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Philly’s Male Workers, No Jobs… Now Or Never!

Philly's Male Workers

“You have these organizations advertising dozens of employers with hundreds…for 46-year-old Frank Wallace, the lowest moments while being unemployed for most of the past three years may not even be when he ran out of jobless benefits this past January, falling behind on his rent and applying for food stamps.  No, the worst thing may be the human cattle shows billed as “job fairs.”

“You have these organizations advertising dozens of employers with hundreds of positions,” said Wallace, of South Philadelphia, who was a purchasing manager for a law firm in Center City. “But when you get to the hotel or convention center, the room is only half-filled and there are empty tables.”

Never-the-less Wallace explains that he and hundreds of desperate job seekers in Philadelphia still find themselves standing in long lines for hours just to get into a job-fair like the one recently held at the Wells Fargo Center.  After being out of work for so long, he doesn’t have many alternatives.

Wallace is part of what is being called the “lost generation” of Philadelphia men in their 30s to 50s and who lack college degrees and have watched the factory jobs they once saw in their youth vanish.

For the nation, the labor statistics show that one in every five American men in ages 25 to 54 is not going to go to work.  This is the highest it’s been since records started being kept after World War II.  It is also the worse than other major economies.  In the 1960s, one in every 20 men in that group did not have a job.

Most experts agree that the problem seems more prevelant in Philadelphia than elsewhere.  Probably because manufacturing has died here and there are high levels of minorities who usually have high jobless rates and some ex-convicts.

Halladay Shows Why He’s The Best, Yet Clunkers In D.C.

Roy Halladay Clunker

Every once in a while, things like this just happen in baseball.

Because of the nature of the game, even the best hitter or pitcher can come up with a mysterious clunker.

But, things like that hardly ever happen to Roy Halladay.

When they do happen to Halladay, they appear a little extra weird.

It is the bottom of the seventh inning when the Phillies’ who would beat the Washington Nationals 5-4 looked like it was going to be a Theatre of the Weird and Bizarre.

In the top half of the seventh inning the Phillies’ bats helped to bail Halladay out of their deficit for the second time that day.  Washington put an early 2-0 lead on the board, but the Phillies scored three runs in the fourth inning.  Washington took a 4-3 lead when the Phillies rebounded with two runs to put them up 5-4.

In his previous 31 starts, Halladay was 26-3 in games where the Phillies had given him the lead.

Halladay was on the path to not let the Nationals gain the lead for the third time during this game.

And suddenly there it was.

Alex Cora blooped a lead-off double and Ian Desmond had reached base on a bunt to give Washington’s runners first and third and no one out with the top of the batting order coming up to the plate.

Then, just like magic, the Nationals found themselves with a harsh reminder of why Halladay is the best pitcher in baseball no questions.

Rick Ankiel hit a hard grounder that Halladay’s throwing had guided him toward. Halladay slapped down the ball and picked it up in time to get Cora.  Cora had strayed into no-man’s land off third base finding himself in a rundown. The putout went Halladay to his catcher Carlos Ruiz to their third baseman Placido Polanco. Just as critical, Desmond was not able to move from second to third base.

Danny Espinosa then hit a fly to left that was a second out.

Then Halladay threw out $126 million man and his former teammate Jayson Werth to make the third out.

“It was a grind,” said Halladay, who threw 111 pitches in a game that started out at 92 degrees and reached 95, with a heat index as high as 99. “You’re not used to it getting that hot and humid. Fortunately, we did enough offensively. They picked me up a couple of times with comebacks.”

England Voted Best Travel Destination Because Of It’s History

England Best Destination

England is a country of art, history and culture and reflects these by its cathedrals, castles, museums, monasteries, abbeys, gardens and Roman cities. We are talking about music, literature, entertainment and sports. This is what makes England so spectacular.

England is the largest constituent country of the United Kingdom and owns a history of hundreds of years. Because of that, the country has lots of historical places such as castles, cathedrals, monuments, palaces, and historic houses and buildings.  Some of England’s attractions are known worldwide.  Making England one of the world’s most popular visitor destinations.

London and many other cities in England are large and are also popular travel destinations.  Some of them include: Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, York, Brighton Oxford, Leeds and other places.

