Yes. Yes I do. I like variety. #89 was that cereal where you have 1 bowl, then you back-burner it in the pantry. #90 is that tasty new box of cereal you know you're going to scarf down with gusto, possibly even in a single sitting.
Posted: Thursday, September 26, 2013 10:47 am | Updated: 7:14 pm, Thu Sep 26, 2013.
By Gary Weckselblatt Staff Writer
Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz called for universal preschool for 4-year-olds and expanded access to full-day kindergarten Thursday as she slammed Gov. Tom Corbett for "abandoning" education.
Schwartz described her initiative as part of "a bold education plan" to make "groundbreaking investments" in public education and "reverse Tom Corbett's cuts."
If elected, she said in a phone conference with the media, education would be her top priority, and it would include a new funding formula that stresses "need or fairness" rather than "political calculation."
"Pennsylvania needs a new governor who understands that strong schools are the foundation for building a better future for our children and a stronger economy," she said.
Schwartz, D-13, Jenkintown, is considered by many to be the front-runner in a crowded Democratic field, that includes fellow Montgomery County resident Rob McCord, the state treasurer.
During her media call, as she laid out her education agenda, she swiped at Corbett for "turning his back on Pennsylvania's public schools."
Corbett's campaign responded to the criticism by describing Schwartz's education plan as "flawed" and tying her to the "failing" policies of President Barack Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
In a press release, Corbett's campaign manager, Mike Barley, said the governor is a former teacher who is "prioritizing education by increasing state funding for Pennsylvania schools to historic levels."
"Congresswoman Schwartz's plan recycles the same old tax-and-spend policies of failed administrations that led to a $4.2 billion deficit, high unemployment and kicks the can down the road for future generations."
He criticized the $800 billion federal stimulus of 2009 for "irresponsibly backfilled cuts" made by the Gov. Ed Rendell administration "so they could continue to spend our state into debt."
"The simple truth to Congresswoman Schwartz's plan is that the math just doesn’t add up. If you tax natural gas to the point they leave and take jobs with them, how will she be getting the funding for any of these initiatives? Pennsylvanians can only be left to wonder what other taxes she will raise to make up the difference."
Schwartz has called for a 5 percent extraction tax on Marcellus Shale natural gas drillers that she said could raise $612 million in the first year and grow to $2 billion a year by 2022.
On Thursday, she called for re-prioritizing the budget, growing the economy and using funds from drilling to finance part of her education agenda.
She admitted her funding numbers for schools have yet to be developed, and added that Corbett's cuts are "so deep it would take my first term, four years, to recommit to Pennsylvania."
She said universal prekindergarten, a program called "Keystone Kids," would be phased in over a decade. "I'm trying to be practical about this," she said.
Thank God they're addressing the trash passing where it's most systematic, pervasive, and institutional. Problem solved. Wait what???
Priest faces charges after arrest
Story Highlights • Rev. Robert Brennan was arrested Thursday on sex-abuse charges. • He has been accused by a man, now in his 20s, of sexually molesting him from ages 11 to 14. • According to testimony, Brennan engaged in inappropriate behavior with more than 20 boys from 1988 to 2004.
Joseph A. Slobodzian, Inquirer Staff Writer
Last updated: Thursday, September 26, 2013, 12:53 PM Posted: Thursday, September 26, 2013, 10:51 AM
A Catholic priest whose alleged sexual abuse of teen and preteen boys figured prominently in last year's trial of a Philadelphia church official was arrested Thursday on sex-abuse charges.
The arrest of the 75-year-old Rev. Robert L. Brennan was announced at a news conference Thursday morning by District Attorney Seth Williams who related how the case evolved.
A a 26-year-old man - reportedly encouraged by last year's trial of Msgr. William J. Lynn, the first Catholic church official convicted for his supervisory role in covering up the conduct of pedophile priests - contacted the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in January, Williams said.
That same day, Archdiocesan officials called his office and told prosecutors that the man alleged that Brennan sexually abused him between 1998 and 2001 when he was 11 to 14 years old and attending the Resurrection of Our Lord parish in the Northeast, the district attorney said.
Williams said Brennan was arrested late Wednesday at a private home in Perryville, Md., where he has lived for much of the last eight years.
Brennan was being held in Cecil County, Md., awaiting an extradition hearing before a local judge. When he is returned to Philadelphia, possibly later today, Williams said he will be charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault.
"A serial sexual abuser is now behind bars thanks to the brave actions of this young man," Williams said.
Although Brennan was not charged as a result of the 2005 or 2011 county grand jury reports on clergy sex-abuse of children in Philadelphia archdiocese, his name and history became a large part last year's trial of Monsignor Lynn.
Prosecutors introduced details of Brennan's case to show that Lynn and other Archdiocesan officials had a long-standing practice of moving abusive priests to different parishes where they were then able to prey on a new group of children.
Lynn, 62, was found guilty of one count of child endangerment and is serving a three- to six-year prison term in the state prison at Waymart in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
According to trial testimony and documents, Brennan, who was ordained in 1964, engaged in inappropriate or suspicious behavior with more than 20 boys from 1988 to 2004 at parishes in Philadelphia and Bucks and Montgomery Counties.
Archdiocesan officials had Brennan undergo repeated psychological evaluations but transferred from one parish to another.
He was advised by Archdiocesan leaders to "keep a low profile" but he was not barred from contact with young people.
The late Philadelphia Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua testified before the grand jury that he considered Brennan's problems "innocuous-sounding boundary issues."
According to Assistant District Attorney Evangelia Manos, after Brennan's name appeared in the 2005 grand jury report, he relocated to Maryland under church orders not to perform any canonical duties.
He remains an ordained priest although the church has begun the process that could result in his being defrocked, she said.
