Monthly Archives: July 2023

why so much hate?

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Hate has a home here. A few days ago, literally in the shadow of Valley Forge.

These folks, yes, are expressing their First Amendment Rights, but why are our rights more and more subjective? Why do their rights feel like they matter more than others?

(Objective rights refers to the legal norms in general and subjective rights are the power that citizens have as holders of the rights granted by the objective rights to proceed on these rights for the satisfaction of their own interests.)

What kind of country are we becoming? What would our forefathers think if they were here to see this?

And then there are the questions of are offensive banners and signs like this covered by First Amendment Rights or are they hate speech?

“Jews Will Not Replace Us” is on the banner. It makes you shudder doesn’t it? And Nazi symbolism? The Nazis not only tried to eradicate the Jewish people via the Holocaust, but they also went after those who were not Jewish but wouldn’t sign on to their message and mission. Family friends of ours who were not Jewish watched as Nazis took their father’s business for not complying with their edicts and sent him to the Russian front to his ultimate death when they were small children in World War II. They spent the rest of the war hiding in the German Alps with their mother. And there are lots more of these stories of whom the Nazis persecuted and murdered in addition to over 6 million Jewish people.

This is the kind of hatred I don’t understand. And it’s part and parcel of the extremism in belief systems and feelings in this country that I also don’t understand. Hate and vitriol in this country have existed almost as long as we have existed as a country. I’m not exaggerating, and it’s kind of super sad considering this country was founded to give people freedom from religious persecution etc.

OK I’m white and according to some, it’s bad for me to be white and heterosexual and Catholic, even if not particularly devout as a Catholic given the sex abuse scandals covered up in this region by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. But I don’t understand this whole “White Lives Matter” of it all.

Inequalities in this country exist. I’m not going to say they don’t exist but I don’t know how this has turned into being Jewish is bad. I don’t understand the rise in antisemitism, and perhaps I haven’t been paying attention. I mean there’s so much going on in this country that is hateful, that some days it’s hard to keep up isn’t it?

But this incident this past weekend was at the Valley Forge exit of the turnpike or the turnpike over Valley Forge Park. (I’m not sure which it is there.) This is in Tredyffrin Township which has had a lot of problems with antisemitism since March, I think it was. There were all these swastikas and horrible things being graffiti spray-painted everywhere. Eventually one person was apprehended, but then there was more graffiti, so I don’t know where that stands. I do know that the first person apprehended with a middle school student which blew my mind. A 15-year-old kid did part of this. According to the Jewish Exponent, he hadn’t been interviewed yet by police as if their June article.

Tredyffrin Jews Respond to Antisemitic Incidents

So here we are again in July with more of this. And I am left with a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach because this is just not right.

Sociologically what I also find interesting is a lot of people saw these gentlemen with their banner over the turnpike. That’s how the photos were taken and sent to me and others. but the thing is this no one seems to be talking about this. So are we as a nation or a region becoming more conditioned to messages like this?

Anyway I don’t have anything particularly profound to add. I just don’t understand why. Sometimes stupid human tricks make me very sad and upset.

keep calm and play mall cop at community events…in west whiteland

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Saint Teresa of West Whiteland loves to hear the sound of her own voice and loves to make a scene at community events doesn’t she? I mean it’s always a sidewalk chalk day somewhere, right?

Yesterday was West Whiteland’s Exton Park Community Day and Lame Duck Supervisor Saint Theresa was on patrol! Quack 🦆 🦆 quack.

I couldn’t believe it, yet I totally could believe it. A report I received that was first hand is as follows:

“Above all else be kind” was certainly not the theme of the day as far as our township supervisor Theresa Santalucia was concerned. On what was supposed to be a fun-filled event, she took it upon herself to police the grounds at Exton Community Day, searching for anything she perceived to be a break of the rules, set forth by the township, regarding political parties. The township rules for Community Day state: “Absolutely no political endorsements, petition signing, or candidate literature permitted.”

