Well, the weathermen were right…for a change. We did get over a foot of snow in Philadelphia, and more in some areas. It wasn’t that hard digging out if you got to the snow early on when it was very powdery but those poor souls who had to dig out their cars as well as their driveways had to work hard to get things cleared.

I saw several snow ploughs along Cottman Avenue, and they ploughed and salted Wellington and Cottage street a couple of times. The roads are looking pretty decent in my area of Northeast Philly.

We heard a huge bang late this afternoon..not sure what it was or what area it came from. It sounded to be the other side of Cottman Avenue, but don’t really know. If anyone knows what it was maybe you can give me a heads up.

I have heard there is another storm on the way so keep those shovels handy and the salt at the ready.

Taxpayers in Pennsylvania will pay $34.6 billion for total Iraq & Afghanistan war spending since 2001. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

8,544,548 People with Health Care for One Year OR
41,607,354 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year OR
758,280 Public Safety Officers for One year OR
527,085 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR
2,844,174 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR
6,466,642 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5350 OR
351,624 Affordable Housing Units OR
10,859,129 Children with Health Care for One Year OR
5,422,654 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR
548,390 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR
482,266 Port Container Inspectors for One year

Say what you want about Michael Jackson…the cosmetic surgery…the bizarre clothes…having his kids wear masks . One thing is for sure Michael Jackson was a great performer and always put on a fantastic entertaining show. I saw him on stage once. I don’t know how he did it..he danced till he dropped. Someone had to literally come and help him get up from where he had flung himself face down on the stage. Twisting, spinning, whirling, jumping, moon walking through four or five minutes of exciting and electric performance each song. Girls were being carried off on stretchers, men were crying, everyone was screaming. Amazing. He had so much energy.

There were plenty of people who didn’t have a good word to say about Michael Jackson when he was alive who are now fawing over him and singing
his praises. No doubt the leeches are still going to be trying to use him and his image to make money just the way they did when he was alive. Its really sad that the people he surrounded himself with will still be using him as their meal ticket in death just as they did in life.

Anyway, Michael Jackson is out of it now. Out of the stress, the pain, the weirdness and away from those who didn’t do anything for him but further their own ends and line their own pockets while he was alive. You were great Michael. Rest in Peace.

Popel who are breaking into cars parked in the Cottage Street area had better beware. There are people watching out for you and taking pictures. You were seen looking in car windows and pics were taken and given to the appropiate authorities. Don’t be too surprised if the cops come knocking on your door.

Why do dog owners in this city carry pooper scoopers and pieces of paper and then still don’t pick up after their dogs? Obviously its just for show. If you can’t pick up after your dog don’t have a dog. And don’t take them to do their business in places where kids play baseball and football. Its dirty and disgusting. Pick up after your mutt please.

Man I can’t believe Phillies let that game slip away to the Yankees. The Yankees are known for heroics in the Ninth Inning, but Phillies should have been able to keep the two run lead they had. And whats with that stupid Yankee pie in the face thing they are doing? How childish can you get.

Did you see this ?

“Governor Rendell Seeks Comments on Plan to Use Stimulus Funds to Help Low-Income Residents ”

Well you know I’m getting a little tired of never being included just because I have worked hard all my life, gone without things so that I would have the basics rent, food, insurance etc etc and managed what little money I have in a responsible way. I come from a poor family..none of us took charity..all of us did the right and responsible thing..and for doing the right thing and being responsible what are we ever included in when the government hands out money? Zilch, nada, nothing. I wouldn’t mind a little extra money now and then..maybe *I* would like to go take classes..maybe *I* could use a little help with paying rent..but of course I am not considered ” low income” because I have always worked two or three jobs to support my family and pay my rent. Why should I be responsible when others who don’t work as hard or are less responsible are always in line when any extra cash is handed out. If you do the right thing you get nothing..if you are irresponsible or lazy all you have to do is put your hand out..I’m sick of it.

A 49-year-old man is in custody after trying to barge into Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx’s hotel penthouse in Philadelphia, police have said. They say William Brown knocked on Foxx’s door at the AKA Hotel on 20 March claiming to be Beyonce’s music producer but was ejected by security. The police were called after he returned on two separate occasions. He is being held in lieu of $250,000 (£169,000) bail on stalking and other charges. He is due in court on 7 April. Authorities say that when Mr Brown initially tried to shove his way into Foxx’s room, the star pushed him out and called security.
He was ejected again a few days later, but police were called when he returned on 31 March. Foxx has now returned to Los Angeles after completing filming in Philadelphia this week on his movie, Law Abiding Citizen.

Well, now that the presidential candidates have all gone to their next campaign state there’s a feeling in Philadelphia like after the Fourth of July, you know , the feeling the excitement and fun is all gone and now we have to get back to the grind of daily living. I must say that it was very exciting while it lasted. Candidates arrived at diners with police escorts sirens blaring, you had one of them tossing down shots at a campaign stop and the other grabbing a bite at a local eatery…mind you he only took a couple of bites for the camera and was off again to the next stop on the campaign trail. I think someone grabbed his mostly uneaten meal and its now for sale on eBay. We Philadelphians are VERY enterprising you know. I’m surprised someone didn’t grab Hillary’s shot glass and stick that on eBay. All in all I would rather have a shot and a glass of beer with Hillary than a couple of bites of breakfast with Obama..but so would most of us working class folk I think.

