites .... http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/04/byrd-dont-pass-health-or-energy-reform-via-reconciliation.php
Do not F with Robert Byrd!
By the same token, Sally, the GOP use of the filibuster in this Congress is similarly unprecedented. Quoth Bill Frist, former Republican Senate Majority Leader: "The use of the filibuster, compared to 10 years ago, 15 years ago, 20 years ago it's being used way too much," Frist said. "I think it's symbolic of the partisanship, the lack of comity here." From an analysis on Newser today: "The frequency of filibusters _ plus threats to use them _ are measured by the number of times the upper chamber votes on cloture. Cloture is a Senate procedure to end debate so other business can be brought to the floor. Such votes test the majority's ability to hold together 60 members to break a filibuster.In the 110th Congress of 2007-2008, there were a record 112 cloture votes. In this session of Congress, the 111th _ for all of 2009 and the first two months of 2010 _ the number already exceeds 40. The most the Democrats have ever use the filibuster was 58 times in the 106th Congress of 1999-2000." One change begets another, don't you think? Besides, the bill itself wouldn't be passed through reconciliation; that bill has already obtained 60 Senate votes. Some fixes will go through reconciliation, that's all.
Sally: I think you make a good point with Sen. Byrd's comments. Reconciliation was not intended for health care reform or any non-budget matters. No doubt. But I think Julie Rovner's analysis shows that reconciliation, regardless of its original intention, is regularly used (by both parties) to alter health policy, among other legislation. Whether that's proper as a matter of process is another question.
Bad comparison Billman - you're comparing something that is being used properly but supposedly too much, to the use of a procedure in an improper way according to the author of that very procedure "...[reconciliation] was not designed to create a new climate and energy regime, and CERTAINLY NOT to restructure the entire health care system. - Senator Robert Byrd, D-WV, April 2, 2009. You F with Byrd at your own risk.
Here's what you're missing, Sally. The health care bill itself will not be passed through reconciliation; it was passed through the normal channels, obtained 60 votes, etc. Budgetary amendments to that bill can be made through reconciliation, properly. What Byrd was talking about last year was passing comprehensive reform through reconciliation; that is not this. The comprehensive reform horse has left that barn. It will be ultimately up to the Senate parliamentarian whether the fixes fall within the scope of the so-called Byrd Rule. From everything I've heard, they will. And once again, I humbly submit that none of this would have been necessary had Republicans acted like grown-ups during this entire process.
Billman for some reason I don't think Robert Byrd would approve of his reconciliation (current Obamaspeak "straight up or down vote") being used in this way either. Do you have any evidence that his is happy and on board with the Obama method? [reconciliation] was not designed to create a new climate and energy regime, and CERTAINLY NOT to restructure the entire health care system. - Senator Robert Byrd, D-WV, April 2, 2009.
Do you have any evidence that HE is happy and on board with the Obama method?
Okay, I'm jumping back in. Listen, I don't dispute that Sen. Byrd (whom I deeply respect - especially for his principled stand against rushing to war with Iraq. 'Do not F with Robert Byrd' right back at ya) - I don't dispute that he considers this to be an inappropriate use of "reconciliation," or even that it is a ridiculous political ploy. Do it anyway, that's what I'm saying. It's been done before, the filibuster's an equally ridiculous loophole of Democracy and I think the bill should pass. I think it should pass because it's more just just, I'm saying than what we have now: because it will provide relief to people who need it and can't afford it through no fault of their own. That trumps the bickering, I think. Also, you mentioned 25% of people supporting it. I think it's weak statistic. "It" depends, doesn't it? "It" is hundreds of pages of arcana that only a week ago replaced thousands more. I think Americans give different answers to different questions. I also think most Americans think that it's not right a person should be denied coverage because a cell mis-divided or whatever. What we have in place now lacks humanity; this bill, to put it very bluntly, would mean that a young friend of mine wouldn't have to worry about whether she can afford treatment for her cancer or not. So let's pass it "reconciliation," 9-ball tournament, whatever I don't care. That's what I'm saying.
Hey Sally, Now that Byrd has signed off on using reconciliation, I'm sure that means you're OK with it, no? http://www.politico.com/livepulse/0310/Byrd_defends_reconciliation_to_finish_health_reform.html
Fair enough - if Byrd is okay, then no problem with the tactic. However, the health care bill is still a total cluster that needs to be thrown in the trash. There are better ways to approach this problem than playing shell games with taxes & creating an alphabet soup of vast bureaucracies to oversee healthcare. I suspect republicans actually want the ugly bill to get passed so they can all use it as THE election issue of the fall. If it doesn't pass, then it's more challenging with the normal campaigning.