Brennan is not related to the Rev. James J. Brennan, who was tried with Lynn and faces retrial after the jury could not reach a verdict in his case.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20130927_Phila__priest_arrested_on_sex_abuse_charges.html#8Do48Ju9uLjZbOUX.99
I saw the voter's guide online yesterday. Bowers, Stout and both people running for tax collector didn't answer. Here's the link: http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/search/?mode=article&t=article&s=start_time&sd=desc&q=morrisville
This is a great story on our Morrisville Mascot. You may see familiar faces in the video, Enjoy. *****************
If you get a moment go to www.buckscountycouriertimes.com go to High School sports Game on week 5 and at the 14:50 mark the video about the Bulldog begins.
103113bL vg Morrisville Mayor Posted: Thursday, September 26, 2013 4:00 am
Description: 1 seat/4-year term
Question: If elected, what will be your top priority?
Name: David T. Rivella
Party: Dem
Age: 44
Residence: No response.
Education: Ewing High School; electrical apprenticeship program, including continuing education classes; emergency management training
Job: Electrician, councilperson
Answer: Enhancing the livelihood of the community. Maintain partnerships with residents/businesses/schools/emergency services and orgs. To address concerns, lend support - make them a part of solutions. Renewing pride in homes/businesses/community encourages growth in home ownership/new business. I will continue to seek out grants. My family knows first-hand what can happen when officers lack proper direction. Overhauling the police dept/successful police coverage/assuring officers have resources/policies/training/day to day operations in place will boost morale and improve the care of our borough. I will work with council/code enforcement to ensure concerns are met/rules are followed/info is promptly available to residents and that substantial progress is made. I have proven common-sense leadership, experience and dedication needed to serve as mayor.
Name: Sandra Kitty Westrope
Party: Rep
Age: 56
Residence: No response.
Education: PhD, counseling psychology; divinity and philosophy of religion
Job: Director, New Age Counseling Center
Answer: To provide for the safety of our residents with a fully staffed police department that can do their job without political interference. It is important to support and maintain our police department, not secretly try to dissolve it. We can afford our own police department, especially with no tax increases in the past three years. I will closely review each budget to expose attempts by council for wasteful spending that would divert money from essential police operations. In my previous work in government, I had top security clearance, supervised both military and civilian personnel and managed operations. I have the skills and dedication to work with our police to make our department stronger so our officers can do their job safely to protect us. As mayor, I will make every effort to work with the borough council and administration to provide transparency and open government for the people, but they must also follow the laws and as mayor I will work to see that the laws are enforced.
103113bL vg Morrisville Council Ward 4 Posted: Thursday, September 26, 2013 4:00 am
Description: 1 seat/4-year term
Question: If elected, what will be your top priority?
Name: Victor A. Cicero
Party: Dem
Age: 80
Residence: No response.
Education: MPA, BS, AAS
Job: retired
Answer: Capital improvement. By renovating the energy system - modernize. Provide the best police protection we can afford. Renovate the former Morrisville swimming pool. Work with the school board to insure the system works for all students. Minimize the internal squabbling among council. Attract new businesses.
You want our vote but you do not take the time to answer questions? That doesnt sit well
103113bL vg Morrisville Tax Collector Posted: Thursday, September 26, 2013 4:00 am
Description: 1 seat/4-year term
Question: If elected, what will be your top priority?
Name: Elaine J. Miller
Party: Rep
Age: 63
Residence: No response.
Education: AA, Bucks County community College, 1970; BS, occupational therapy, Temple University College of Allied Health Professions, 1972; doctor of chiropractic, Columbia Institute of chiropractic-New York, 1976; general studies, certificate in non-profit organization and fundraising, certificate in CPR and first aid, University of Pennsylvania; PA notary public course; Delaware Valley College, Certificate in agriculture; Florida Coast Guard Power Squadron boating safety course,2012; various continuing professional education courses to maintain licenses
Another one that wants your vote and cannot answer a question.
103113bL vg Morrisville Council Ward 3 Posted: Thursday, September 26, 2013 4:00 am
Description: 1 seat/4-year term
Question: If elected, what will be your top priority?
Name: Justin R. Bowers
Party: Rep
Age: 32
Residence: No response.
Education: BS Industrial Engineering, Lehigh University. MS Project Management, The George Washington University
Job: Engineer; financial coordinator, Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission
Answer: No response.
Name: Fred Kerner
Party: Dem
Age: 33
Residence: No response.
Education: Morrisville High School; Millersville University
Job: Mailroom supervisor, Westminster Choir College
Answer: My absolute top priority is in getting council, all eight of us, to work together to make this town a better place to live for everyone involved. In my four years on council, I've seen some great ideas stalled by a lack of cooperation, and above all else, that needs to change before we can progress. We have a limited budget, and working within that is tough enough, but if everyone can agree that the town needs to upgrade, we should be able to put personal feelings aside and get things done. Once that is accomplished, we can hopefully put our heads together and figure out ways to combat the issues facing our borough. I am happy to work with anyone to that end.
When a candidate for school board cannot take the time to answer one question and has no ideas or input regarding the education of our children, why would you ever waste a vote?
103113bL vg Morrisville School Board Posted: Thursday, September 26, 2013 4:00 am
Description: 4 seats/4-year termMorrisville
Question: If elected, what will be your top priority?
Name: Ivan Colon
Party: Dem
Age: 48
Residence: No response.
Education: Morrisville High School; general education, Bucks county community college; Rutgers university
Job: Project manager, Alpha Environmental
Answer: My priority is to use my 20 years experience, working at Morrisville High as a learning support para educator and coach of several sports to help find a way to budget the funds without putting a burden on the taxpayers, however not forgetting the children and the staff that care for them. My goal is to have the taxpayers hear the truth about how their school is being run. Morrisville matters and should be in Balance. I'm here to see how I can can help.
Name: Daniel Dingle
Party: Dem
Age: 37
Residence: No response.
