Don't Mess with Erie

Commenting to Senator Arlen Specter on his recent political party switch, Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss) asked, "Does this mean I don’t have to go to Erie [Pa.] anymore?" to Specter at the Republicans' weekly lunch.

Although it is not clear what Sen. Specter's real time response was; he told the Huffington Post that Sen. Cochran is welcome in Erie anytime.

My reaction is not as polite.

Dear Thad (Can I call you Thad?),
I don't want you here, in my hometown. I'm not sure if you posses any Southern hospitality or Southern charm, but judging from your comments, I would presume that answer is no. I don't speak for all Erie-ites, just the ones who were offended. Please stay in the South and learn some manners.
Thanks,
kc
P.S. I am surprised that as a politician you have not learned tact. Your comments were rude, uncalled for, offensive, and unnecessary. Don't mess with Erie!

Groundbreaking ... going up and going down.

Today in Harborcreek, Pa., two exciting developments will be happening. First at 9:30 a.m., the Harborcreek Mall (a.k.a. the eye-sore of Route 5) will be razed. Second at 3:00 p.m., the Penn State Behrend's new Admissions and Alumni Center will break ground.

The Robert and Sally Metzgar Admissions and Alumni Center will consolidate several services for prospective students, current students, and alumni. The $4.7 million, two-story, 11,700-square-foot building will house the offices of five key Penn State Behrend departments — admissions, financial aid, bursar, registrar, and alumni relations (a.k.a. my office), — in one central location.

The architect for the project is Herman Weber, design principal and founder of Weber Murphy Fox. Perry Construction Group of Erie is the general contractor.

Read the full story here.

The long-vacant Harborcreek Mall will be demolished this morning by Rohrer Trucking Inc. of Waterford. The demolition is part of Harborcreek township's plan to purchase the property and revamp it for redevelopment. Township officials closed on the $557,970 purchase with Baldwin Brothers Inc. on Friday. Harborcreek plans to market the property to private developers, most likely as a site for single-family homes.

Read the full story here.

It's a monumental day in Harborcreek history!

P.S. I am going to try to tweet the groundbreaking via Behrend Alumni News, but I might be too busy taking pics for my blog's recap tomorrow. Either way, I promise to cover the exciting event on campus.

SS - Senseless Shooting

In Erie, Pa. on Saturday at around 8 p.m. at 2200 block of East 20th Street (between Franklin and McClelland avenues) a man was fatally shot.

Jayson Sack, 30, of Erie, died Saturday after he yelled at a motorist to slow down in a residential neighborhood and the driver shot him. Erie police charged Joel Atkin, 22, of Erie, with homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, and possession of an instrument of crime.

Jayson was at a family barbecue at his brother's house, when he called out to the driver. The driver stopped several car lengths from the yard, got out of the car, and pointed a gun at Jayson.

Jayson's brother, Vinny Sack, went out to try to defuse the situation, to get the man to put the gun down, and to get his brother to back away. After yelling, "Don't shoot," the driver then pointed the gun at Vinny. Jayson Sack, who had served in the U.S. Army, tried to disarm the man. Jayson Sack was shot in the abdomen.

"I grabbed my brother," Vinny Sack said, tears in his eyes. "I'm trying to hold the holes in him."

He said the driver then put the gun in his pocket and stood there. Police took Atkin into custody without incident at the scene of the shooting.

Jayson Sack was taken to Hamot Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead Saturday at 8:46 p.m.

Read the full story on GoErie.



Without too much of my own commentary, I wanted to share this shocking story of senseless violence. Would you like to share any thoughts?

Presque Isle Downs & Casino

Presque Isle Downs and Casino looks to have finally finished its highway sign:

Take a look the next time you pass exit 27 on I-90.

Five-Hundred Free Frisbees

Penn State Behrend celebrated Earth Day 2009 with the help of two engineering students, who produced and distributed 500 Frisbees — made of recycled pet food bags.

Nicole Cocuzzi and Jenna Haschets, junior plastics engineering technology students, helped to coordinate the event along with Ann Quinn, lecturer in biology and member of the college’s Greener Behrend Task Force.

Featured guests included Kurt Duska, president of Engineered Plastics, Inc. (an event sponsor), a spokesperson for Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-3), and the Bucket Brigade, among others.

The Bucket Brigade is a collaborative, green organization that includes student volunteers from the area’s four colleges and universities — Penn State Behrend, Edinboro University, Gannon University, and Mercyhurst College. (Bucket Brigade benefits Habitat for Humanity, Earth Force, Lake Erie Region Conservancy, and the Pennsylvania Lake Erie Watershed Association.)