At a voter registration and face painting booth run by West Whiteland Democrats, she took it upon herself to storm up, tear a sign from its stand and inform the participants that she was taking it. By identifying themselves as West Whiteland Democrats, the rules were somehow broken. Were they supposed to offer three and a half hours of face painting anonymously?

She approached individuals, from both parties, who wore political buttons identifying themselves as candidates. She told them that they could not introduce themselves to attendees and demanded that they remove their buttons. Freedom of speech still applies to individuals attending a public event.

Theresa didn’t explain. She didn’t ask. She demanded. One has to wonder what families in attendance thought as they observed her ranting. Exton Community Day…an event to celebrate community…including, Democrats, Republicans and candidates for office.

A community day is about community. It is not Theresa Hogan Santalucia’s job to play Mall Cop. Oh the memories it brings back about sidewalk, chalk and Chalkgate in 2020.

Theresa Hogan Santalucia, Mall Cop. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? She’ll need something to do when she’s no longer a Supervisor, right? And remember the blarney about how bad her health was so she couldn’t run again? Apparently she seemed in fine fettle at community day yesterday.

So what I have been told by quite a few is, she flipped out on the Republicans and Democrats who had tables set up a community day. there was no active campaigning going on. Political parties are part of the community at these events. They will have information for registering to vote, and usually something to eat. We’re not talking active politicking here.

Above is the sign that she objected to for the West Whiteland Democrats. She is still part of them, correct? There was a high school kid manning the table. A high school kid. If that was my kid, I’d be on the phone to the township tomorrow asking what gave her the right to harangue a kid for doing a volunteer job, wouldn’t you?

Again, it was reported that she also went after Republicans, and they ignored her. (As well they should IMHO.) Too bad no one Facebook- lived her. She flipped out at a current school board member for WCASD named Darrel Durnell. He wasn’t campaigning.

Now I have some experience in the planning of and volunteering at large community events. We used to do First Friday Main Line on a monthly basis for years. Politicians were always there and the local political committees had offices in Ardmore. They were part of the community and the understanding was be part of the community, just refrain from active campaigning.

It was not Lame Duck Saint Theresa’s job to police this events and act like a rude and condescending harridan. Truthfully she is as always an embarrassment to her municipality. Truly deplorable.

In today’s highly charged political climate she could have ruined an entire and large community event completely. That is completely unacceptable and morally wrong. And yes I am allowed that opinion.

Quack quack, ducky. Stick to your free crap garage sales, emphasis on crap. Leave community events to the community.

you know what? social media in general would make a great taylor swift song.

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Rachael Romero art (2011)

People. People are strange. People are ridiculous. And for as many good things social media does, it is also a breeding ground for the unpleasant. And plain old nuts.

Keyboard warriors. Keyboard tigers. Keyboard critics. Trolls who project that you are the troll when they are telling you what for.

People on social media would truly make a great Taylor Swift song.

I like Taylor Swift. Yes, I actually do. I did not always, but when Folklore was released in 2020, I became a fan of her music.

Anyway….every damn time one of the Keyboard critics starts, I giggle because I hear Taylor Swift Anti-Hero, Shake it Off, or Karma. Hence the title of this post. I wonder if she lurks in closed Facebook groups laughing as new lyrics come to mind? Seems like the perfect place.

People are utterly ridiculous. Here have a scroll:

So the one who thinks I am a fan of Stepford Wives for Totalitarianism? I think she may have seen this (below or next) and ummm thought this was praise?

I don’t quite understand what their issue with me is other than apparently I am a bad person, because I am white and straight. And apparently had the privilege to grow up here. Here where?

I do not judge anyone on how they identify or what their sexual preferences are. Yes, I am white and yes, I am straight and last time I checked that is not a crime anymore than being whatever your heart tells you to be.

I did not actually grow up in Chester County. I actually grew up on the Main Line and earlier childhood in the Society Hill section of Philadelphia, which of course will make more people hate me than ever but that’s on them. I can’t control their feelings.