Education: History and education, double major,Monmouth University; health care administration, University of Phoenix
Job: Director of security and emergency management and safety officer, PHCS
Answer: My top priority as a candidate for school board is to see the district continue to move forward with improving quality education for our students and instilling pride in our town. Presently we see far too many higher performing students leaving our district for educational opportunities in other schools. I want to see the path to providing improved educational options, such as Advance Placement courses, opened up to our students. I also want to work with the administration to stabilize, innovate, and improve the current education program to help struggling students achieve their goals, and keep successful students successful. I believe that strong schools build strong communities and that when a balance between the financial needs and educational responsibilities of the district is realized; both our town and our schools will achieve greatness.
Job: Electrical supervisor, Bucks County Electrical Works Inc
Answer: My top priority as a school board candidate would be to help find a way to have the school move forward in the education of our children; while at the same time making the cost of that education something the community can live with. I believe that our community would ultimately benefit from having a strong and appealing school system.
Name: Jon Perry
Party: Dem
Age: 49
Residence: No response.
Education: BS, mechanical engineering, Pennsylvania State University
Answer: My top priority is to make honest, informed decisions about education, taxes, and the challenges facing a small district with a limited tax base. I want the Morrisville School District to provide a quality education for our students at a cost our community can afford. When education thrives, the community thrives. I will listen with an open mind about ideas to deliver strong educational and extra-curricular offerings in innovative ways, save money, and keep taxes under control. I want to avoid the prior school boards penchant for penny wise, pound foolish decisions and getting entangled in costly, avoidable lawsuits.
It's not difficult to respond, so when candidates don't respond, it generally shows a lack of care and conveys a sense of dismissiveness towards the electorate.
Coatesville's Como a steady success - until the texting
Ben Finley, Inquirer Staff Writer
Around noon on Father's Day, Steve Brazzle texted Rich Como, his onetime principal at Coatesville High School.
"Happy Father's Day pop pop," Brazzle wrote, poking fun at Como's age.
"My son!" replied Como, 67. "Much appreciated and thanks as always for remembering me. That does mean so much."
Brazzle, who is black, wrote back: "Of course. Thanks for being who you are."
Later that day, Como's phone spewed an entirely different text conversation to athletic director Jim Donato, this one peppered with racial slurs.
"Me no like [N-word] SNAKE LYING MOTHER F-," said one text about Tiger Woods, who was playing that day in the U.S. Open.
Now, no one is thanking Como for who he is. Instead, they are wondering who he was.
Until August, Como was known as the Chester County native who rose from football coach to Coatesville superintendent, steadying a racially diverse district that had been in turmoil.
His influence was so unquestioned that the school established the Rich Como Award, a $250 scholarship to honor athletes for their accomplishments on and off the field.
Now, the nephew of the late entertainer Perry Como is in hiding, having quit the post he held for eight years after phone records appear to have unmasked him - and Donato - as racists. Last week, a man stood near the district's main campus holding for passersby a handwritten sign that showed how far the superintendent had fallen.
"Como Worse Than KKK," it read.
"It's a hard pill to swallow," said Brazzle, a 2005 Coatesville graduate and football captain who now works as a dean at an alternative school in Reading. "This was a guy I would look up to. I would go to him for guidance."
Como has not returned phone calls seeking comment, and there's been no answer at his Coatesville home. A newly planted sign in his yard proclaims "Private Property, No Trespassing."
But interviews, records, and a review of past reports show a man who once seemed destined to be remembered with gratitude, not scorn.
Como's late father, Al, was the athletic director in Chester County's Great Valley School District, where Como was a student. Como played football there and later at the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
He then coached the sport at Upper Merion, where he led the Vikings to several championships in the suburban division - and taught drivers' education and gym.
In 1983, Como left for Duke University's football program, coaching the offensive line under Steve Sloan. His fellow assistant coaches included Tommy Bowden, who went on to coach Clemson University's football team, and Rodney Allison, who became head coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
After three seasons, Como left Duke and came back to Chester County. He landed in Coatesville.
As the head football coach, he started a weight-training program, which the district never had. More than 80 players tried out for the team during the second season.
He briefly left to serve as Upper Merion's athletic director but then returned to Coatesville as an assistant high school principal. In 2002, as the high school's principal, Como told The Inquirer that he reduced the dropout rate from 63 to two.
In 2004, he helped lure football players like Antoine Jones. A high school football standout from Michigan, Jones was moving to the area with his mother and looking at schools. Como offered a deep Rolodex of college football contacts.
"He was genuine - that was probably the biggest thing," Jones, a Delaware resident, said in an interview last week. "It seemed like he really wanted me to be around the whole atmosphere."
Jones ended up as one of the team's captains. And Como kept his word, bringing in scouts from North Carolina State, West Virginia, and Pitt, among others. Jones played at Saint Francis University near Pittsburgh before transferring to the University of Akron.
Jones said he was disgusted when news broke about the racist texts. "I never saw that in his character," he said.
Brazzle, who graduated from Coatesville in 2005, said he had heard grumbling that Como treated black students differently, pushing them toward sports instead of, say, student council. But Brazzle brushed off the speculation - until this month.
"I lost a lot of respect for him," he said.
The texts were discovered in August when the district's technology director, Abdallah Hawa, replaced Donato's school-issued cellphone and began to erase data from the old one.
Hawa found dozens of messages between Como and Donato's phones that referenced students and faculty members with the N-word and insulted women, Jews, and people of Middle Eastern and Hispanic descent.
"Will [N-word] report to office, pardon the interruption but will [N-word] report to nurses office. [N-word] to lunch now," said one text from Donato's phone.
Many of the texts, copies of which have been obtained by The Inquirer, were tied to sports. One sent to Donato during the NBA Finals said: "no travel no palm ball no 3 second. To many [N-words] and cant learn rules."