Sally, In the column I'm debuting next week in the dead tree edition, I'll explain why the bill needs to be passed no matter how big of an imperfect cluster it is.
Philadelphia can hardly wait. Is the column called The Douchebag Chronicles?
Lara Coleman here with your morning fix:
New York Governor David Paterson is facing pressure to resign after revelations of his involvement in a domestic assault case involving an aide.
A luxury Costa Europa cruise ship crashed into a pier this morning as it attempted to dock in Al-Arish, Egypt. So far, at least three crew deaths have been confirmed.
California wants to declare the first week of March a "cuss free week." This resolution is sponsored by the Los Angeles-area Democratic Assemblyman Anthony Portantino and was passed by voice vote today - the state Senate vote will vote on it Monday. It's not like California has any more pressing problems to attend to.
Yardley, Pa. police busted a party organized by teenagers at a local community center because it was too crowded. However, the teens believe it was the party's theme and dress - Playboy bunnies - that made The Man angry.
An iceberg the size of Luxembourg hit another glacier off Antarctica, which loosened another massive block of ice - these two drifting icebergs could lower the levels of oxygen in the oceans, endangering ocean life. Global warming is still a fraud, because it's snowing outside. Duh.
An Amtrak train hit and killed two teenage girls just nine miles from 30th Street Station yesterday morning, as they tried to cross the tracks. Police are investigating whether the deaths were accidents or suicides.
France's National Assembly approved a proposal to add "psychological violence" to a law against physical violence and abuse, despite questions of the new addition's specifications.
Stephen Wynn, a Las Vegas casino developer, has signed a letter of intent to take over the Foxwoods casino project.
More than 700,000 homes in the Northeast have lost power.
I've found myself thinking quite a bit lately about the Senate and its arcane and undemocratic rules, and how a super-minority is essentially able to hold up and stymie any substantive progressive. For instance, health care. Scott Brown wins an election in Massachusetts, and suddenly it takes a herculean task to even bring a much-needed, long-overdue up-or-down vote to the Senate floor. Or there's that son of a bitch Richard Shelby of Alabama, who placed a hold on hundreds of appointments to try to score his home state some sweet, sweet pork.
And now, another example: Sen. Jim Bunning, a former baseball player who is so incredily stupid that even the Republicans of Kentucky don't want him any more, is single-handedly blocking a 30-day extension of unemployment benefits for 1.2 million Americans.
All. By. Himself.
Jim Bunning, a Republican from Kentucky, is single-handedly blocking Senate action needed to prevent an estimated 1.2 million American workers from suddenly losing their unemployment benefits next month.
As Democratic senators asked again and again for unanimous consent for a vote on a 30-day extension Thursday night, Bunning refused to go along.
And when Sen. Jeff Merkely (D-Ore.) begged him to drop his objection, Politico reports, Bunning replied: "Tough shit."
Bunning says he doesn't oppose extending benefits -- he just doesn't want the money that's required added to the deficit. He proposes paying for the 30-day extension with stimulus funds. The Senate's GOP leadership did not support him in his objections.
And at one point during the debate, which dragged on till nearly midnight, Bunning complained of missing a basketball game.
It's one thing to debate the propriety of the filibuster. Indeed, perhaps some changes should require extraordinary measures (but hell, even Robert Bork got an up or down vote; he just lost). But the fact that one guy a backbencher on a minority party, no less is able to fuck over more than 1 million Americans by himself, when even his own party doesn't agree to his objections that's just nuts.
Reform, anyone?
In this week's A Million Stories, we explored the messy Webcam scandal that's going down at Lower Merion School District. The district insists that it only peered through students' Webcams in order to find lost or stolen laptops, and did so using a security software called LANrev. Insanely enough, Douglas Young, the district's spokesperson, told us that it wasn't the only school district using such software: "The software feature isn't just utilized in this school district," says Young. "It's utilized by other school districts and organizations." (He said he couldn't name any offhand.)