But I didn’t grow up with a proverbial silver spoon in my mouth just an average middle-class family, not that it is anyone’s business, except I choose to share it to prove the point of how screwed up people are on social media.

Who said I was the “voice “ of Chester County? I am but one voice, and apparently this angry voice is also a voice, but I’m not responsible for them. If I am the “voice” truthfully that is a sad sorry state of affairs…I mean great for my ego but lacking reality so that is a giggle too.

And oh, the irony of them thinking I love “mothers for liberty .” I don’t. I actually abhor what they stand for but whatever to each their own. This person has a serious lack of reading comprehension. Keep your crazy on your own page. And the potty mouth too.

And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

Next comes the woman I asked one simple thing of. Literally one little comment. Please keep the posts garden related. This woman wanted cooking posts in my gardening group. I want the gardening group to stay gardening. I think she was looking for popularity given the comment about deleting her comment although many people liked and commented?

I mean LOL. It’s my dictatorship and it’s a censored group. Alrighty.

And I keep my side of the street clean
You wouldn’t know what I mean

I think that is one of my favorite things ever on social media. If you REMOVE someone’s word salad as a page or private group admin you are a BAD, BAD girl. Rules of a group don’t matter. The fact they are a guest in a group or page because it’s not theirs doesn’t matter.

All Hail The Queen. God that’s funny. Am I a Queen? Maybe I should be, so who has a spare tiara or crown?

Next comes kind of basic but plays a lawyer on Facebook. Wants to curse in a gardening group. You know: plants, flowers, sunshine, happy? Sign, another one who flunked basic decorum.

It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me
It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me
It’s me, hi, everybody agrees, everybody agrees

Come on people, aren’t you exhausted?

“I’m special, rules don’t apply to me, why can’t I post whatever I WANT in the group you created and volunteer to keep running? I WANT TO SPEAK TO THE MANAGER!”

And this is in addition to people just not liking anyone else’s opinion in general. Conversation is a lost art form on social media. Conversation is almost a lost art form in general.

The craziness in life mimics social media or the craziness on social media mimics life. Not sure which.

All I know is my tolerance for this behavior is decreasing. If these people think they can do everything better, mazel tov. But do everything better on your own page. Start and manage your own group.

But until then, All Hail the Queen. And don’t tell Al Gore, but I actually invented the Internet….and remember, I am not and never will be your social media mommy….

a new summer salad for me

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There is a summer salad, that Wegman’s makes and it’s a corn and bean salad. For a store made salad it’s not bad, but it’s too sweet. And that is the thing with a lot of salads involving beans and even corn, sweet is added to the dressing and it just doesn’t taste right.

So I decided to try to make my own version of it because I had leftover ears of corn from the weekend.

First, I removed the corn from the cob with one of my paring knives. I stand the ears up in the bowl with one of those corn holders in the top to hold it because that way when I hold the holder, it keeps my hand away from the knife, and then I just shear off the kernels. After that, I broke the kernels up some because they don’t necessarily get broken up because they come off the cob almost in little strips.

Next, I chopped a sweet white onion. Not particularly huge just regular sized or medium. I added that to my bowl. After the sweet white onion, I chopped up a little more finely a small red onion. to the corn and onions I added a little Jane’s Crazy Salt, and gave it a toss.

I thought peppers would be a good addition to this salad so the next step is chopping up red sweet peppers. I happened to have a bag of those small seedless red peppers from the grocery store that I had used in another recipe so I cut a bunch of those into rings and added them.

The final ingredients before the dressing were two cans of beans, drained. What I had on hand were cannellini or white kidney beans and a can of pinto beans.

I’m sorry I didn’t write down the proportions of the vinaigrette, but what it was is easy. The juice of three fresh limes, olive oil, garlic powder, Jane’s Crazy Salt, olive oil, and a combination of balsamic and red vinegar. I just whisked all those ingredients together until I felt I had the right consistency. I didn’t want it to be too oily.