Board members confronted Como and Donato. And both men agreed to resign without a public explanation.
The texts leaked last week, drawing national attention and igniting outrage in a district whose population is nearly 50 percent minority.
On Tuesday, several hundred people packed a school board meeting to demand that both men be fired, although the board voted to allow the men to resign to avoid a legal battle.
By the time Como got the school's top administrative job in 2005, the district had lost successive superintendents under circumstances that drew headlines.
Como's predecessor, James Scarnati, resigned after board members increasingly questioned his abilities. Samuel DeSimone was dismissed after just a few months over issues regarding his state pension.
And Louis Laurento, a Coatesville graduate, left over mismanagement claims.
Como seemed likely to break the streak. He beat out superintendents from Kansas and Western Pennsylvania after a nationwide search. Board members said Como could hit the ground running because he knew the district and its challenges.
And he did.
Paul Johnson, a longtime school board member, said Como worked well with the board in recent years to improve Coatesville's name and its test scores, though some schools are still struggling, particularly the high school.
Johnson is among those who have stopped trying to reconcile the two faces of their superintendent.
"What has happened is gone - that was yesterday," he said of the texting scandal. "We have a school district to take care of. And we as a board have to keep on going.
"The first thing we've got to do is find a good superintendent."
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20130929_Coatesville_s_Como_a_steady_success_-_until_the_texting.html#7soGszZlA3tYBgZ0.99
Gov't Shutdown Science: Why Human Nature Is to Blame By Rachael Rettner, Senior Writer 11 hours ago
The failure of Congress to reach the agreement needed to avoid a government shutdown, in some ways, can be seen as the result of human nature, and the way people act when they form groups such as political parties, psychologists and sociologists say.
Humans are very tribal beings, and like to form groups, which is great for cooperation and community building, but can have negative consequences in terms of conflict, said Matt Motyl, a doctoral student in social psychology at the University of Virginia. "We become better able to fight off other tribes," when we form groups, Motyl said.
Problems arise when one group perceives that its members or values are threatened in some way. When this happens, people in parties may act in ways that they wouldn't act as individuals, experts say. [7 Great Dramas in Congressional History]
"When groups perceive that there is some sort of threat to what's important to them, people tend to put their own interests aside" and act on behalf of the group, said Nick Berigan, visiting assistant professor at East Tennessee State University's Department of Sociology and Anthropology.
Studies show that people who are generally the most cooperative individuals tend to be the least cooperative when their group faces off against another group, Berigan said. "Once they start a group, they're looking to protect it," Berigan said. Other research shows that groups make more extreme decisions than individuals, Motyl said.
Group identity
Some people also feel as though their identity is wrapped up with their groups', so a challenge to the group is a challenge to their identity.
"They have become extreme versions of themselves in an effort to ward off this fear that they will somehow be associated," with beliefs they disagree with, and in the case of the government shut down, this is the idea of the Affordable Care Act, said Suzanne Lachmann, a licensed clinical psychologist in New York City.
"Obamacare seems to represent the ultimate difference between what the republicans say they believe and what the democrats say they believe," Lachmann said. [Left vs. Right: Can We Ever Get Along?]
And its issues like these — that strike the very heart of a particular group's beliefs — on which people may be the least willing to compromise.
"People are less likely to comprise and bend when they think that fundamental moral concerns are at stake," said Christopher Federico, an associate professor of psychology and Political Science at the University of Minnesota.
For some members of congress, this isn't a debate about spending in general, "It’s a fundamental, moral issue about how big the government should be," Federico said.
Although members' actions may appear to be irrational, their behavior may actually have a rational basis, experts say. Through these actions, individuals are showing their commitment to their group, and may even gain status from their behavior.
"The crazier/wilder thing that you're willing to do to show commitment to group," the more status you may be given, Berigan said.
And if one group can convince the other that it's willing to do something "crazy," the latter group may concede because they "decide that it's better to be the 'losing team' than to face the much graver consequences of conflict," Berigan said. "In that regard, it is rational to appear irrational," he said.
Breaking conflict
There's no saying how the current government impasse will end. But in the past, concern about group reputation (in this case, the reputation of a political party) has lead one group to back down, Federico said.
Finding shared goals can also lead to compromise, Motyl said.
"Maybe their shared goal is to put back the 800,000 furloughed into their jobs, and make sure that essential services continue to be proved," Motyl said. Being reminded of these shared goals might increase the likelihood of cooperating, he said.
28 comments:
Only 23 in the last one, and we already get a new one?
Jon, do you also open a new box of cereal to get the toy before the old box is finished?
Yes. Yes I do. I like variety. #89 was that cereal where you have 1 bowl, then you back-burner it in the pantry. #90 is that tasty new box of cereal you know you're going to scarf down with gusto, possibly even in a single sitting.
Allyson Schwartz wants universal preschool in Pa.
Posted: Thursday, September 26, 2013 10:47 am | Updated: 7:14 pm, Thu Sep 26, 2013.
By Gary Weckselblatt Staff Writer
Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz called for universal preschool for 4-year-olds and expanded access to full-day kindergarten Thursday as she slammed Gov. Tom Corbett for "abandoning" education.
Schwartz described her initiative as part of "a bold education plan" to make "groundbreaking investments" in public education and "reverse Tom Corbett's cuts."
If elected, she said in a phone conference with the media, education would be her top priority, and it would include a new funding formula that stresses "need or fairness" rather than "political calculation."
"Pennsylvania needs a new governor who understands that strong schools are the foundation for building a better future for our children and a stronger economy," she said.
Schwartz, D-13, Jenkintown, is considered by many to be the front-runner in a crowded Democratic field, that includes fellow Montgomery County resident Rob McCord, the state treasurer.
During her media call, as she laid out her education agenda, she swiped at Corbett for "turning his back on Pennsylvania's public schools."
