Monday, March 30, 2009
Concerned about prices of drugs?
www.parxpricefinder.com is a state website that allows consumers to search a specific geographic region for the prices of the 300 most commonly prescribed medications.
No lingering under Marriott portico
A NewsLanc reader, viewing the Marriott Hotel canopy being constructed in front of the Watt & Shand facadel, inquired "When one drives up to check in, what happens with the traffic?"
We asked Tom Smithgall of High Associates: "How many lanes are there for the traffic under the portico."
He replied "About 2 lanes." Hmm.
We asked "Is there room for cars to park for a few minutes while the driver registers without obstructing curb side registration?"
Smithgall replied: "This will be an operational issue for the staff at Interstate Hotels & Resorts to manage, but the idea is for people to arrive, remove their luggage and to choose to valet or not. As you can see, and is the case in some urban hotels, the area is not for lingering as there may be many others coming at the same time. The valet service and the staff are to make this as seamless and inviting as possible for the guests."
We asked Tom Smithgall of High Associates: "How many lanes are there for the traffic under the portico."
He replied "About 2 lanes." Hmm.
We asked "Is there room for cars to park for a few minutes while the driver registers without obstructing curb side registration?"
Smithgall replied: "This will be an operational issue for the staff at Interstate Hotels & Resorts to manage, but the idea is for people to arrive, remove their luggage and to choose to valet or not. As you can see, and is the case in some urban hotels, the area is not for lingering as there may be many others coming at the same time. The valet service and the staff are to make this as seamless and inviting as possible for the guests."
EDITORIAL: SD of L soccer off to disasterous start
Junior Varsity Girls Soccer at McCaskey has scored one goal to the opponents 18 while losing their first three games of the season. The Varsity has also lost all three games by lopsided scores.
It's all about lack of training of coaches and, despite over a year of prodding and offers from outside the District to subsidize the instruction of coaches, Superintendent Pedro Rivera and more recently Athletic Director Jon Mitchell aren't doing a thing about it.
Next we will hear whining about how these kids are not motivated. Bull! The ably coached track team wins more than its share of metes. So can the other teams successfully compete when coaches learn how to conduct meaningful practices.
The good intentions of coaches are not enough. Teachers and coaches need to know how to teach their subjects! And Rivera and Mitchell need to know how to manage.
It's all about lack of training of coaches and, despite over a year of prodding and offers from outside the District to subsidize the instruction of coaches, Superintendent Pedro Rivera and more recently Athletic Director Jon Mitchell aren't doing a thing about it.
Next we will hear whining about how these kids are not motivated. Bull! The ably coached track team wins more than its share of metes. So can the other teams successfully compete when coaches learn how to conduct meaningful practices.
The good intentions of coaches are not enough. Teachers and coaches need to know how to teach their subjects! And Rivera and Mitchell need to know how to manage.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Was the New Era 1999 article re Ernst & Young disingenuous?
The following is excerpted from the Aug. 26, 1999 New Era.
"In a display that united old foes and bridged city-county and Republican- Democrat differences, county leaders have embraced plans for a $75 million downtown hotel and convention center with almost religious zeal…
"Representatives of Ernst & Young, an international accounting firm and industry leader in real estate analysis, presented the findings of their study supporting the plan.
"The project includes a 281-room four-star hotel, a 61,000-square- foot convention center built on vacant land adjacent to the former store and on the site of Oblender's Inc. furniture store, and a $7 million expansion and renovation of the King Street parking garage…
"After completion, the project would employ 577 full-time workers, generate $13.3 million annually in sales, income and personal income taxes and create another $30.7 million annually in local goods and services, she said."
Note that the "75 million downtown hotel and convention center" ended up costing almost $200 million.
Given the recent NewsLanc analysis of the report, note the false description of the Ernst & Young study as "supporting the plan."
Note the 61,000 square foot convention center ended up over three times that size.
Note the absurd claim of generating "577-full time jobs." Again, this is about three times what is taking place.
What we do agree is that "county leaders have embraced plans... with almost religious zeal." It had to be a matter of faith because there was little about the facts that was encouraging.