Then I mixed the salad all together with the dressing and chilled until dinner. It’s really good and the fact that it is not sweet like most commercially available I think makes it better.

Enjoy!

end of an era in ardmore

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Thursday marked an end of an era officially when the Hunan name came off of the facade at 47 East Lancaster Ave. in Ardmore, PA.

At some point after Covid, one of my favorite places in the whole world, Hunan restaurant in Ardmore, closed their doors .

I had been going here since I was 11 or 12 and like everyone else I think the pandemic has just worn them out. It is no fun being a restaurant. First you couldn’t be open. Then you could only be takeout. Then you could re-open but a lot of places found their employees scattered.

The family that owned this restaurant (the Foos) are family friends to me and we had so many celebrations there, My sister and I used to have birthday parties there upstairs when we were younger, and so on. And for many years up until A couple of years before they closed, many of my birthdays were still at Hunan.

I was gladly part of the Save Ardmore Coalition when Ardmore was threatened by eminent domain for private gain, and it was specifically because of Hunan and the Foos I got involved in the first place. I still have a very distinct memory of the Friday evening. I went into Hunan for dinner, and Betty came up to our table and said with tears in her eyes “They want to take our building.” Betty then asked me to get involved with a new group that was forming, and I said yes.

I can tell you that living in Chester County sadly made this restaurant just far enough away for weekly visits, and Ardmore has the worst parking ever thanks to Lower Merion Township.

This family however prevailed through everything. And for 50 years they served us their food, some of the best food imaginable. I used to love when Chris their son and chef would let us order things he was trying out off the menu. This is a place where every time you went in the door it was one of the nicest vibes possible. Everyone was welcomed whether it was the first time or the 500th time they had been in.

From the time I was a kid, there was nothing more fun than introducing new people to Hunan restaurant in Ardmore.

Also, once upon a time, Betty taught cooking classes. My mother and I took one. It was awesome.

Dumplings. The dumplings here, whether they be regular, special like curry or something else were legendary and no one will ever beat Hunan in the dumpling department. And the sweet and sour soup was the best there is. And then all the other things like the dishes with duck, or dishes made with little tiny, fresh sardines, or really spicy, minced pork with peppers that were hot enough to make the roof of your mouth come off.

And something else you always had to have were the Chinese vegetables. It was what was seasonal at the time, and always delicious. In the vegetable department, the spicy string beans, and the hot and sweet cabbage, which was essentially pickled, were amazing.

I remember when we were in the restaurant on my birthday in 2014 when the actress Kate Flannery stopped by. She had worked in Hunan as a waitress when I was in high school or somewhere around that time.

Every time you went into Hunan, no matter where you had been, it was like coming home. And we were treated like family.

There are so many memories for me, associated with Hunan from all different stages of my life. And that is the way it was in this restaurant for so many.

The Foo family also survived a fire after surviving Lower Merion Township’s failed attempt at eminent domain for private gain.

If I back up to the days of eminent domain in Ardmore for a moment, we had most of our meetings on the second floor of Hunan. And Betty and E Ni always fed us. We even introduced Congressman James Sensenbrenner to Hunan once upon a time.

When we were fighting eminent domain for private game against Lower Merion Township, then US Congressman for the sixth district, Jim Gerlach, bought Congressman James Sensenbrenner to town.
Getting national attention on our
“local issue” that is still a national
problem really helped.

After eminent domain, and after the fire, Hunan rebuilt. An architect who was part of Save Ardmore Coalition helped them create an updated look. The updated Hunan was gorgeous and the walls for the most part we’re lined with Dr. Foo’s artwork.

It was July 2010 when they re-opened. And it was packed and beautiful. I still have photos so here I’ll share some:

So the sign coming off the building this is so much the end of an era. And it’s not just for those of us who loved this restaurant, it’s an end of an era in Ardmore as well because this was a business that stuck with this town through thick and thin, quite literally.