Corbett's campaign responded to the criticism by describing Schwartz's education plan as "flawed" and tying her to the "failing" policies of President Barack Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
In a press release, Corbett's campaign manager, Mike Barley, said the governor is a former teacher who is "prioritizing education by increasing state funding for Pennsylvania schools to historic levels."
"Congresswoman Schwartz's plan recycles the same old tax-and-spend policies of failed administrations that led to a $4.2 billion deficit, high unemployment and kicks the can down the road for future generations."
He criticized the $800 billion federal stimulus of 2009 for "irresponsibly backfilled cuts" made by the Gov. Ed Rendell administration "so they could continue to spend our state into debt."
"The simple truth to Congresswoman Schwartz's plan is that the math just doesn’t add up. If you tax natural gas to the point they leave and take jobs with them, how will she be getting the funding for any of these initiatives? Pennsylvanians can only be left to wonder what other taxes she will raise to make up the difference."
Schwartz has called for a 5 percent extraction tax on Marcellus Shale natural gas drillers that she said could raise $612 million in the first year and grow to $2 billion a year by 2022.
On Thursday, she called for re-prioritizing the budget, growing the economy and using funds from drilling to finance part of her education agenda.
She admitted her funding numbers for schools have yet to be developed, and added that Corbett's cuts are "so deep it would take my first term, four years, to recommit to Pennsylvania."
She said universal prekindergarten, a program called "Keystone Kids," would be phased in over a decade. "I'm trying to be practical about this," she said.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/Relocating_sexually_abusive_teachers_would_be_more_difficult_under_PA_Senate_bill.html
Thank God they're addressing the trash passing where it's most systematic, pervasive, and institutional. Problem solved. Wait what???
Priest faces charges after arrest
Story Highlights
• Rev. Robert Brennan was arrested Thursday on sex-abuse charges.
• He has been accused by a man, now in his 20s, of sexually molesting him from ages 11 to 14.
• According to testimony, Brennan engaged in inappropriate behavior with more than 20 boys from 1988 to 2004.
Joseph A. Slobodzian, Inquirer Staff Writer
Last updated: Thursday, September 26, 2013, 12:53 PM
Posted: Thursday, September 26, 2013, 10:51 AM
A Catholic priest whose alleged sexual abuse of teen and preteen boys figured prominently in last year's trial of a Philadelphia church official was arrested Thursday on sex-abuse charges.
The arrest of the 75-year-old Rev. Robert L. Brennan was announced at a news conference Thursday morning by District Attorney Seth Williams who related how the case evolved.
A a 26-year-old man - reportedly encouraged by last year's trial of Msgr. William J. Lynn, the first Catholic church official convicted for his supervisory role in covering up the conduct of pedophile priests - contacted the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in January, Williams said.
That same day, Archdiocesan officials called his office and told prosecutors that the man alleged that Brennan sexually abused him between 1998 and 2001 when he was 11 to 14 years old and attending the Resurrection of Our Lord parish in the Northeast, the district attorney said.
Williams said Brennan was arrested late Wednesday at a private home in Perryville, Md., where he has lived for much of the last eight years.
Brennan was being held in Cecil County, Md., awaiting an extradition hearing before a local judge. When he is returned to Philadelphia, possibly later today, Williams said he will be charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault.
"A serial sexual abuser is now behind bars thanks to the brave actions of this young man," Williams said.
Although Brennan was not charged as a result of the 2005 or 2011 county grand jury reports on clergy sex-abuse of children in Philadelphia archdiocese, his name and history became a large part last year's trial of Monsignor Lynn.
Prosecutors introduced details of Brennan's case to show that Lynn and other Archdiocesan officials had a long-standing practice of moving abusive priests to different parishes where they were then able to prey on a new group of children.
Lynn, 62, was found guilty of one count of child endangerment and is serving a three- to six-year prison term in the state prison at Waymart in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
According to trial testimony and documents, Brennan, who was ordained in 1964, engaged in inappropriate or suspicious behavior with more than 20 boys from 1988 to 2004 at parishes in Philadelphia and Bucks and Montgomery Counties.
Archdiocesan officials had Brennan undergo repeated psychological evaluations but transferred from one parish to another.
He was advised by Archdiocesan leaders to "keep a low profile" but he was not barred from contact with young people.
The late Philadelphia Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua testified before the grand jury that he considered Brennan's problems "innocuous-sounding boundary issues."
According to Assistant District Attorney Evangelia Manos, after Brennan's name appeared in the 2005 grand jury report, he relocated to Maryland under church orders not to perform any canonical duties.
He remains an ordained priest although the church has begun the process that could result in his being defrocked, she said.
Brennan is not related to the Rev. James J. Brennan, who was tried with Lynn and faces retrial after the jury could not reach a verdict in his case.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20130927_Phila__priest_arrested_on_sex_abuse_charges.html#8Do48Ju9uLjZbOUX.99
I saw the voter's guide online yesterday. Bowers, Stout and both people running for tax collector didn't answer.
Here's the link: http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/search/?mode=article&t=article&s=start_time&sd=desc&q=morrisville
This is a great story on our Morrisville Mascot. You may see familiar faces in the video, Enjoy.
*****************
If you get a moment go to www.buckscountycouriertimes.com go to High School sports Game on week 5 and at the 14:50 mark the video about the Bulldog begins.
103113bL vg Morrisville Mayor
Posted: Thursday, September 26, 2013 4:00 am
Description: 1 seat/4-year term
Question: If elected, what will be your top priority?
Name: David T. Rivella
Party: Dem
Age: 44
Residence: No response.