"In a display that united old foes and bridged city-county and Republican- Democrat differences, county leaders have embraced plans for a $75 million downtown hotel and convention center with almost religious zeal…
"Representatives of Ernst & Young, an international accounting firm and industry leader in real estate analysis, presented the findings of their study supporting the plan.
"The project includes a 281-room four-star hotel, a 61,000-square- foot convention center built on vacant land adjacent to the former store and on the site of Oblender's Inc. furniture store, and a $7 million expansion and renovation of the King Street parking garage…
"After completion, the project would employ 577 full-time workers, generate $13.3 million annually in sales, income and personal income taxes and create another $30.7 million annually in local goods and services, she said."
Note that the "75 million downtown hotel and convention center" ended up costing almost $200 million.
Given the recent NewsLanc analysis of the report, note the false description of the Ernst & Young study as "supporting the plan."
Note the 61,000 square foot convention center ended up over three times that size.
Note the absurd claim of generating "577-full time jobs." Again, this is about three times what is taking place.
What we do agree is that "county leaders have embraced plans... with almost religious zeal." It had to be a matter of faith because there was little about the facts that was encouraging.
EDITORIAL: Naivete or hypocrisy, or both?
The Sunday News "Perspective Section" rails against greed and privilege on the national level (Gil Smart: "Too big to suffer the consequences") and corruption on the state level (Editorial: "The State for Scandal.")
What is missing is any censorship of local practices, as though Lancaster has remained pristine during an era that was recently aptly described as notable for the "Incredible greed and dishonesty of the ruling class of America."
The entire history of the Convention Center Project scam is proof, as is methodically being established by the series in NewsLanc. And the Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. played a pivotal role and endeavored to profit from it.
Lancaster citizenry awaits the day that newspaper management will make a public apology for years of disinformation and propaganda (and possibly worse!) But first the executive floor will need to be cleaned out.
What is missing is any censorship of local practices, as though Lancaster has remained pristine during an era that was recently aptly described as notable for the "Incredible greed and dishonesty of the ruling class of America."
The entire history of the Convention Center Project scam is proof, as is methodically being established by the series in NewsLanc. And the Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. played a pivotal role and endeavored to profit from it.
Lancaster citizenry awaits the day that newspaper management will make a public apology for years of disinformation and propaganda (and possibly worse!) But first the executive floor will need to be cleaned out.
Friday, March 27, 2009
What really happened atTMI 25 years ago
Special to NewsLanc from H. Michael Gray. Gray wrote the original screenplay for "The China Syndrome." His book, "The Warning: Accident at TMI," is based on his on-scene reporting, operator interviews, and the five official studies that followed.
The "unplanned event" at Three Mile Island 30 years ago this month was set in motion by the failure of a $20 check valve in a half-inch copper pipe. That minor incident led to a series of cascading failures that presented the men in the control room with a situation they had never seen before and had never been trained to handle. With key instruments gone haywire, flying blind, they made a couple of bad choices that wiped out the plant and released a still unknown amount of radioactivity into the air.
For several years, the wreckage of the reactor itself was too hot to approach so we didn't know how close we had come. But when the inspectors were finally able to lower a camera into the pressure vessel, the image was a heart-stopper. There was nothing left of the 150-ton uranium core but rubble. Parts of it had turned to liquid. Which means that at some moment on that fateful Wednesday, the reactor at TMI was within 30 minutes of the "China Syndrome" -- a melt-down comparable to the disaster at Chernobyl. Had it not been for a lucky operator who flipped a switch to see what would happen, the Pennsylvania state capitol might now be a ghost town.
The current world-wide scramble for dwindling oil reserves is forcing us to take another look at good neighbor nuke. But before we hit the on-switch, we need to carefully consider the lessons of Chernobyl and TMI: nuclear power is a completely unforgiving technology. The worst-case scenario must always be front and center --- because Murphy's Law turns out to be as immutable as the law of gravity. "If something can go wrong, it will."