I know businesses can’t stay in a place forever. And I actually accept that, but this was a place that was just so special. So thank you to the Foo family for the memories and for feeding us for decades I hope whoever goes in here does well now that the building is sold.

Hunan was one of those places that even if you didn’t live in the area anymore, whenever you were in town, you would come back and go there. I secretly wish that they would create a cookbook. It wouldn’t be the same as eating there, but it would be something so worth having in a cookbook library in your home.

Thanks for stopping by.

what’s a little sinkhole between friends in west whiteland?

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All filming done NOT TRESPASSING. Zoom on camera ONLY.

Ah yes…once again….the schist and karst of it all. Or…. the ongoing saga of Energy Transfer just sucks.

So nothing like everyone finding out from a media report that et voilà there is a new sinkhole, right?

Here:

A new sinkhole opens up along the Mariner East pipeline in Chester County

State Impact: New sinkhole forms along Mariner East pipeline in Chester County

by Susan Phillips July 11, 2023

Blows your mind, doesn’t it?

But wait there is more….West Whiteland Supervisors didn’t know about this…West Whiteland staff seemingly did not know other that Energy Transfer reported a small animal hole? Do I have that correct? That the State Impact/WHYY reporter got her information from the DEP about the specifics of the hole? Said hole was like Where’s Waldo in size retelling yesterday for a while, correct? Why all the confusion Energy Transfer? It is the company doesn’t know how big it’s holes are or they don’t want to really get it out there accurately?

And the whole notification thing bothers me. The West Whiteland Manager did not know right away. The MANAGER. Does Energy Transfer find that acceptable? Did ANYONE at West Whiteland or having to do with Emergency Operations know? You know like former Supervisor Bud Turner? After all he IS the Assistant Fire Marshall and Emergency Management Coordinator, correct? And is it fair to say in the past he has had a somewhat cozy relationship with pipeline folks? Yeah Bud people are allowed to ask what you know and when you knew it…people’s lives could depend upon it, right?

Why were West Whiteland officials NOT shown the sinkhole by Energy Transfer until after it was filled? Seems like maybe Energy Transfer should have had Chair of Supervisors and Manager out to the site?

Ok have you viewed the public comment by Ginny Kerslake above? Other observations include Interesting to note that Supervisor Raj Kumbhardare was fairly rude. Looking at his phone, visibly annoyed and replied snottily to Ginny which was uncalled for. He commented that this had been discussed in email today, so it was like he was over it. Commissioner Saint Theresa the Lame Duck just acts like an angry cat and from zoom it is like she won’t even look at residents. Which of course is equal parts rude and dismissive, but hey her head is in the game of free yard sales these days, right?

So in the whole sinkhole of it all over there where the new one is if I have it straight the north side is Limestone and south side is schist. And is this something called the Martic fault (line?) I guess it is? (If I have that backwards or upside down, I am guessing someone will tell me? And is this latest hole rather near the Mariner East II 20″ pipeline? I mean what possibly could go wrong, right?

And can someone tell me WHY Energy Transfer remediates sinkholes with CONCRETE? I thought the way to properly remediate a sinkhole is excavation and then layers of soil and stone compacted? So guessing they can’t do that because pipeline might go boom so what happens if concrete fix like sinks onto pipeline if another hole were to emerge? Concrete is heavy, right? I know, I know I am but a mere mortal and a female…

Funny other thing? Yesterday, the Chester County Commissioners had as a topic approving a rather expensive safety plan for pipelines that many of us thought was in place like a while ago but isn’t?

Ok let’s talk about this company and this proposal. First view the power point presentation seemingly created by a middle schooler today:

I have to ask WHY WASN’T the ACTUAL COMPANY THERE? Did someone not want them to have to answer questions? Very bothersome. Much like the PowerPoint for toddlers by middle schoolers which basically said nothing except made you wonder how the plan this company with no experience has put forward was actually accepted? Forget about how do they think anyone is going to move fast enough if something goes BOOM because we will probably go BOOM too? What is that about running uphill in the wind or is it against the wind in a blindfold or something? Comparing it to not using cell phone at gas pump? (This gets a big WhatjatalkinboutWillis.)

