Road Apples, #15

Cat Chair
No, I did not get rid of the cat chair. Not so much sympathy as a lack of motivation. Maybe next time.

Another Week
Yes, another week begins. Today my calendar is basically booked solid, but I think...emphasis on think...that the rest of the week is a little more manageable. I can only hope.

Michael Phelps vs A-Ro(i)d
So, Michael Phelps gets in trouble for smoking pot and A-Rod tested positive for 'roids in the past. Hmmmm, I'm thinking I have a lot more sympathy for Phelps than A-Rod. What Phelps did was stupid, but it didn't do anything to improve his chance of winning a gold metal. What A-Roid did was cheat by using drugs. All the difference in the world. Slap Phelps on the hands and tell him to be a good boy; kick A-Roid out of the league and erase his records.

Fighting Church Consolidations
I don't have a link for this, but a husband and wife in Wilkes-Barre have formed a group to fight church closings in the Diocese of Scranton. To that I only have this to say: Good Luck. Based on what I've read and learned over the years, Roman Catholic Church Cannon Law is designed to protect the Church, not the Laity. I understand why these folks would take up the challenge; for many, the local church is a critical part of their lives, and losing it would almost be like losing a family member. In that sense, closing a church that is fiscally viable (as is the case for the church of the couple in Wilkes-Barre) seems all the more horrible, akin to a murder as opposed to a natural death. Again, good luck to the individual involved in this. I do greatly admire anyone who takes a public stand on principle, especially when it involves standing up against a perceived injustice. The real, telling question is this: Will Bishop Joseph Martino meet with the group? My guess? Not a chance.

MySpace
I had a MySpace account for a while which I deleted over the weekend. Why? I wasn't going there anymore and I was never really happy with the while MySpace experience. To that end, I do have a Facebook account, which I find harder to use (and far less graphically interesting), but more secure. I also like the notion that Facebook is designed around communities. Credit to my oldest daugther Katrina for insisting that I open a Facebook account. Note that my Facebook account is open for viewing by any Facebook user. To find me, simply search for Stephen Albert and I'll be the only one in Scranton that comes up.

Save The Govies
Click HERE for more information.

My oldest daughter was a Govie...that is, a participant in the Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence. It's a terrific program that's now in danger of being eliminated by Governor Rendell. I find this to be a HORRIBLE idea. So much of state funding goes towards making the negative "okay". How much is spent to encourage children who are already "okay" to be "excellent"? Honestly, there are few programs that are actually designed for the good kids out there, and the Governor's Schools are a shining example of what is possible. My daughter's participation in the School for Teaching was, I believe, a defining moment in her life.

I strongly encourage anyone who is reading this to check out the Govies link and consider signing the petition to restore funding for the program. I will be writing a letter to Governor Rednell this week. Will it help? Maybe not, but as I noted above, sometimes you fight for what you believe in, regardless of whether or not you think you will be successful.