The "unplanned event" at Three Mile Island 30 years ago this month was set in motion by the failure of a $20 check valve in a half-inch copper pipe. That minor incident led to a series of cascading failures that presented the men in the control room with a situation they had never seen before and had never been trained to handle. With key instruments gone haywire, flying blind, they made a couple of bad choices that wiped out the plant and released a still unknown amount of radioactivity into the air.
For several years, the wreckage of the reactor itself was too hot to approach so we didn't know how close we had come. But when the inspectors were finally able to lower a camera into the pressure vessel, the image was a heart-stopper. There was nothing left of the 150-ton uranium core but rubble. Parts of it had turned to liquid. Which means that at some moment on that fateful Wednesday, the reactor at TMI was within 30 minutes of the "China Syndrome" -- a melt-down comparable to the disaster at Chernobyl. Had it not been for a lucky operator who flipped a switch to see what would happen, the Pennsylvania state capitol might now be a ghost town.
The current world-wide scramble for dwindling oil reserves is forcing us to take another look at good neighbor nuke. But before we hit the on-switch, we need to carefully consider the lessons of Chernobyl and TMI: nuclear power is a completely unforgiving technology. The worst-case scenario must always be front and center --- because Murphy's Law turns out to be as immutable as the law of gravity. "If something can go wrong, it will."
Art community voices concerns at CC meeting
At Thursday’s Lancaster County Convention Center Board Meeting, several local artists addressed the Board with concerns that the surrounding art community was not properly informed of a potential business opportunity. On February 19, a Request for Proposal (RFP) was published by the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority (LCCCA) for over $78,000 worth of art for Lancaster County Convention Center.
With a tight proposal deadline and limited notification, many artists were left with as little as five days to submit their proposals, while many of the project parameters required unusual dimensions in which most artists could not provide existing material.
One Pequea resident, who recently opened an art gallery in Downtown Lancaster, spoke firmly to the Board regarding his disappointment with the process: “While I applaud the Authority’s interest in supporting the local artists, I must say that the planning and implementation of the release of that information, I believe, was flawed.” While acknowledging the difficulties of coordinating a slew of last-minute work requests, he asserted that this problem, at the very least, exhibited a lack of connection to the local art community—particularly those located Downtown.
Executive Director Kevin Molloy provided some helpful explanation for the rushed proposal deadline: “Originally, the plan by the architects did not have the level of artwork involved with the Convention Center that we are now….We had listened to some public comment, and we flipped that 180 [degree turn around], rather late in the game.”
Molloy also noted that the aforementioned art requests will not likely cover all wall-space that could potentially be fitted with local art. The Board made assurances that, the next time around, there will be a more rigorous effort both to notify the local art community and to allow sufficient time for response.
Although noting the unavoidable complications surrounding the recent RFP, Chairman Art Morris asserted that he is “sorry” that the process didn’t reach as many artists as possible.
With a tight proposal deadline and limited notification, many artists were left with as little as five days to submit their proposals, while many of the project parameters required unusual dimensions in which most artists could not provide existing material.
One Pequea resident, who recently opened an art gallery in Downtown Lancaster, spoke firmly to the Board regarding his disappointment with the process: “While I applaud the Authority’s interest in supporting the local artists, I must say that the planning and implementation of the release of that information, I believe, was flawed.” While acknowledging the difficulties of coordinating a slew of last-minute work requests, he asserted that this problem, at the very least, exhibited a lack of connection to the local art community—particularly those located Downtown.
Executive Director Kevin Molloy provided some helpful explanation for the rushed proposal deadline: “Originally, the plan by the architects did not have the level of artwork involved with the Convention Center that we are now….We had listened to some public comment, and we flipped that 180 [degree turn around], rather late in the game.”
Molloy also noted that the aforementioned art requests will not likely cover all wall-space that could potentially be fitted with local art. The Board made assurances that, the next time around, there will be a more rigorous effort both to notify the local art community and to allow sufficient time for response.
Although noting the unavoidable complications surrounding the recent RFP, Chairman Art Morris asserted that he is “sorry” that the process didn’t reach as many artists as possible.