Dude wasn't kidding. Young might be onto something. In the thoroughly creepy clip above from the PBS documentary Digital Nation, the assistant principal of Bronx's middle school IS 339, Daniel Ackerman, shows exactly how he can watch kids through their Webcams what software or application he does it with, though, is unclear. Just wait for the part where he says, "They don't even realize that we're watching." Oy. Also: "I always like to mess with them and take their [Photo Booth] picture."
Now, it's unclear if Ackerman watches students from their homes, which is what Lower Merion is accused of doing, but still the students don't even realize he's watching them? Seriously, he thought that was OK? Be sure to watch this clip on PBS' site, too (it's under part four). Not only is the doc great in general, but the reporter (whose face is obscured in the YouTube video) has an absolutely stunned, unamused look on her face as Ackerman is laughing about the whole thing.
UPDATE: I wasn't clear enough earlier about whether or not Ackerman was using LANrev to view these students indeed, from this clip, it's impossible to know.
RELATED: Inky: Laptop family lives in Main Line mansion, doesnt like to pay the power bill
RELATED: So, um, did the kid make it up?
RELATED: Breaking: Lower Merion School District admits it's used Webcam "security feature" more than once
"Just wait for the part where he says, "They don't even realize that we're watching." Oy. Also: "I always like to mess with them and take their [Photo Booth] picture." Lacks context. He's monitoring kids, in schoole, to make sure they're paying attention to the class. Additionally, the kids are somehow alerted when the pics are taken, as they "duck out of the way". It's just a way to say: "Hey, stop goofing off".
They're notified by the fact that Photo Booth starts counting down. (I have a Mac; I've used Photo Booth.) They're not being notified by the school or in any other official way. I wonder if the kids know that the school can watch them at any time. If the administrators have any sense, they will notify the students that they may be under surveillance. That covers the legal issues, and also has an additional bonus: it acts as a deterrent. If they want monitoring to actually prevent slacking, then the students need to know about it. More to the point, what the administrator is doing here amounts to voyeurism. He's openly admitting to being amused watching girls do their makeup, and that strikes me as a tad disturbing.
Agreed, his delivery of the process is...creepy. However, assuming adequate notification of the monitoring (and following certain obvious privacy rules), I have no objections. But it's not really comparable to what Lower Merion did (unless, of course, those certain privacy rules are breached).
When you watch the film, it appears the vp is looking at screenshots - and some students keep the photobooth app open. I don't think the vp actually turns on the camera to look at them if it's not already on, though the filmmakers weren't clear on that. I think mostly they are monitoring the kids for goofing off with IM and facebook. Different from the Lower Merion allegations. STILL, I think the vice principal's attitude (in the clip) toward the surveillance is creepy. AND I think it would be very easy for a perv to abuse the system if they he or she knew how to switch on the cameras.
its great that so many people are "ok" with someone watching minors through remote access- if someone stared at you on the street for 3 minutes you would think they are disturbed and invading your space. Children used to have a comeback "what do you have a stare problem?" because everyone knew it was wrong and disturbing. Now, everyone is conditioned just to accept things- and don't even exercise their rights- there is no need for students to be watched like this- they have a teacher and often times teachers aides- and if 2-3 adults in a classroom isn't enough then that is the issue not "adding" cameras to the mix.
The idea that cameras are now a "management tool" that has been growing in public space and private corporations is repugnant and often times illegal. Wiretapping was previously always the domain of goverment law enforcement- and they had strict hurdles to go through. Companies demanded them for loss prevention- and in strict narrow confines of that it probably is not a bad idea. But where there is opportunity there are rule breakers that cannot control themselves. I recently was accosted by a convenience store manager when she reviewed her "security" tapes and said I lingered too long talking to an employee. Did I chat with her employee-sure- but who cares? Now first, I'm a customer and I don't really care what you say to the employee "keep it short-etc. but I'm a customer and I don't need that. Further, she felt she was gaining some kind of crediblity by saying we have you on tape- all she did was creeep me out and made me realize these people are sitting in the back and spending WAY too much time with their tapes, and not for secuirty. It builds somekind of weird comfort zone/fake relationship with the people they watch. I haven't been back since, won't be back and don't care what justification they claim- security cameras are not management tools- they are there for loss prevention and that is it. This was not loss prevention- it was spying plain and simple- so much of this goes on and people do not even know- but they should be cautious and understand that many companies have vague, inadequate and poorly formed policies that not only don't protect you but exploit you. And even a good policiy is not often followed- there have been lawsuits because employees aim cameras into windows etc. I am clearly for strict limitations on cameras and their uses- loss prevention yes- "management by camera" is a joke and a lie.