Here's some pictures of the frisbees made of 100% recycled materials:

... and it doesn't even smell like dog food.

How Much Land Does a Man Need?

That great question was posed by The Jazz Mandolin Project last night at Mercyhurst College.

The timely Earth Day performance combined literature, video, and live musical accompaniment. Leo Tolstoy's (author of War and Peace) short story, "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" was retold through narration, composed music, and video footage that mandolin player Jamie Masefield collected while touring the country in 2005.

The Jazz Mandolin Project (JMP) is a quartet of talented men who play music described as acoustic-electric funk, Celtic folk, and quiet balladry.

How Much Land Does a Man Need? is an 1886 short story by Leo Tolstoy about a peasant man, Pahom, who, in his lust for land, forfeits everything. The story follows his journey across the land, illustrating his greediness. Pahom tries to obtain as much land as possible, not content with what he already has.

Happy Earth Day!

One of my favorite childhood books was The Wump World, written by Bill Peet. This book was designed to raise awareness of environmental problems. Published in 1981, one year before Dr. Seuss's The Lorax was published, both books have similar parallels.

The story is an allegory of our own mistreatment of Earth. The book begins with the destructive Pollutians (martians who pollute) landing on the unspoiled Wump World to cover it indiscriminately with industry, development, and waste, all to the detriment of the innocent Wumps.

The clueless Pollutians force the gentle, little Wumps shivering underground and cringing at all the noise pollution. Soon the Pollutians dispatch more exploratory spacemen to find a new world, because the Wump World is almost all used up.

Wump World was published over 30 years ago, but Bill Peet’s message remains relevant today. It is said that many who read The Wump World decades ago as small children credit it with helping acquire their strong environmental awareness of today. I know I do.

Happy Earth Day!

Corporations Celebrate Earth Day

Here are a few things corporations are doing in celebration of Earth Day:

• Reynolds Recycled Wrap: Made from 100% Recycled Aluminum. (PS You can download a coupon today for a free roll)
• Ziploc evolve sandwich and storage bags: Made with 25% less plastic and manufactured using wind power.
• Domino Sugar carbon free: Product's carbon footprint is rendered neutral by cutting green-house gases in growing and production.
• CVS/Pharmacy Earth Essentials Product Line: Included are room mists made from essential oils, paper products made from 100 percent recycled fibers, and disposable plates and bowls made from sugarcane.
• Home Depot Eco Page: Celebrates Earth Day with giving away 1 million free CFL Bulbs and sales on Energy Star appliances, organic seed packets, and more.
• Payless Zac & Zoe Green Shoe Brand: The collection offers shoes featuring organic cotton canvas, hemp, linen, EVA (non-PVC) foam beds, recycled rubber, and water-based glues.
• Big Green Cookbook: It is the first comprehensive, climate-conscious cookbook, ideal for both culinary novices and experienced cooks.
• NASA: The agency focuses on “Green Initiatives” has resulted in each NASA Center and test facility examining and implementing ways to produce and use renewable energy, conserve energy and water, and utilize environmentally friendly materials.

It's wonderful that such large corporations can make such efforts to improve their environmental impact, encourage customers to buy green, and help their marketing campaign in the process. I think we all should take a page from their playbook, small steps can make big waves (and we will feel better about ourselves).

Rent!

KT and I attended Pittsburgh's Broadway show Rent this weekend. It was awesome!

Thursday marked the 13 anniversary of its opening on Broadway.

On Jan. 25, 1996, its creator, Jonathan Larson, died unexpectedly the night before the show opened off-Broadway. After an enthusiastic response to the debut production at New York Theatre Workshop, "Rent" transferred to Broadway on April 16, 1996, where it ran until Sept. 7, 2008.


Original cast members (and stars in the movie version) Adam Pascall (Roger Davis) and Anthony Rapp (Mark Cohen) appeared with other wonderful cast members.

It was a great performance and it was a wonderful privilege to witness the reunion of Pascall and Rapp.

Rather than summarize the plot, here are some of my favorite lyrics:

"Look, I find some of what you teach suspect because I'm used to relying on intellect, but I try to open up to what I don't know" - Life Support

"525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?" - Seasons of Love

"To days of inspiration, playing hookey, making something out of nothing. The need to express -to communicate. To going against the grain, going insane, going mad." - La Vie Boheme

"The Opposite Of War Isn't Peace... It's Creation" - La Vie Boheme

"You're sweet. Wanna hit the street? Wanna wail at the moon like a cat in Heat? Just take me out tonight." - Out Tonight

"A tiger in a cage can never see the sun. This diva needs her stage." - Take Me or Leave Me

"Take me for what I am. Who I was meant to be. And if you give a damn, take me baby or leave me." - Take Me or Leave Me

"I look before I leap. I love margins and discipline. I make lists in my sleep. Baby, whats my sin?Never quit; I follow through. I hate mess but I love you. What do with my improptu baby?" - Take Me or Leave Me

What are your favs?

