John Fischer's Philadelphia
Vol. 1 - Number 27 - 07/28/99
I don't know if any of you attended the KYW Crafts and Fine Arts Festival at Penn's Landing last weekend. I went briefly on Saturday. The crowds were smaller than I would have expected but the late afternoon was very hot. It was fun to watch the children playing in the fountains. The fountains? What's wrong with this picture? I thought all fountains were supposed to be turned off as part of the drought emergency. I guess the Penn's Landing folks haven't heard.
That part of the drought proclamation bothers me a bit since many of these fountains merely recycle the same water through their systems. It's also not very good for the tourism industry as all of the fountains sit dry. I guess I do understand the reasoning. We're now 5.9" below normal for the past 120 days and counting. We're in the sixth day of the latest heat wave and the forecast through next Sunday is for temperatures in the 90's every day.
Mayor Rendell yesterday announced that next week's Greek Picnic will be by invitation only and will be a scaled down event. The organizers just can't seem to avoid the bad publicity that comes from all of the incidents after the picnic every year. Once again, there were multiple incidents both in Fairmount Park and on South Street on Saturday including several sexual assaults. The organizers and the city insist that there is no evidence that those causing the trouble are actually people who have attended the Greek Picnic, but it's neither good publicity for the organizers nor the city, so it was inevitable that a change would be made.
Almost everyone I know owns a cell phone. If for no other reason, for anyone who drives alone, it is a security and safety necessity. My wife and I have each had one in each of our cars for years. For anyone who owns a cell phone, and I believe that is a majority of people today, the biggest frustration is when you need to make a call and find yourself in and area where there is no signal.
A few months ago we had a guest who had one of those new cell phones that also has a built in pager with a text scroll. He was amazed that his phone would not work in our house or in our yard. He had to get into his car and drive a couple of miles to get a signal.
You see, I live in one of those dead zones. It sure is not the fault of the cell phone companies. Comcast and Omnipoint Communications have repeatedly made efforts to build a tower in our area, but each time one local board or the other votes it down. You see, we all want cell phone service, as long as there are no towers near our homes.
Once again, Comcast has entered into an agreement to build a tower on the grounds of a local golf club. In the last week, I have received four flyers in my door asking that all residents attend the zoning board meeting to oppose this latest effort to build a tower in our community. I just don't get it. You can't have the technology without a few of the drawbacks too.
Again, on a very serious note, a co-worker's 13 year old daughter is currently on the waiting list for a heart transplant at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia. Children's Hospital is one of the premier pediatric hospitals in the world. Check this link for more information on the Heart and Lung Transplantation Program at Children's Hospital.
My relationship with Children's Hospital began about 15 years ago when the daughter of a woman who worked for me was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia. I am well familiar with the miracles that are wrought every day at Children's Hospital.
If you have a chance and it is in your heart, please consider a donation to Children's Hospital.
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, Pa. 19104-4399
Well, that's my spin on things. You can join me in our chat room almost every evening - Philly Chat - or drop me a note at philadelphia.guide@about.com. Also, be sure to check out our new Philadelphia Forum where you can share your comments and feelings, ask questions, post classifieds and much more
If you missed any of our recent columns you can still catch them:
John Fischer's
Philadelphia 07/19/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 07/21/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 07/23/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 07/26/99