The capital, London, is a metropolitan place and is important for finance, culture and fashion.  London has many attractions to see.  One of the world-wide famous places is Trafalgar Square.  There are many palaces including: London Eve, Palace of Westminister, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Kennsington Palace, Buckingham Palace, Kew Palace, St. James Palace and Madam Tussaud’s.  London Zoo is among the most popular attractions.

There are many beautiful parks in London like Kensington Garden’s and Hyde Park apre places you will want to see too.  Art is important in London with many must-see places such as National Gallery, Tate Modern and Royal Academy just to name a few.

In Manchester there are many attractions for everyone to visit.  There are museums and sports stadiums and arenas, art galleries and music and theatre venues to visit.

When people think of Liverpool the Beatles are always what come to mind.  The city of Liverpool is the home of the famous Beatles and also offers architecture, sports and music for each visitor.

Cambridge is known as the university town in England.  Birmingham is Britain’s next largest city and offers many things to do.

Sarah Palin’s Stops at D.C., Maryland, Virginia Testing The Presidential Waters

Sarah Palin’s Bus Tour

Sarah Palin’s bus tour which is said to be a test drive for a potential presidential run is reportedly motoring on toward Iowa.

Day 2 got under way Monday under some confusion because she refused to let press know where she was heading so her supporters were left in the dark too.

Palin and family visited George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon in Virginia and toured the National Archives in Washington before heading to Maryland where they toured Fort McHenry close to Baltimore.

“The Archives and Mount Vernon. Can you tell I’m fired up?!” Palin posted on her website from the roadtrip.

Palin said she was deeply moved by Washington’s “healthy reluctance” to leave home to lead the country.

“This self-taught, ‘non politician’ was willing to sacrifice his passion for farming, fishing, trade and commerce in order to answer another call of to lead the new nation,” Palin wrote.

Palin fans gathered at Gettysburg, PA because she was expected to visit during some time on Monday.

Journalists who were stumped by Palin’s refusal to share her itinerary combed highways for her bright bus and tweeted each other under the “ChasingSarah” and “WheresPalin” hashtags.

The bus tour began Sunday at the Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally in Washington is now headed to New Hampshire the week that front runner Mitt Romney kicks off his campaign there on Thursday.

According to RealClearPolitics Palin’s tiny inner circle called the bus trip “a test run to find out whether she can execute a decidedly unconventional campaign game plan.”

Political experts are skeptical on Palin.

“Is this bus tour a trial run for a planned race, or is it an attempt to remain visible and relevant?” asked Charlie Cook, publisher of the Cook Political Report in Washington.

Palin still has not built an organization in any of the voting states that vote early, but fans say she has widespread unhappiness with the GOP field.  This combined with Palin’s star power could break traditional campaign rules.

New Graduates Are Being Hired, But Classes Of Recent May Never Catch Up

Graduates Are Being Hired

For recent college graduates it has been a month of brave speeches and bright hopes.  And it’s no wonder.

Following several slow years, employers are now again actively recruiting on campuses.  Hiring is up 19.3 percent for 2011 graduates compared to Class of 2010, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), a survey research group in Bethlehem.

Salaries are up 5.9 percent as well over last year, with an average of $50,462 NACE reports.

The initial numbers look good, but are measured against several years of minimal hiring over that of a historic recession.

Graduates from two to four years ago are paying the penalties for the weak hiring which began in 2007, when the economic collapse occurred.  Less than half of them hold full-time jobs and others have jobs in their specific fields.

They are likely to be compromised for many years, including being overtaken throughout the job market by the Class of 2011.

Joseph Fraim Kressler from Villanova University is among the newly hired from that class.  He will begin working at PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.P. in September in Center City.  He is an accounting major and all but three of his 136 fellow classmates in accounting majors have had offers.

“As much as I love golfing all summer, I’m ready to take the next step and actually start making some money,” added Kressler, of Bloomsburg, Pa., who will move to a Manayunk apartment.

“Life is better for this year’s class, but it’s not universally better,” said NACE’s research director Ed Koc.

Manufacturing hiring is up in the double digits in categories such as computers, food and pharmaceuticals. Construction businesses are looking for recent college graduates, as are utilities and gas-extraction and oil companies.