Veri and Jamanis wow New York audience
Thursday evening Lancaster's duo-pianists Veri & Jamanis performed "An Evening with George Gershwin" before a packed Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. The audience of almost three hundred expressed great enthusiasm after each number and gave them a standing ovation at the concert's conclusion.
For those with memory going back to decades of the couples' New York recitals, the evening was especially satisfying.
A bus load of devotees made the trip from Lancaster and back after the concert, arriving mid-afternoon to allow passengers time to do a bit of sight seeing and to stretch their legs.
Fran Veri obviously was enjoying her solo performance of the Gershwin "Song Book" of seventeen popular numbers starting with "Swanee" and concluding with "I Got Rhythm." The duo performed "Variations on 'I Got Rhythm'" at the outset followed by a Veri arrangement of "An American in Paris."
The couple concluded with a performance of "Rhapsody in Blue" that 'brought down the house.'
Veri is a native of Lancaster, the daughter of a physician. The couple have resided locally for well over forty years and are the artistic founders of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music. They met in New York City while students at the famed Julliard School of Music.
The audience had come to hear Gershwin played at its best and as it was written: for one and two pianos. It was clear from the its rapt attention throughout the performances, comments at Intermission and happy faces when filing out that that the attendees were delighted.
For those with memory going back to decades of the couples' New York recitals, the evening was especially satisfying.
A bus load of devotees made the trip from Lancaster and back after the concert, arriving mid-afternoon to allow passengers time to do a bit of sight seeing and to stretch their legs.
Fran Veri obviously was enjoying her solo performance of the Gershwin "Song Book" of seventeen popular numbers starting with "Swanee" and concluding with "I Got Rhythm." The duo performed "Variations on 'I Got Rhythm'" at the outset followed by a Veri arrangement of "An American in Paris."
The couple concluded with a performance of "Rhapsody in Blue" that 'brought down the house.'
Veri is a native of Lancaster, the daughter of a physician. The couple have resided locally for well over forty years and are the artistic founders of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music. They met in New York City while students at the famed Julliard School of Music.
The audience had come to hear Gershwin played at its best and as it was written: for one and two pianos. It was clear from the its rapt attention throughout the performances, comments at Intermission and happy faces when filing out that that the attendees were delighted.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Downtown stores for old books are local jewels
By Cliff B. Lewis
The used books business is a tough one these days. With big-box outlets drawing the masses to their pseudo coffee shop environments, and with online networks connecting buyers to individual booksellers, people too quickly overlook the simple pleasure of strolling through aisles of thoughtfully arranged hardbacks or the sweet dry fragrance of time on pages once-read.
Of course, a walk on Chestnut Street might jog one’s memory. On 11 and 529 W Chestnut Street are two such thoughtful and inviting bookshops.
Chestnut Street Books, at 11 W Chestnut, has been the endeavor of Warren and Mar Anderson since 1991. Before setting up shop, the couple made their final decision to move here from Baltimore after Warren had visited Onion’s Café in Lancaster City: “I had coffee and chatted with the woman who was running the place….I thanked her and went on my way, and I hadn’t gotten maybe half a block, and here she comes, running down the street, because I’d walked off and left my portfolio on the counter. And I said to myself: ‘What would be the probability of somebody doing that in Baltimore? Zero!’”
In the last 18 years, the Andersons have garnered a fluent handling of the skills required for used book-selling: An encyclopedic knowledge of literary works, authors, genres; a sharp memory for the faces and interests of repeat customers; an innate understanding of the value of different books in different places. According to Warren, a good used book store is measured by the quality of its selection: “Any idiot can put out bad books or common books…that you can hardly walk down the street without tripping over a copy; but putting out good books, interesting books that are in good shape…that’s what makes the difference between a good book store and an inferior bookstore, in my opinion.”
Unfortunately for the City of Lancaster, Chestnut Street Books will only remain open beyond July of this year. Proud of what this post-retirement project has accomplished, Warren says “the problem is that, just about the time that you have learned how to do it, you realize that you are now too old to do it.” This little bookshop near Chestnut and Queen will surely be missed.