Education: Ewing High School; electrical apprenticeship program, including continuing education classes; emergency management training
Job: Electrician, councilperson
Answer: Enhancing the livelihood of the community. Maintain partnerships with residents/businesses/schools/emergency services and orgs. To address concerns, lend support - make them a part of solutions. Renewing pride in homes/businesses/community encourages growth in home ownership/new business. I will continue to seek out grants. My family knows first-hand what can happen when officers lack proper direction. Overhauling the police dept/successful police coverage/assuring officers have resources/policies/training/day to day operations in place will boost morale and improve the care of our borough. I will work with council/code enforcement to ensure concerns are met/rules are followed/info is promptly available to residents and that substantial progress is made. I have proven common-sense leadership, experience and dedication needed to serve as mayor.
Name: Sandra Kitty Westrope
Party: Rep
Age: 56
Residence: No response.
Education: PhD, counseling psychology; divinity and philosophy of religion
Job: Director, New Age Counseling Center
Answer: To provide for the safety of our residents with a fully staffed police department that can do their job without political interference. It is important to support and maintain our police department, not secretly try to dissolve it. We can afford our own police department, especially with no tax increases in the past three years. I will closely review each budget to expose attempts by council for wasteful spending that would divert money from essential police operations. In my previous work in government, I had top security clearance, supervised both military and civilian personnel and managed operations. I have the skills and dedication to work with our police to make our department stronger so our officers can do their job safely to protect us. As mayor, I will make every effort to work with the borough council and administration to provide transparency and open government for the people, but they must also follow the laws and as mayor I will work to see that the laws are enforced.
103113bL vg Morrisville Council Ward 4
Posted: Thursday, September 26, 2013 4:00 am
Description: 1 seat/4-year term
Question: If elected, what will be your top priority?
Name: Victor A. Cicero
Party: Dem
Age: 80
Residence: No response.
Education: MPA, BS, AAS
Job: retired
Answer: Capital improvement. By renovating the energy system - modernize. Provide the best police protection we can afford. Renovate the former Morrisville swimming pool. Work with the school board to insure the system works for all students. Minimize the internal squabbling among council. Attract new businesses.
You want our vote but you do not take the time to answer questions? That doesnt sit well
103113bL vg Morrisville Tax Collector
Posted: Thursday, September 26, 2013 4:00 am
Description: 1 seat/4-year term
Question: If elected, what will be your top priority?
Name: Elaine J. Miller
Party: Rep
Age: 63
Residence: No response.
Education: AA, Bucks County community College, 1970; BS, occupational therapy, Temple University College of Allied Health Professions, 1972; doctor of chiropractic, Columbia Institute of chiropractic-New York, 1976; general studies, certificate in non-profit organization and fundraising, certificate in CPR and first aid, University of Pennsylvania; PA notary public course; Delaware Valley College, Certificate in agriculture; Florida Coast Guard Power Squadron boating safety course,2012; various continuing professional education courses to maintain licenses
Job: Retired, chiropractic physician; registered occupational therapist
Answer: No response.
Name: Pat Pordash
Party: Dem
Age: No response.
Residence: No response.
Education: No response.
Job: No response.
Answer: No response.
Another one that wants your vote and cannot answer a question.
103113bL vg Morrisville Council Ward 3
Posted: Thursday, September 26, 2013 4:00 am
Description: 1 seat/4-year term
Question: If elected, what will be your top priority?
Name: Justin R. Bowers
Party: Rep
Age: 32
Residence: No response.
Education: BS Industrial Engineering, Lehigh University. MS Project Management, The George Washington University
Job: Engineer; financial coordinator, Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission
Answer: No response.
Name: Fred Kerner
Party: Dem
Age: 33
Residence: No response.
Education: Morrisville High School; Millersville University
Job: Mailroom supervisor, Westminster Choir College
Answer: My absolute top priority is in getting council, all eight of us, to work together to make this town a better place to live for everyone involved. In my four years on council, I've seen some great ideas stalled by a lack of cooperation, and above all else, that needs to change before we can progress. We have a limited budget, and working within that is tough enough, but if everyone can agree that the town needs to upgrade, we should be able to put personal feelings aside and get things done. Once that is accomplished, we can hopefully put our heads together and figure out ways to combat the issues facing our borough. I am happy to work with anyone to that end.
When a candidate for school board cannot take the time to answer one question and has no ideas or input regarding the education of our children, why would you ever waste a vote?
103113bL vg Morrisville School Board
Posted: Thursday, September 26, 2013 4:00 am
Description: 4 seats/4-year termMorrisville
Question: If elected, what will be your top priority?
Name: Ivan Colon
Party: Dem
Age: 48
Residence: No response.
Education: Morrisville High School; general education, Bucks county community college; Rutgers university
Job: Project manager, Alpha Environmental
Answer: My priority is to use my 20 years experience, working at Morrisville High as a learning support para educator and coach of several sports to help find a way to budget the funds without putting a burden on the taxpayers, however not forgetting the children and the staff that care for them. My goal is to have the taxpayers hear the truth about how their school is being run. Morrisville matters and should be in Balance. I'm here to see how I can can help.
Name: Daniel Dingle
Party: Dem
Age: 37
Residence: No response.
Education: History and education, double major,Monmouth University; health care administration, University of Phoenix
Job: Director of security and emergency management and safety officer, PHCS
Answer: My top priority as a candidate for school board is to see the district continue to move forward with improving quality education for our students and instilling pride in our town. Presently we see far too many higher performing students leaving our district for educational opportunities in other schools. I want to see the path to providing improved educational options, such as Advance Placement courses, opened up to our students. I also want to work with the administration to stabilize, innovate, and improve the current education program to help struggling students achieve their goals, and keep successful students successful. I believe that strong schools build strong communities and that when a balance between the financial needs and educational responsibilities of the district is realized; both our town and our schools will achieve greatness.
Name: Joe Gilleo
Party: Dem
Age: 40
Residence: No response.
