In next Tuesday’s primary election, there will be more candidates running for Delaware County Court of Common Pleas than there are seats available. That’s true for both parties. Democrats will be asked to choose four candidates from a list of eleven, and Republicans will select four from a list of ten.
Scientists are warning us that the planet Earth is in the midst of a sixth great mass extinction. More than one million species are at risk of disappearing. Why does it matter? All life, including human life, is woven into the fabric of our world, inextricably interconnected in ways we might not even imagine or understand. Aside from the travesty of losing some incredible and beautiful creatures, they are an integral part of what makes our world so awesome.
Sublime Jazz; Substandard Crowd
Last Saturday night, my husband and I had a marvelous time at war3house3 in Swarthmore listening to the eight-piece Blackbird Society Orchestra play jazz from the flapper era. Fun and uplifting, but dampened by the audience being scarcely larger than the band! Where is everybody?
Eating Weeds is the Best Revenge
Garlic mustard, an invasive weed whose dangers to local species were described in last week’s Swarthmorean in a letter to the editor, is delicious when microwaved, steamed or stir-fried with olive oil and salt.
When you rise in the morning, is the first thing on your mind how to curate the day? If not, you are in all likelihood making a colossal blunder. Without careful curation the day will most probably go off the beam. It’s a ticket to chaos and confusion, to being surrounded by molecules of disorder.
As I read through the Mueller report, one thing struck me, and reminded me of the Watergate investigation.
Begone, vile weed!
[Garlic mustard] displaces nearly every other plant in its vicinity. We have spent countless hours over the past five years pulling it out, as have the garden staff at Pendle Hill. Garlic mustard is a biennial and after a light crop last year, has returned this year in full force.
The time for climate action is now. According to the most recent UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, human society has only 12 years to curb the catastrophic effects of climate change.
Fire Company Donations
May I suggest that if you think you cannot make a meaningful one-time donation to the Swarthmore Fire and Protective Association and feel embarrassed to donate just a little, you donate that “little” on a monthly basis, set up through your bank’s “bill pay” mechanism?
You were very patient in the museum this morning. Here is the best way to learn to love art.
Digging in to Save Streams
We want to thank everyone who came to Little Crum Creek Park and CADES to help pick up trash, clean streams, and garden last Saturday for the 22nd annual Chester-Ridley-Crum Watersheds Association streams cleanup day.
I was among those standing throughout the CCC performance at White Horse Village Saturday evening. Every seat in the auditorium was taken. The Chorus rewarded its audience with a varied program of classical, operatic, popular, jazz and gospel pieces, all performed with superb musicianship and infectious spirit. The audience returned the favor with a standing ovation that resounded until the last of the children had paraded out of the auditorium.
Since 1894, the Swarthmore Fire and Protective Association has been serving the community of Swarthmore, protecting against fire, the loss of life and property. Today, in addition to responding to fire calls, the department answers hundreds of emergency medical calls each year.
Arrogant blustering. Obsession with vengeance, no matter the cost. A bloodthirsty cruelty. The relentless demand for others to join him in his delusional, dangerous world. No, it wasn’t a day in the White House, but an evening with Captain Ahab at Hedgerow Theatre where I experienced a remarkable production of Moby-Dick.
Old age comes at a bad time, but the pushback to this comes with the Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association through its creative and informative weekly programs at the Gathering Place, as well as excursions to interesting area sites and events (including an upcoming Phillies game).
Last week three Democrats elected to Delaware County government in 2017 spoke at a meeting of Indivisible Swarthmore: Moving the Needle about their work, the difference they’ve been making on the job, and what’s at stake in the upcoming 2019 county elections.
In keeping with recent tradition, I will be holding weekly “Meet With the Mayor” sessions on Thursday mornings, 10 to 11 a.m. in the Swarthmore Co-op café area, beginning on Thursday, April 4.
Over this past weekend, once again, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to bash the memory of Senator John McCain. To hear Trump, a putative draft dodger who never served in the military, disrespect a man who was a genuine war hero and life-long public servant is simply beyond the pale of human decency.
The historic election of 2017 sent two Democrats to the Delaware County Council for the first time, and Democrats swept the county “row offices” — Register of Wills, Controller, and Sheriff. After decades of GOP control of county government, our newly elected officials have discovered no-bid contracts, the mismanagement of the state’s only private prison (George Hill Correctional Facility), and the potential risks that a natural gas liquids pipeline poses to our community’s safety, among many other issues.
The Interfaith Council of Southern Delaware County raises its voice in mourning for those who were murdered on Friday by a white supremacist terrorists in Christchurch, New Zealand. As members of diverse faith communities united in our values of respect for the right of all persons to worship freely, we stand together in holding the victims of this horrific attack in our prayers. We condemn this violence against the Muslim community in the strongest terms; an attack on one faith is an attack on all faiths.