Mexican Kindergarten Teacher & Students Sing Songs Undercover As Guns Battle Outside

Guns Battle Outside

A Mexico kindergarten teacher is being hailed a hero after a video surfaced where she orders her students to take cover and they sing songs while suspected gunman execute five people outside their building.

In the video, the unidentified teacher, calmly instructs her little students to lie on the ground and stay down as bursts of gunfire fly outside the classroom.

“Nothing’s happening, sweetheart, just put your little faces on the floor,” the heroic teacher tells the terrified children, according to a translation. “Nothing is going to happen…just don’t lift your heads please.”

As automatic fire rattles on, some of the children begin lifting their necks to see outside.

To distract them, the teacher tells them that they are going to sing, and begins singing “If All The Raindrops,” a song made popular by Barney the Friendly Dinosaur.

The video ends with some of the children on their backs, pretending to catch imaginary chocolate raindrops in their tiny mouths.

The classroom was not hit by the gunshots and no child was injured, according to local reports.

Mexican authorities said the attack occurred Friday close to an unlicensed taxi stand in the northern industrial city of Monterrey.

Gunmen riding in SUVs pulled up to the stand and started opening fire, four drivers were killed.  One was a man whose wife said he had just gotten off a bus, the Latin American Herald Tribune reports.

The neighborhood is known as a hub for “pirate taxis,” that serve as lookouts for drug gangs, and use radios and cell phones to report police activity.

The killings near the school occurred less than one day after suspected hit men killed six people who were riding in a car in a Monterrey suburb of Guadalupe.

The 2nd Marine Division Band Sets The Atmosphere For Memorial Day Celebration

The 2nd Marine Division Band

The 2^nd Marine Division Band wowed the crowd near Wilmington, N.C. for a Memorial Day full of festivities.  The band played uplifting and dramatic melodies.  Crowd members bobbed their heads and tapped their feet to the music while they waited for the Memorial Day celebration to start.  The crowd applauded loudly after each song by clapping hands and eagerly awaiting for the next song.

The band was aboard the U.S.S. North Carolina for the Memorial Day festivities.

“Our role is to get out for the pre-ceremony and set the tone for the ceremony to come,” said Staff Sgt. Mark Pellon, who is the band’s acting enlisted conductor. “We played some very patriotic music and some more contemporary (pieces) like ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ to give people a little more cheer and to just enjoy the music.”

During the official ceremony the band appeared again to play a supporting role accompanying the color march while they played each American military branch’s song and ending with “Taps”.

“We want to make sure that everything we play within the ceremony is given the effect of what we are looking for,” added Pellon. “Taps’ is a very somber moment and we want to make sure that feeling is portrayed to the audience.”

There were several guest speakers who told about the meaning of Memorial Day with many kind words about the sacrifices that American troops make daily.  North Carolina governor Beverly Perdue thanked each military branch and their troops and this included the Marines who serve in the area.

“If you go to either Camp Lejeune or Cherry Point you see proud and mighty Marines who are willing to fight wherever,” commented Perdue. “These are the men and women – just like you and me, men and women who sign up, it’s a totally volunteer group – that give their lives for us every day.”

The band’s Marines are very familiar with playing at events for the public Pellon said; performing on Memorial Day is something for which he is very grateful.

Alec Baldwin Joins Twitter – See Who He’s Following

Alec Baldwin Joins Twitter

Alec Baldwin has now officially joined the world of Twittering tweets.  Baldwin is one of the stars from the hit show “30 Rock” and he began tweeting on Friday with his profile marked with a verified check mark.

In his first tweet Baldwin mentioned that he was a little bit nervous about speaking his first time speaking on a social networking site.

“My first tweet. Maybe I needed a glass of wine beforehand. I feel….so shy,” the 53-year-old actor wrote.

Baldwin is following notable Twitter accounts which include President Barack Obama, Steve Martin, George Takei, NBC’s official Twitter stream and his ’30 Rock’ co-star Tracy Morgan.

“I have decided to be @Alec_Baldwin’s angriest twitter follower,” Steve Martin wrote on Sunday.