Education: Pennsylvania electrician apprenticeship
Job: Electrical supervisor, Bucks County Electrical Works Inc
Answer: My top priority as a school board candidate would be to help find a way to have the school move forward in the education of our children; while at the same time making the cost of that education something the community can live with. I believe that our community would ultimately benefit from having a strong and appealing school system.
Name: Jon Perry
Party: Dem
Age: 49
Residence: No response.
Education: BS, mechanical engineering, Pennsylvania State University
Job: Environmental engineer, senior project manager, environmental consulting firm
Answer: My top priority is to make honest, informed decisions about education, taxes, and the challenges facing a small district with a limited tax base. I want the Morrisville School District to provide a quality education for our students at a cost our community can afford. When education thrives, the community thrives. I will listen with an open mind about ideas to deliver strong educational and extra-curricular offerings in innovative ways, save money, and keep taxes under control. I want to avoid the prior school boards penchant for penny wise, pound foolish decisions and getting entangled in costly, avoidable lawsuits.
Name: Ronald Stout
Party: Rep
Age: No response.
Residence: No response.
Education: No response.
Job: No response.
Answer: No response.
Thanks for posting. I had plans to post all the Morrisville offices, but you beat me to it, and I'm glad.
It's not difficult to respond, so when candidates don't respond, it generally shows a lack of care and conveys a sense of dismissiveness towards the electorate.
Yeah but we keep electing these no response people. There no harm in not answering.
No response.
I cannot answer that question on the grounds that it may incriminate me.
Stout, Pordash, they clearly can't handle computers. But Bowser, he's 32, he can't use that excuse, he blew it off.
Coatesville's Como a steady success - until the texting
Ben Finley, Inquirer Staff Writer
Around noon on Father's Day, Steve Brazzle texted Rich Como, his onetime principal at Coatesville High School.
"Happy Father's Day pop pop," Brazzle wrote, poking fun at Como's age.
"My son!" replied Como, 67. "Much appreciated and thanks as always for remembering me. That does mean so much."
Brazzle, who is black, wrote back: "Of course. Thanks for being who you are."
Later that day, Como's phone spewed an entirely different text conversation to athletic director Jim Donato, this one peppered with racial slurs.
"Me no like [N-word] SNAKE LYING MOTHER F-," said one text about Tiger Woods, who was playing that day in the U.S. Open.
Now, no one is thanking Como for who he is. Instead, they are wondering who he was.
Until August, Como was known as the Chester County native who rose from football coach to Coatesville superintendent, steadying a racially diverse district that had been in turmoil.
His influence was so unquestioned that the school established the Rich Como Award, a $250 scholarship to honor athletes for their accomplishments on and off the field.
Now, the nephew of the late entertainer Perry Como is in hiding, having quit the post he held for eight years after phone records appear to have unmasked him - and Donato - as racists. Last week, a man stood near the district's main campus holding for passersby a handwritten sign that showed how far the superintendent had fallen.
"Como Worse Than KKK," it read.
"It's a hard pill to swallow," said Brazzle, a 2005 Coatesville graduate and football captain who now works as a dean at an alternative school in Reading. "This was a guy I would look up to. I would go to him for guidance."
Como has not returned phone calls seeking comment, and there's been no answer at his Coatesville home. A newly planted sign in his yard proclaims "Private Property, No Trespassing."
But interviews, records, and a review of past reports show a man who once seemed destined to be remembered with gratitude, not scorn.
Como's late father, Al, was the athletic director in Chester County's Great Valley School District, where Como was a student. Como played football there and later at the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
He then coached the sport at Upper Merion, where he led the Vikings to several championships in the suburban division - and taught drivers' education and gym.
In 1983, Como left for Duke University's football program, coaching the offensive line under Steve Sloan. His fellow assistant coaches included Tommy Bowden, who went on to coach Clemson University's football team, and Rodney Allison, who became head coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
After three seasons, Como left Duke and came back to Chester County. He landed in Coatesville.
As the head football coach, he started a weight-training program, which the district never had. More than 80 players tried out for the team during the second season.
He briefly left to serve as Upper Merion's athletic director but then returned to Coatesville as an assistant high school principal. In 2002, as the high school's principal, Como told The Inquirer that he reduced the dropout rate from 63 to two.
In 2004, he helped lure football players like Antoine Jones. A high school football standout from Michigan, Jones was moving to the area with his mother and looking at schools. Como offered a deep Rolodex of college football contacts.
"He was genuine - that was probably the biggest thing," Jones, a Delaware resident, said in an interview last week. "It seemed like he really wanted me to be around the whole atmosphere."
Jones ended up as one of the team's captains. And Como kept his word, bringing in scouts from North Carolina State, West Virginia, and Pitt, among others. Jones played at Saint Francis University near Pittsburgh before transferring to the University of Akron.
Jones said he was disgusted when news broke about the racist texts. "I never saw that in his character," he said.
Brazzle, who graduated from Coatesville in 2005, said he had heard grumbling that Como treated black students differently, pushing them toward sports instead of, say, student council. But Brazzle brushed off the speculation - until this month.
"I lost a lot of respect for him," he said.
The texts were discovered in August when the district's technology director, Abdallah Hawa, replaced Donato's school-issued cellphone and began to erase data from the old one.
Hawa found dozens of messages between Como and Donato's phones that referenced students and faculty members with the N-word and insulted women, Jews, and people of Middle Eastern and Hispanic descent.
"Will [N-word] report to office, pardon the interruption but will [N-word] report to nurses office. [N-word] to lunch now," said one text from Donato's phone.
Many of the texts, copies of which have been obtained by The Inquirer, were tied to sports. One sent to Donato during the NBA Finals said: "no travel no palm ball no 3 second. To many [N-words] and cant learn rules."
Board members confronted Como and Donato. And both men agreed to resign without a public explanation.
The texts leaked last week, drawing national attention and igniting outrage in a district whose population is nearly 50 percent minority.