Soooo related to this was when Ginny Kerslake wanted info and was denied (hey public record baby and Facebook public on the redacted blackout.)

2023-0224_MarcilleKerslake-ChesterCo_FD-Download

But Ginny persisted and filed an appeal….and WON (again, public record):

Then there is the whole other thing with the presentation of who is notified and when and they had municipalities adjoining the big Energy Transfer etc invaded municipalities but are those municipalities included in the notification of it all? I mean hello, hello BLAST ZONE? Not chopped liver, BLAST ZONE.

Also to be considered now given the games of notification with this latest it’s not a sinkhole it’s a lil’ animal hole…no ooopsies it is a sinkhole but you can’t see it we covered it up can we even depend upon Energy Transfer to notify properly or in a timely fashion?

Oh here public comment from the County Commissioners meeting today:

I will note that wannabe county commissioners, i.e. candidates were also at the county commissioners meeting in the audience. They did not speak. They were not value added. So maybe just maybe ALL candidates should be asked CLEARLY where they stand on pipelines and for the new kids, would they have allowed the pipelines into Chester County like this in the FIRST PLACE? I mean we know what happened with the ones already in office running again, but hey little nouveau candidates we’re not carrying YOUR water, and if you don’t carry ours, it’s an election issue. If you talk out of the both sides of your mouth and get elected, prepare to be haunted.

No one is particularly naïve to political BS and pipelines any longer since most residents, especially affected residents have a masters in it: politicians all say what you want to hear to get elected, then they disappear. Both parties, all the way to Washington DC and Harrisburg. My opinion has kind of always been politicians and pipelines have an odd symbiotic relationship. The politicians who don’t have a comfy cozy pipeline relationship are essentially flogged daily or whenever convenient. In Chester County and elsewhere in PA, the politicians who have the fortitude and common sense to realize the risks outweigh the rewards when it comes to these pipelines are the exceptions rather than the rule. We need to change that, and I think we can.

Pipelines as an issue should be non-partisan in our communities. These pipeline companies don’t care whose lives and properties and areas they ruin.

And I will finish with the correspondence from Energy Transfer to West Whiteland’s very nice manager yesterday that was referred to in the supervisors meeting last evening:

Here is what was said in case it is hard to read:

Subject: More information on the Lisa Drive Earth Feature

Last week a third party contractor was inspecting our right of way at Lisa Drive in West Whiteland Township, Chester County and discovered an earth feature behind a property owned by Sunoco Pipeline L.P. There were no utilities or pipelines exposed and there is no concern to public safety.

A professional geologist (PG) visited the site the same day and recommended that our operations team over excavate the area and then fill with flowable fill. This work was completed the following  morning when flowable fill  was available. Moving forward we will continue to monitor the area as we have been. In relation to the earth feature – it was approximately 18” in diameter and 54” deep.  The PG believes that it could have been caused by heavy rains that occurred earlier last week. Approximate distance from pipelines –

  • 5 feet adjacent and 50 feet above the 16-inch ME2X pipeline (carrying ethane) – This pipeline was installed via horizontal directional drill.
  • 8 feet away from the 20-inch ME2 pipeline (carrying propane and butane)
  • 27 feet from the 8-inch former ME1 pipeline (currently in refined products service)
  • 25 feet from the 12-inch pipeline (Currently laid down with nitrogen)
Joseph P. Massaro
Lead Specialist – Public Affairs
Energy Transfer

Never a dull moment in Pipelineville. I guess “earth feature” is pipeline speak for “sinkhole”? And pay close attention because pipeline companies are jonesing for hydrogen hubs too.

https://www.publicsource.org/hydrogen-hub-pennsylvania-blue-green-environment-climate-change-energy

jeepers creepers, merion cricket club…really?????