While recently addressing Harvard Law School’s graduates on Wednesday, Baldwin admitted that he should have became a lawyer instead of an actor.

The actor graduated instead from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.  He has also received two Emmys, three Golden Globe Awards, five SAG Awards and he has also received the Television Critics Award for his role on ’30 Rock’ playing Jack Donaghy.

Niecy Nash & Boyfriend Jay Tucker Wed On Saturday

Nash & Tucker Wed

Star of “Reno 911” and “Clean House” Niecy Nash got married to her fiancé Jay Tucker who is an electrical engineer.  The service took place Saturday in Malibu.

The ceremony was held outdoors at the Church Estate Vineyard in Malibu, California.  Their reception was held outside under a tent.

Nash has three children with her ordained minister ex-husband Don Nash.  They divorced in June 2007.

“I have to say, this second time around, it feels custom,” the actress told People magazine. “Even after I got my divorce, the ink wasn’t even dry on the paper, and I said, ‘Ooh, the next time I become a wife, I got this thing down pat!’ I always believed that there was someone built for me.”

The comedian admitted to People magazine that her first wedding was a mess.  She admitted the she wore a quinceacera gown and the decorations were Styrofoam hearts.

The wedding guests list included “The View” host Sherri Shepherd, Holly Robinson-Peete, “The Game” actress Wendy Raquel Robinson, and actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, who served as the matron of honor.

The wedding preparation and ceremony airs in a two-hour special called “Niecy Nash’s Wedding Bash” on TLC on June 4 at 8 PM EST.

Nash told People earlier this year that since she has found love she wants to become a matchmaker.  She has set up her friend Shepherd and has her eye on reality start Kate Gosselin who is in her cupid cross-hairs.

“There’s a lot of women out there, some of whom are my age who’ve never been married and some who have been married and would like to be married again but think their ship has sailed, and I’m like, ‘Oh no, honey, let Miss Niecy show you it is never too late for love! And now since I’ve got Sherri set up, I’ve got my sights set on a few more folks. I think I can help Brandy find a man. Let me tell you, if I could pick the project of all projects, it would probably be Kate Gosselin because if I can help Kate find a man, I can help anybody!”

Niecy Nash was the host of “Clean House” on the Style Network until 2010.  She also played Deputy Raineesha Williams on “Reno 911!” on Comedy Central.  She also appeared on the 10^th season of “Dancing With The Stars” where her partner was professional dancer Louis Van Amstel.  She took fifth place in the dance show.

School District Plays Down The Arrival Of IRS Auditors; Officials Have Mixed Reactions

School District IRS Auditors

State and city elected officials had reactions which were mixed when they heard of news that the IRS was conducting an audit of the Philadelphia School District’s finances.  This is happening at the same time the district has asked for up to $110 million from the city as the district faces a $629 million funding gap in the upcoming fiscal year.

IRS auditors appeared at district headquarters in preparation to work on an audit.  This was on Tuesday and the same day the district officials asked City Council for between $75 million to $110 million for a budget shortfall.  District officials asked the IRS to reschedule their work.

District officials on Wednesday fired Eileen Pelzer who was payroll director and had been responding to IRS requests since April.

Yesterday in a statement the district officials said the IRS inquiry was “a random, routine audit.”  District spokeswoman Jamilah Fraser said that the district had no comment on the dismissal of Pelzer.

“It is not a criminal or civil investigation,” the district officials stated. They noted that “school districts nationwide” are “audited by several entities every year.”

“The purpose is to ensure that we are complying with the tax code and that our employees are doing the same,” the District’s statement included.

“When the IRS came into the office, they gave us a list of 28 items. It was not expanded to that number and it did not contain questions about expense reimbursements for School Reform Commission members. We intend to fully comply and answer each of the items.”

Thursday state Senators Vincent J. Hughes and Shirley Kitchen had sent a letter to Council President Anna Verna and Mayor Nutter to ask for more funding for the city’s schools.  Kitchen mentioned to the Daily News that the audit did not mean changes to her position.

“I think the city should demand answers from the district,” Kitchen added in an interview late yesterday. “Accountability and answers are warranted. But still we should not turn our backs on our responsibilities to the children of Philadelphia.”