Fortunately for the City, however, there will still remain another used bookseller—and on the same stretch of road, no less! Dogstar Books, at 529 W Chestnut, was opened by Brian Frailey in 2006. The new establishment boasts a hip and colorful atmosphere, located just across the street from the quaint Chestnut Hill Café.
Frailey opened the shop as a supplement to an online business that he had already been running for several years. The physical location served as a way to sell inexpensive books not worth the shipping cost and to keep his work interesting: “Selling online, there’s a lot of time and work, and you don’t ever have a social life. At least, when you’re in the shop, people come in and talk to you.” Since Dogstar’s opening, the shop has played host to a broad variety of Downtown social and cultural events, from poetry readings to art galleries to musical performances.
Though the market can be rough, the used books business is here to stay in Downtown Lancaster. They exist to promote good literature, good conversation, and one of the most obvious forms of recycling. It would surely be a benefit to all if we local residents would stop by these establishments next time we think of driving to the nearest big-box.
The used books business is a tough one these days. With big-box outlets drawing the masses to their pseudo coffee shop environments, and with online networks connecting buyers to individual booksellers, people too quickly overlook the simple pleasure of strolling through aisles of thoughtfully arranged hardbacks or the sweet dry fragrance of time on pages once-read.
Of course, a walk on Chestnut Street might jog one’s memory. On 11 and 529 W Chestnut Street are two such thoughtful and inviting bookshops.
Chestnut Street Books, at 11 W Chestnut, has been the endeavor of Warren and Mar Anderson since 1991. Before setting up shop, the couple made their final decision to move here from Baltimore after Warren had visited Onion’s Café in Lancaster City: “I had coffee and chatted with the woman who was running the place….I thanked her and went on my way, and I hadn’t gotten maybe half a block, and here she comes, running down the street, because I’d walked off and left my portfolio on the counter. And I said to myself: ‘What would be the probability of somebody doing that in Baltimore? Zero!’”
In the last 18 years, the Andersons have garnered a fluent handling of the skills required for used book-selling: An encyclopedic knowledge of literary works, authors, genres; a sharp memory for the faces and interests of repeat customers; an innate understanding of the value of different books in different places. According to Warren, a good used book store is measured by the quality of its selection: “Any idiot can put out bad books or common books…that you can hardly walk down the street without tripping over a copy; but putting out good books, interesting books that are in good shape…that’s what makes the difference between a good book store and an inferior bookstore, in my opinion.”
Unfortunately for the City of Lancaster, Chestnut Street Books will only remain open beyond July of this year. Proud of what this post-retirement project has accomplished, Warren says “the problem is that, just about the time that you have learned how to do it, you realize that you are now too old to do it.” This little bookshop near Chestnut and Queen will surely be missed.
Fortunately for the City, however, there will still remain another used bookseller—and on the same stretch of road, no less! Dogstar Books, at 529 W Chestnut, was opened by Brian Frailey in 2006. The new establishment boasts a hip and colorful atmosphere, located just across the street from the quaint Chestnut Hill Café.
Frailey opened the shop as a supplement to an online business that he had already been running for several years. The physical location served as a way to sell inexpensive books not worth the shipping cost and to keep his work interesting: “Selling online, there’s a lot of time and work, and you don’t ever have a social life. At least, when you’re in the shop, people come in and talk to you.” Since Dogstar’s opening, the shop has played host to a broad variety of Downtown social and cultural events, from poetry readings to art galleries to musical performances.
Though the market can be rough, the used books business is here to stay in Downtown Lancaster. They exist to promote good literature, good conversation, and one of the most obvious forms of recycling. It would surely be a benefit to all if we local residents would stop by these establishments next time we think of driving to the nearest big-box.
LETTER; Why didn't High let everyone know?
"At the LCCCA Finance Committee meeting this past Monday evening, there was a discussion about moving the LCCCA offices a few weeks after the hotel and convention center opened for business on April 21. It is obvious that at least 36 hours before this announcement the LCCCA leadership had no idea this delay was coming.