Bumper Bummer

My beautiful 2008 Toyota Rav-4 with 4,500 miles...


was backed into by some "jerk" (I have been using different words to describe this inconsiderate "jerk").

After scouring parking lots I regularly park in, I think I found the culprit. A black, Dodge Durango parked in my townhouse parking lot.

No real damage to this "jerk's" bumper except Pacific Blue scuff marks in the corner.

I know this happens quite often, but my Rav is only 8 months old. This is making me sick because not only will the deductible cost me $500, but I also like to keep my belongings in pristine condition.

What are your thoughts? Do you think the Durango Driver crunched my bumper? And if yes, what do you think I should do about it?

Teabaggers Go Nuts

Keith Olbermann's #5 story last night, "Teabaggers Go Nuts" was awesome. I highly recommend to all left-wingers out there (the perverted undertones just make me giggle).

Two important things to gather from this report:

1) Fox News (aka Fixed News) is completely unfair and unbalanced. And their pre-coverage of these rallies helped hype up the grass roots support (which is fine when that's your game, but not fine when you claim to be a news organization).

2) Obama made wonderful points in his speech yesterday - our tax codes are too complicated for everyday Americans to become experts in, but just complicated enough for insiders to know how to get around them. Obama said, "For too long, we've seen our taxes be used as a wedge to scare people into supporting policies that actually increase the burden on the working people instead of helping them live their dreams."

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

If you don't know what teabagging is, visit Urban Dictionary for its gross definitions.

Be Green at Work

Monster.com's recent mass emailing included an article about how you can be green at your workplace.

As Monster Senior Contributing Writer John Rossheim wrote, "you’ve got to do more than just drop a few sheets of paper into the recycling bin every day."

In his article, Rossheim described five spheres of white-collar environmentalism to which you can pledge your efforts.

1. Color Your Cube Green - As an individual, minimize printing, maximize recycling, turn off devices and task lights.
2. Put Green Building Issues on the Table - Offices are energy hogs and by adopting LEED Rating Systems buildings can substantially reduce environmental impact.
3. Maximize Telecommuting; Minimize Business Travel - Working from home and Web-based videoconferencing are alternatives to decrease transportation emissions and reduce fuel costs.
4. Paint Every Corporate Department Green - Establish a green committee in your workplace to explore how to reduce energy and expand interest and focus to other departments.
5. Communicate to Educate - Let coworkers know of the workplace's environmental policy and how the can contribute.

Read the article in its entirety. Is your workplace making environmentally conscious efforts?

1 Year

I celebrate my one-year anniversary at Penn State Behrend today. It's odd because sometimes I feel like I have worked in my position for such a sort time and other times I feel like I have been here forever.

Since it is the 14 of April, I decided to list 14 things I have planned and executed in my position of assistant director of alumni relations. Please endulge my bragging session:

1. Alumni Reunion - celebrating 60 years with:
1. Car Show
2. Alumnus Scott Mitchell’s Zoo Presentation
3. Wine Tasting Lessons and Wine Tour
4. Poker Tournament
5. Horse-drawn Carriage Rides
6. Salsa Lessons
7. Pioneer Dinner on Glenhill’s Lawn
8. Golf Lessons
9. Harry Potter Class for Kids


2. Dan Mead 2008 Alumni Fellow
1. Lunch with his scholarship students
2. Lecture to classes
3. Award Presentation Dinner


3. Lacresha Hall 2009 Alumni Achievement Award
1. First Behrend Recipient
2. Tour of CORE and campus
3. Lunch with Pre-Med Students
4. Lecture to classes
5. Dinner with psychology students and faculty


4. 60th Anniversary Celebrations


5. Behrend Archives
1. Celebrate the Behrend Campus History, Behrend Family History, Hammermill Paper Co. History
2. Opened during reunion for alumni to tour
3. Held special tours for Behrend Retirees


6. Metzgar Admissions and Alumni Center
1. Groundbreaking for our newest building, the Robert and Sally Metzgar Admissions and Alumni Center, will take place Tuesday, April 28. The Metzgars’ generosity will create a new “front door” for the college — the Center will be the first place prospective students visit, and the return point for alumni.