On Tuesday, several hundred people packed a school board meeting to demand that both men be fired, although the board voted to allow the men to resign to avoid a legal battle.
By the time Como got the school's top administrative job in 2005, the district had lost successive superintendents under circumstances that drew headlines.
Como's predecessor, James Scarnati, resigned after board members increasingly questioned his abilities. Samuel DeSimone was dismissed after just a few months over issues regarding his state pension.
And Louis Laurento, a Coatesville graduate, left over mismanagement claims.
Como seemed likely to break the streak. He beat out superintendents from Kansas and Western Pennsylvania after a nationwide search. Board members said Como could hit the ground running because he knew the district and its challenges.
And he did.
Paul Johnson, a longtime school board member, said Como worked well with the board in recent years to improve Coatesville's name and its test scores, though some schools are still struggling, particularly the high school.
Johnson is among those who have stopped trying to reconcile the two faces of their superintendent.
"What has happened is gone - that was yesterday," he said of the texting scandal. "We have a school district to take care of. And we as a board have to keep on going.
"The first thing we've got to do is find a good superintendent."
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20130929_Coatesville_s_Como_a_steady_success_-_until_the_texting.html#7soGszZlA3tYBgZ0.99
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130930_Former_school_buildings_a_hard_sell_.html
Mr Bowers answered my questions the last time he was running.
Said he was single.
Complained about how the bad schools were and how high property taxes were.
Wanted to lower property taxes.
Bowers has a creepy look in his eyes. And if those are his views, I say forget you Jobu.
Fred Kerner is not the problem on council. I will vote for him as a 3rd ward resident.
Gov't Shutdown Science: Why Human Nature Is to Blame
By Rachael Rettner, Senior Writer 11 hours ago
The failure of Congress to reach the agreement needed to avoid a government shutdown, in some ways, can be seen as the result of human nature, and the way people act when they form groups such as political parties, psychologists and sociologists say.
Humans are very tribal beings, and like to form groups, which is great for cooperation and community building, but can have negative consequences in terms of conflict, said Matt Motyl, a doctoral student in social psychology at the University of Virginia. "We become better able to fight off other tribes," when we form groups, Motyl said.
Problems arise when one group perceives that its members or values are threatened in some way. When this happens, people in parties may act in ways that they wouldn't act as individuals, experts say. [7 Great Dramas in Congressional History]
"When groups perceive that there is some sort of threat to what's important to them, people tend to put their own interests aside" and act on behalf of the group, said Nick Berigan, visiting assistant professor at East Tennessee State University's Department of Sociology and Anthropology.
Studies show that people who are generally the most cooperative individuals tend to be the least cooperative when their group faces off against another group, Berigan said. "Once they start a group, they're looking to protect it," Berigan said. Other research shows that groups make more extreme decisions than individuals, Motyl said.
Group identity
Some people also feel as though their identity is wrapped up with their groups', so a challenge to the group is a challenge to their identity.
"They have become extreme versions of themselves in an effort to ward off this fear that they will somehow be associated," with beliefs they disagree with, and in the case of the government shut down, this is the idea of the Affordable Care Act, said Suzanne Lachmann, a licensed clinical psychologist in New York City.
"Obamacare seems to represent the ultimate difference between what the republicans say they believe and what the democrats say they believe," Lachmann said. [Left vs. Right: Can We Ever Get Along?]
And its issues like these — that strike the very heart of a particular group's beliefs — on which people may be the least willing to compromise.
"People are less likely to comprise and bend when they think that fundamental moral concerns are at stake," said Christopher Federico, an associate professor of psychology and Political Science at the University of Minnesota.
For some members of congress, this isn't a debate about spending in general, "It’s a fundamental, moral issue about how big the government should be," Federico said.
Although members' actions may appear to be irrational, their behavior may actually have a rational basis, experts say. Through these actions, individuals are showing their commitment to their group, and may even gain status from their behavior.
"The crazier/wilder thing that you're willing to do to show commitment to group," the more status you may be given, Berigan said.
And if one group can convince the other that it's willing to do something "crazy," the latter group may concede because they "decide that it's better to be the 'losing team' than to face the much graver consequences of conflict," Berigan said. "In that regard, it is rational to appear irrational," he said.
Breaking conflict
There's no saying how the current government impasse will end. But in the past, concern about group reputation (in this case, the reputation of a political party) has lead one group to back down, Federico said.
Finding shared goals can also lead to compromise, Motyl said.
"Maybe their shared goal is to put back the 800,000 furloughed into their jobs, and make sure that essential services continue to be proved," Motyl said. Being reminded of these shared goals might increase the likelihood of cooperating, he said.
The 3rd Annual All Years MHS Reunion is this Satuday October 5, 2013 Noon to dusk at Williamson Park-The Island stage area....
Schedule of Events:
Noon-1pm Registration and Chinese Auction and 50/50 ticket sales begin
Noon- till? DJ- Scott Robinson, Class of ’86, playing Oldies music
1:30pm Twist Contest
2:00pm First Class photos – Classes 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s
2:15pm-Dusk Live bands featuring Morrisville Musicians
3:00pm Second Class photos- Classes 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s
4:00pm Chinese Auction Prize Winners selected
5:00pm 50/50 Winner selected
Note: Registration table will be open throughout day. Chinese Auction tix will be sold up till 3:45pm, 50/50 tickets will be sold up to 4:45pm.
Hello everyone I am proud to report that the 3rd Annual All years Reunion is a part of history and a good one at that.
Year 1 we raised $350 and 125 people registered in attendance
Year 2 we raised $658 and 275 people registered in attendance
Year 3 we raised $2208 and 324+ people registered in attendance (there were many who did not sign in as well)
Amazing day, very hot, but amazing.
Year 4 will be October 4, 2014
Thanks for the good news, Wanda. Onward and upward!
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