"At the LCCCA PR, Marketing, and Hospitality committee meeting on Thursday, March 19, Josh Nowak of Interstate Hotels and Resorts presented his usual report, with no mention of the possibility of a delay. It is possible that IHR didn't know about this delay in advance, either.
"There is a video on Lancaster Online of Tom Smithgall from High stating that 'substantial completion' should still occur in mid-April, as previously scheduled. The original plan was for the facility to open a week after 'substantial completion', now it will take a month. What changed?
"I wonder how long it has been since general contractor High knew that more than a week would be needed to wrap up the project. I have trouble believing that an experienced contractor like High would not have knownmonths ago that this extra time would be needed. Why didn't High let everyone know that this could happen?
"Now the hotel and convention center will be opening with a damaged reputation of its own creation; not the fault of the LCCCA or of IHR, but by the very same corporation which has already profited the most from thisproject."
"At the LCCCA PR, Marketing, and Hospitality committee meeting on Thursday, March 19, Josh Nowak of Interstate Hotels and Resorts presented his usual report, with no mention of the possibility of a delay. It is possible that IHR didn't know about this delay in advance, either.
"There is a video on Lancaster Online of Tom Smithgall from High stating that 'substantial completion' should still occur in mid-April, as previously scheduled. The original plan was for the facility to open a week after 'substantial completion', now it will take a month. What changed?
"I wonder how long it has been since general contractor High knew that more than a week would be needed to wrap up the project. I have trouble believing that an experienced contractor like High would not have knownmonths ago that this extra time would be needed. Why didn't High let everyone know that this could happen?
"Now the hotel and convention center will be opening with a damaged reputation of its own creation; not the fault of the LCCCA or of IHR, but by the very same corporation which has already profited the most from thisproject."
Amnesty offered for return of stolen circulation box
At the suggestion of a reader, amnesty will be given if the stolen NewsLanc circulation box is replaced by the end of the week on the SW corner of Marietta Avenue and School Lane from which it was stolen.
Excessive zeal or hubris?
The postponement of the opening of the Convention Center and Marriott Hotel is regretable, especially since events have to be cancelled.
Getting thousands of things done simultaneously and all necessary approvals from officials and Marriott is a formidable task. Yet schedulilnlg an extra 60 days for sitting empty as a precaution would have lost revenue and idled workers.
NewsLanc does not envy the the contractors, Penn Square Partners and the Convention Center Authority the task of meeting a tight deadline. After all, prudence has always been missing from the Project.
Getting thousands of things done simultaneously and all necessary approvals from officials and Marriott is a formidable task. Yet schedulilnlg an extra 60 days for sitting empty as a precaution would have lost revenue and idled workers.
NewsLanc does not envy the the contractors, Penn Square Partners and the Convention Center Authority the task of meeting a tight deadline. After all, prudence has always been missing from the Project.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
$1000 reward offered concerning theft of newspaper circulation box
The red NewsLanc newsletter circulation box at the South West corner of Marietta Avenue and School Lane was stolen on Wednesday morning and its contents strewn across the lawn.
Newspaper circulation boxes are permitted on public ground and right-of-ways as freedom of speech under the U. S. Constitution.
NewsLanc is offering a thousand dollars reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction on felony charges of those illegally removing the box.
Newspaper circulation boxes are permitted on public ground and right-of-ways as freedom of speech under the U. S. Constitution.
NewsLanc is offering a thousand dollars reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction on felony charges of those illegally removing the box.
EDITORIAL: Lehman should listen before deciding
We are pleased that Commissioner Craig Lehman will be attending board meetings for the various libraries to learn more about their special circumstances and ideas.
But we are disappointed that, at his first stop, Lehman rejected out of hand the idea of library consolidation into an authority on the assumption that the various libraries would not go along.
A leader won't hear ideas and learn much by stating preconceived notions at the outset.
But we are disappointed that, at his first stop, Lehman rejected out of hand the idea of library consolidation into an authority on the assumption that the various libraries would not go along.
A leader won't hear ideas and learn much by stating preconceived notions at the outset.
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