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Seriously? Did you think I was going to leave this alone?

Hat tip to Victor Fiorello of Philadelphia Magazine!

Philadelphia Magazine: Main Line Woman Says She Was Sexually Harassed at Merion Cricket Club

She claims a manager told her “it isn’t harassment if he likes you.”

by VICTOR FIORILLO· 

Well gosh! I haven’t been so tickled since that blue blood and not so blue blood cat fight in the ballroom at the Christmas Ball years ago! (Yes, that did happen.)

There is nothing more ick as a woman than a touchy feely male co-worker. Even worse if said male is in a supervisory situation.

How many of you ladies out there have experienced the touchy feelies of it all in the work place? I did years ago. (It was circa late 1980’s as in when Working Girl with Harrison Ford and Melanie Griffith came out.) Fortunately it was a “please do not do that again” and it never happened again in my personal experience. Way before Y2K in the financial services industry. It was a regular occurrence in that industry back then in my opinion. I remember one place where a friend worked that female employees (no matter if they were professional or support staff) were told on the down low to stay out of the copy room if a certain handsy male employee was present.

What I observed over the years was problem men really weren’t dealt with. The women learned to support each other. At least in my former industry…..If you complained it was no bueno and we will leave it at that. Definitely a perverse form of don’t ask/don’t tell.

It is REALLY hard for a woman to come forward in ANY industry and accuse a co-worker of sexual harassment. Soo…to hear this…good for this woman. Because NO woman is going to come forward and file a Federal Lawsuit if there is nothing to this. That is my opinion, of course, but litigation is expensive. And she is willing to put it on the line.

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission describes sexual harassment as:

It is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or employee) because of that person’s sex. Harassment can include “sexual harassment” or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.

Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex. For example, it is illegal to harass a woman by making offensive comments about women in general.

Both victim and the harasser can be either a woman or a man, and the victim and harasser can be the same sex.

Although the law doesn’t prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (such as the victim being fired or demoted).The harasser can be the victim’s supervisor, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer.

Seems pretty straight forward, doesn’t it? But if he LIKES you it isn’t HARASSMENT, right?

Good lord.

Here is the filing:

1Download

Did a little social media noodling. Merion Cricket is not so good at scrubbing their social media. Hard to say if guy accused still is employed by Merion Cricket, but still floored, yes floored that this is well THIS. And THERE. One would hope that an esteemed club like Merion Cricket at least used to be would have properly TRAINED employees so that they KNEW what sexual harassment was? I wonder if anyone has asked what the reporting procedure is? And if reported who OFF of staff is told or knows?

Sexual harassment is a brutal thing for any woman to take to court and she runs the risk of being re-victimized. That being said whomever Maura Owens is, she is BRAVE. I hope if there are other victims, even from within the ranks of membership, come forward. Sadly, they will go all Main Line here, probably.

Main Line #MeToo Drama here we come. Merion Cricket will you have clean hands at the end of the day here? Time will tell.

flooding!

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@eightyeghtkeys Twitter photo.

From @eightyeghtkeys on Twitter. Crazy flooding in Wayne, PA (Radnor Township).

South Wayne Avenue and Runnymede Avenues. Next is a Google shot of the area when it is normal as in not a monsoon:

The water was like that here yesterday too. And we expect more rain and there have been more thunder and lightning.

We are on a flash flood watch and friends tell me that there were crazy straight line winds yesterday in Paoli:

My friend’s photo two hours ago

Charging my phone up at Starbucks. Heard the chainsaw though out the night still no electricity. Not sure what happened but it was a straight swoop from Darby-Paoli to the back of the Paoili Acme. Maybe just high winds but giant trees taken out. Thank goodness no one got hurt as it happened around 5:00pm yesterday.