Apples and oranges. Bronx school is monitoring usage in school setting.
Right there, in the pizza sauce!
When Mary Louise Salerno saw Jesus Christ in a bucket of pizza sauce, her instinct was not to alert the media or even to tell many friends.
She did not want people descending on her family's West Scranton pizzeria, and she did not want to invite critics or doubters of what she felt was a clear sign.
"To us, it was something special," Ms. Salerno, 65, of Old Forge said. "God smiled on us that day."
Oh, Scranton.
(h/t to Phawker)
That's beautiful.
Can you keep live chickens in the city?
Are you a member of Facebook?
Askadelphia runs on Facebook Connect.
- ActiVman
- adventures
- Arts
- Ask A Man-About-Town
- Award Tour
- Awards
- Bad Idea Factory
- Beer
- Below the Curve
- Bikes
- Booze
- Brian Hickey
- BRT
- Budget
- Budget Fuss
- Business
- Casinos
- City Council
- City Hall
- CouncilMANIC
- CP Abroad
- CP in the Community
- Criminal Justice System
- Day Tripper
- Death and Taxes
- Delaware River
- Design
- DROP
- Drugs
- Dubious Distinction
- Elections
- End of Days
- Environment
- Fashion
- Film Fest
- Financial Meltdown
- FrackTrack
- Free Library
- Gambling
- Gay Stuff
- Get Lit
- Greenstorming
- guns
- Hall Monitor
- Health
- Health Care
- Hello, Kitty
- Holidays
- Ice Cubes
- Iggles
- Immigration
- In Memoriam
- Labor
- Lawsuits
- Letters
- LGBTQ
- Maps
- Marcellus Shale
- Media
- MMA
- Mummers
- Music
- MUST READ
- Mysterious Mysteries
- Nation
- News
- Non Sequitur
- Opinion
- PA politics 2010
- Parking Wars
- Parks and Recreation
- People Send Us This Stuff
- Philadelphia Police
- Philadelphia Union
- Philaphemera
- Philly From Scratch
- philly madness
- Photos
- Poverty
- PPA
- President Obama
- Print Edition
- Prisons
- Protest
- Readers Write
- Real Estate
- Rock Bottom
- Schools
- Science
- Screwing Philly
- SEPTA
- snow
- So Lush
- Soccer
- Sporting Life
- Sports Complex
- State Politicians
- State Politics
- Street Art
- Strike
- Stuff We Like
- Taxes
- Taxi Drivers
- Tech Fetish
- television
- The Budget Crisis
- The City Paper
- The CLOG
- The Human Condition
- The Mayor
- The Phightin Phils
- The World
- Things that make you go hm
- Tinfoil Hats Off
- Under the Table
- Under the Tables
- Urban Development
- Urban Planning
- urban wildlife
- Video Poker
- We Call Shenanigans
- Weather
- Web Junk
- Weekend Omnibus
- White House
- What We've Found
- Women's Issues
- Flyered Up!
- How 'Bout That Weather?
- it's always sunny in philadelphia
- Stu!
- Shopping
- get out
- 10-track mind
- ArtsFlash
- Bloggity
- Bruce Being Bruce
- Colleges
- Comedy
- Gigantic Surprises
- Hello Canary
- Hello Puppy
- errata
- get lost
- Inside The Fishbowl
- Library Closings
- Local Support
- Movies
- Murder
- Night Moves
- Recycling
- radio
- Scientology
- Sex
- Sixers
- Skeeze Police
- State Politicians Screwing Philly
- That's a cool stencil!
- Theater
- Things We See
- This Week
- This Week in Oates
- University City
- WIN
- What we don't heart
- trailer!
- what we heart
- Feeling Guilty
- Askadelphia.
- Broke in Philly
- Contest
- Dance
- Dear Paper Doll
- Do A Good Thing
- Education
- Film Fest Schism
- G20-20 Vision
- Goodbye
- Gossip
- Great American Heroes
- PATCO
- Pearl Jam Week
- Puppy
- Stars of the Photostream
- sustainability
- Lower Merion Webcam-Gate
- The Cycle
- Equality Forum
- Bureaucrat of the Week
- Animals
- ElectionEar
- Photostream