7. Targeted Alumni Receptions:
1. Erie Insurance Penn Stater Reception,
2. Harrisburg Alumni Dinner,
3. GE Penn Stater Reception,
4. Athletics Reunion,
5. NPE Plastics Tradeshow Plastics Alumni Dinner
6. Chicago Alumni


8. Monthly Alumni E-Newsletter (write, distribute, and monitor)


9. Social Online Networking
1. Facebook (increased Alumni Facebook group membership from 200 to 500 since January),
2. Linked In (created a group in January and now has 60+ members),
3. Twitter (40+ followers since tweeting began in January)


10. Alumni Society sponsoring Student Greek Awards and Leadership Award


11. Formed Committees and Responsibilities for the Behrend Alumni Society
1. Outreach Committee
2. Student Involvement Committee


12. Juniors Funny Fundraiser and Alumni Event
1. May 14, 2009. Tickets are $11 and proceeds benefit the Alumni Scholarship Fund
2. Chancellor Jack Burke and Behrend Alumna Raychel Vendetti to emcee


13. Pioneer Alumni Reunion
1. Reception on campus Friday with campus tours and baccalaureate service.
2. Saturday, Pioneer Alumni will process in academic regalia to celebrate the 60th Anniversary.


14. Advised the Lion Ambassadors and the Blue and White Society student organizations

It has been a great year. I feel very fortunate to be able to wake up every day and enjoy my job.

For Kohls, Going Green = Making Green

This weekend Kohl's emailed a non-traditional message. Instead of announcing a sale, the corporation was touting its green efforts.

The message started "Kohl's is committed to protecting and serving the environment."

• 50% of power used by Kohl's comes from renewable resources
• Kohl's gift boxes are made of 100% recycled content
• Kohl's has 67 active solar power systems and more than 20 in construction
• Kohl's moves 36% of all inbound transportation on rail, a transportation method three times cleaner than over-the-road trucks.
• During 2008, Kohl's recycled 6,400 tons of hangers.

Also included in the email were ways for customers to live green.

• Bring your plastic bags to any Kohl's store to be recycled. [Note: Giant Eagle does this too]
• Carpool to work and other events to save costs on fuel, car maintenance, and reduce carbon emissions.
• Bring your own cloth or fabric bags when you shop instead of using plastic bags.

Learn more about Kohl's green initiatives. (Unfortunately, it looks like the Erie store is not on the green map - with no LEED Certification, Energy Star Label, or Solar Panels.)

Happy Easter

Governing Assembly Rooms

Pennsylvania State Capitol Building (continued). Below are photos from the guided tour. I wonder if our state politicians get distracted by the beauty of their surroundings.

State House of Representatives.

Ceiling.

PA State Senate.

PA State Supreme Court.

Ceiling and glass dome.

Pennsylvania's State Capitol

Roomie and I went to Harrisburg a couple weeks ago.

We visited the State Capitol. It was so amazing! People say that PA has the best capitol building. Since this was the first one Amy and I have seen inside, we cannot substantiate the claim - but it was gorgeous inside.

It was built in 1906 and cost $13 million at that time - today it is considered priceless.

Pennsylvania’s Capitol is an architectural and artistic treasure, a majestic symbol of history and power, and an icon of democracy and freedom.

Below are some pictures to prove it:

Look, my coat matches the green glazed, terra cotta tile dome - I wish I could claim to have planned it.

Its five-story exterior is faced with handsome Vermont granite.

It's grandure is very impressive. Following its completion, the building was the tallest structure between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh for 80 years.

The Capitol’s centerpiece is a spectacular 272-foot, 52 million-pound dome inspired by Michelangelo’s design for St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

While the building has been modernized over time, efforts to blend form and function continue today, and a special Capitol Preservation Committee ensures that as the building evolves, the artistic elements are never lost.

The Capitol features paintings, stained glass, and furnishings by some of the best artisans of the day.

Even the light fixtures are impressive. Since at the time the building was built bulbs were only 9 watts, the glass fixtures were cut to give off as much light as possible.

When President Theodore Roosevelt attended the dedication of the building on October 4, 1906, he said, “This is the handsomest building I ever saw.”

The Capitol was designed in the American Renaissance style by Philadelphia architect Joseph Huston (1866-1940), who envisioned the building as a “Palace of Art.”

Have you visited other capitol buildings? What are your thoughts?

WE ARE ... everywhere

I followed this Penn State Housing & Food Truck all the way in to work earlier this week.

We Are ... PENN STATE!

Looking for an April Fool's Prank

... I wonder if Roomie is nervous??