Anyway, Hillary won, congrats to her, they’ve gone on and here we are in Philly still wondering what our pols are going to do about crime and the rest of Philly’s woes. Lets see what happens.

Controlled excitement is building inside of Clinton’s inner circle as closely guarded internal polling shows the former first lady with an 11-point lead in Pennsylvania!

Clinton is polling near to nearly 2 to 1 over Obama in many regions of the state, a top insider explained to the DRUDGE REPORT.

A strong coalition of middle-class and religious voters has all but secured a Clinton victory Tuesday, with headline-making margins, the campaign believes.

“It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of how much,” a senior campaign source said Monday morning.

When pressed if the dramatic internal polling numbers could somehow be flawed in a state as demographically complex as Pennsylvania, and with new voter registration surging to unseen levels, the campaign insider held firm.

“Senator Obama would be wise not to unpack his bags quite yet.”

With less than 24 hours to go until the beginning of the end of primary season voting, Obama has handedly captured Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but has failed to dominate suburban sprawl, the campaign’s polling reveals.

An 11-point victory in Pennsylvania for Clinton would expand on margins scored in Ohio.

Clinton will quickly move to feverishly focus on Indiana starting Tuesday night, hoping to somehow convince superdelegates that she not only has superior stamina but has crucial swing state appeal.

Barack Obama’s surge in Pennsylvania appears to have stopped after the controversy over his remarks about bitter small town voters clinging to guns and religion, according to a new poll.

But the Quinnipiac University survey, the first taken since coverage of the remarks, also doesn’t show immediate evidence that Obama has been wounded.

The poll showed Hillary Clinton with a 50 percent to 44 percent lead over Obama, the same as a week earlier over Obama, who had been narrowing her lead from single digits.

Obama reinforced his overwhelming support among black voters, while Clinton held a 20-percentage-point edge among white voters, the poll found.

The survey also showed more of the bitterness that many Democrats are worrying about: 26 percent of Clinton supporters said they would vote for presumptive Republican nominee John McCain in November if Obama is the Democratic nominee, while 19 percent of Obama’s backers said they would support McCain if Clinton is the nominee.

The poll of 2,103 likely voters in the April 22 Democratic primary was conducted by telephone from Wednesday through Sunday. The news of Obama’s comments at a fund-raiser in San Francisco broke on Friday night. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 2.1 percentage points.

Most Philadelphians don’t need any special reason to drink beer, but they’re getting many in Philly Beer Week, which actually runs 10 days (March 7th–16th), celebrating the merits of hops, malt and barley with more than 75 brew-driven events and specials throughout the region. Here’s a taste of what’s to come.

On Monday, March 10th, Alison at Blue Bell will offer a four-course menu paired with Yards Beers; think molasses-cured Berkshire pork with date-and-foie-gras stuffing served with Yards General Washington Tavern Porter and a dessert trio of chocolate panna cotta, caramel semi-freddo and nut brittle paired with Yards Love Stout (6:30 PM; $65 per person; 215-641-2660).

Take a tour of eight local bars with seven local brewers – tasting their wares as you go, of course – on Wednesday, March 12th. The action begins at Jose Pistola’s (Iron Hill, Vienna Lager) and then moves on to Good Dog (Dock Street, Satellite Espresso Porter), Misconduct (Flying Fish, Bourbon Abbey Dubbel), Black Sheep (Yards, Thomas Jefferson Tavern Ale), Devil’s Alley (Sly Fox, Seamus Red Ale), Nodding Head (Nodding Head, BPA), Fergie’s (Tröeg’s, Nugget Nectar) and ends at McGillin’s for a bash with all the brewers (6 PM–midnight; $4 pints, pay as you go; no cover for the party; for more info go to www.phillybeerweek.org).

On Sunday, March 16th, Fork throws a special dim-sum brunch, with the likes of snails in black-bean sauce, gaibo (chicken bun) and braised ribs; libations scribe Lew Bryson will be on hand with some of the beer featured in his book Pennsylvania Breweries (noon; $35 per person; 215-625-9425).

I”ll tell you one thing. I always thought Hillary Clinton was tough and I knew she was really smart. but throughout this campaign she has proved to me beyond all doubt that she is VERY , VERY tough and VERY , VERY smart. This is one Commander in Chief I wouldn’t mind putting my trust in. Go Hillary!!!!

With Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama splitting delegates in primaries and caucuses rather evenly, Pennsylvania Democrats will have a major say in choosing their party’s presidential nominee at the primary election April 22. With large cities bookending vast stretches of farmland, Pennsylvania is a microcosm of the nation and faces many of the same difficulties in health care and farming, among other issues, as the rest of the country. It would be the first time the state plays a serious role in presidential nominating since 1976. Back then, peanut farmer-turned-Georgia-governor Jimmy Carter walloped Sen. Henry “Scoop” Jackson here, knocking him out of the presidential nominating race. Republicans are less likely to have a serious say in picking their nominee because Sen. John McCain established a commanding delegate lead over his top challenger, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, in the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses. But the state could clinch the nomination for Mr. McCain.