~ friend post this morning
@eightyeghtkeys photo from Twitter

Yesterday in my neighborhood the water was crazy and some of my smaller trees bent into U shapes, but fortunately did not break. A friend of mine had their tree split in half.

@eightyeghtkeys photo from Twitter
@eightyeghtkeys photo from Twitter

I really wish that municipalities, as well as Harrisburg would look at climate change in action and see how the storm events are affecting us. Because this is yet another reason why development needs to be slowed down. But hey, I’m just a mere mortal and a female.

Stay safe and dry today.

Yesterday my photo

what’s up with the christmas in july of tax notices on properties in chester county?

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Ok a giant apartment complex owned by giant out of state property group. So are we to believe that Chester County Tax Claim Bureau is going to sell their multi million dollar complex for $10K?

Or this notice in a multi million dollar neighborhood in a kind of wealthy municipality for under $600? The Chester County Tax Bureau is going to sell a house worth a couple of million for under $600 in taxes supposedly owed for 2022?

And my personal favorite is the red notice on what appears to be a predatory real estate group or investor getting a tax sale notice on a property that no one has really ever explained how they got the deed on in the first place ? A house where a mom with at least one special needs child lives?

I don’t pretend to understand all of this but one thing I have heard consistently throughout the years is how messy things are in Chester County. People getting erroneous tax notices? Tax payments not being applied properly?

So what’s going on? Social media is full of these notices over the past few days so is there some aggressive new program? You would think the media would be interested in this?

It seems that Chester County has also switched to Bid4Assets like Philadelphia?

Now Bid4Assets has loads of complaints posted by the Better Business Bureau.

Bid4Assets is kind of a scandal thing in Philadelphia County yet Chester County uses them?

I don’t know if this is part of the problem but people say trying to deal with Chester County is very difficult? (This was interesting to read: https://casetext.com/case/sampson-v-tax-claim-bureau-of-chester-cnty-cjd-grp-llchttps://casetext.com/case/sampson-v-tax-claim-bureau-of-chester-cnty-cjd-grp-llc )

Also found this interesting to read: https://paablog.com/kennett-consolidated-school-dist-v-chester-county-bd-of-assessment-appeals/

And check out these articles about Philadelphia sheriff sales and Bid4Assets:

City Council demands answers on Philly sheriff’s sudden move to online sales
Philly Sheriff’s top lawyer retires after illegal contract revelation

door to door realtor sales on a sunday evening?

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This woman rings my bell at 5:30 PM – new Realtor in the area. (Supposedly.) No visible soliciting permit. And again, 5:30 PM on a SUNDAY. Let’s start with she’s a stranger soliciting on a Sunday and I think that is rude.

She thought she would just introduce herself. I said “What in case I just wanted to sell my home on a whim and knew no other Realtors?”

I asked her if she looked for a no soliciting sign. (Somewhat blank stare which is surprising because it’s fairly large and metal.)

I did report to local police department because I feel quite strongly about door to door soliciting. And no visible permit.

I actually know a lot of Realtors, none I know are door to door solicitors. They also are more put together with regard to the first impression of it all.

And no, I most definitely was NOT Sister Mary Sunshine.

I will note that this woman was also with another person who was male, and I really didn’t know their age they appear to be someone with Down’s syndrome. Darkish hair as well, and sort of like a scruffy mustache beard thing.

I don’t like door-to-door solicitation, and when it’s more than one person and you’re one person answering the door, I don’t like the way that feels.

This person never identified which firm they were with or realty group within a firm, etc. and even though they said they were there soliciting for a real estate, they didn’t actually offer me a card. Which is probably just as well because I would’ve blasted it all over the Internet by now.

This person actually never said even their first name. So were they there to solicit for a real estate company with themselves as a realtor or they just casing my neighborhood?

So real estate companies, if this realtor belongs to you think twice before sending someone out door to door without a solicitation permit, visible, etc. Think twice about sending someone out around dinner time on a Sunday evening.

And above all else, if someone has a no soliciting sign posted clearly please pay attention to it.