Philadelphia Daily Record

Vol. III No. 104 (469) Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia June 25, 2012

ARTIST Sibylle-Maria Pfaffbicher and her artwork was one of scores of cre-

ative types from Delaware Valley offering their wares – and their visions – at

Manayunk Art Festival Saturday.

PhiladelphiaDaily Record

Art Scene

2 | PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM •

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

T h e P h i l a d e l p h i aP u b l i c R e c o r d

C a l e n d a rJun. 27- 14th annualYouth Anti Violence HealthAwareness Initiative at MyersRec Ctr., 58th & KingsessingAve., 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free event.

Jun. 28- TomMatkowski’s GOP 65th Wardhosts fundraiser at Flukes Bar &Grill, 7401 State Rd., 6 p.m.Tickets $40. For info (215) 298-2251.

Jul. 7- Councilman CurtisJones’ Block Captain BootCamp at Belmont Picnic Grove,Belmont Ave. & Belmont Man-sion Dr., 12-6 p.m. Workshops,picnic, games.

Jul. 21- Fundraiser forState Rep. John Taylor in N.Wildwood at Coconut Cove,400 W. Spruce Ave., N. Wild-wood, N.J., 2-6 p.m. Cash Bar.For info (215) 545-2244.

Jul. 21- Olney HS Classof 1979 Bowling Party at Lib-erty Lanes, 6505 Market St.,Upper Darby, Pa., 7 p.m.-11p.m. Cost $20. BYOB (beer orwine only).

Jun. 28- Tom Matkowski’sGOP 65th Ward hosts fundraiserat Flukes Bar & Grill, 7401State Rd., 6 p.m. Tickets $40.For info (215) 298-2251.

Jul. 7- Councilman CurtisJones’ Block Captain Boot

Camp at Belmont Picnic Grove,Belmont Ave. & Belmont Man-sion Dr., 12-6 p.m. Workshops,picnic, games.

Jul. 14-16- Hispanic Fiesta atPenns Landing from 2 to 8 pm.

Jul. 21- Fundraiser forState Rep. John Taylor in N.Wildwood at Coconut Cove,400 W. Spruce Ave., N. Wild-wood, N.J., 2-6 p.m. , $25. CashBar. For info (215) 545-2244.

Jul. 21- Olney HS Classof 1979 Bowling Party at Lib-erty Lanes, 6505 Market St.,Upper Darby, Pa., 7 p.m.-11p.m. Cost $20. BYOB (beer orwine only).

Jul. 28- Brady BunchBeach Party at Keenan’s in An-glesea, Wildwood, N.J., 4 p.m.Tickets available at door.

Aug. 18- Barrett Rec Ctr.Advisory Board CommunityDay, 8th & Duncannon Sts., 11a.m.-3 pm. No charge. Familyfun day. All invited. For infoSheila Bellamy (215) 457-4079.

Aug. 18- 47th Ward Crab &Shrimp Fest to Baltimore leavesProgress Plaza, Broad and Ox-ford Sts., 1 p.m. Open bar, mas-sive menu. $150. For infoGeorge Brooks (267) 971-5703.

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Toomey Intros Bill

On Data SecurityUS Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) introduced a bill

Thursday to create a national standard requiring

companies to protect and secure consumers’ elec-

tronic data.

Companies must currently comply with 46 differ-

ent state laws in the event of a data breach. The

Senator’s bill would preempt these laws and re-

place them with a single national standard, provid-

ing better protections and swifter responses for

consumers.

In the event of a data breach, the bill would direct

companies possessing personal data to notify con-

sumers by mail, email or telephone if their infor-

mation is stolen.

“A number of recent high-profile data breaches

combined with the messy patchwork of 46 differ-

ent state laws highlight how difficult it is for con-

sumers to know their personal information is

secure. Congress needs to provide businesses and

consumers with certainty and establish a single

reasonable standard for information security and

breach notification practices. Our bill would elimi-

nate the burden of complying with varying stan-

dards and laws, ensuring that all consumers and

their personal information are afforded the same

level of protection,” Toomey said.



Daily WafflesFrom Joe Sbaraglia (The Waffleman)

FLIPPING BASEBALLCARDS – “Odd or even”was the call before twoplayers simultaneouslyflipped a baseball card un-derhanded. If, when theylanded, they were thesame – face up or facedown – they were consid-

ered to be even. If eithercard was different, thatwas considered to be odd.The challenger made theprediction – odd or even.If he guessed correctly, hetook both cards. If hewere incorrect, he lost,but he got to call the next

flip. This was a great wayto increase your baseball-card collection, if youwere lucky.

FLUTE-CLUBS - Manyelementary-school kidsjoined flute clubs to play amusical instrument. Theinstrument was a piece ofchrome-plated brass pipe,about twelve inches long,with nine holes. Eight foryour fingers (it had nothumb hole). The ninthhole was where the mouth-piece was attached. Theywere Melodic Flutes orsimply flutes. They couldbe mastered in about threehours. When they wereplayed in tune with thethirty or forty other mem-bers of the club, whatbeautiful sounds could beproduced – most of thetime.

To buy a copy of this bookE-Mail [email protected]

3 BIGSALES

WEEKLY



Fattah Plugs Neuroscience

Plans In MassachusettsCongressman Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), a leading

voice in Congress for neuroscience research, met

today with a top adviser to Massachusetts Gov.

Deval Patrick to explore Fattah’s idea to adapt the

new Massachusetts Neuroscience Consortium as

the model for a national public-private-nonprofit

partnership on brain research.

Fattah’s schedule in the Boston area includes a

meeting at Harvard University with a leading neu-

roscientist who is heading to the University of

Pennsylvania as well as a site visit with officials of

Pfizer Inc. in Cambridge, Mass. Pfizer recently

opened a major research and development hub in

Cambridge as an entrepreneurial network of part-

nerships with leading academic medical centers.

Fattah met in Washington last month with Pfizer’s

head of research and development.

“This new Consortium based in Boston and Cam-

bridge is an exciting development for future ad-

vances in brain science and medicine,” Fattah said.

“The Consortium can provide us with the model

for a major national partnership of government, the

pharmaceutical industry, leading academic re-

searchers and medical schools.”

Fattah is the author of the Fattah Neuroscience Ini-

tiative that establishes the Interagency Working

Group on Neuroscience at the White House to co-

ordinate federal brain-injury and brain-disease re-

search and development. Currently at least four

separate federal departments and agencies are in-

volved in funding or overseeing various aspects of

neuroscience research.

Fattah said he would like to attract more interest in

neuroscience research among pharmaceutical gi-

ants like Pfizer but is proposing reforms in patent

law to increase the incentives for new discoveries

and treatment in brain disease. Fattah is the senior

Democratic appropriator on the House Appropria-

tions Committee for the Dept. of Commerce,

which administers the patent process.



Sen. Washington Welcomes

HEMAP Back In Budget

State Sen. LeAnna Washington (D-Northwest) ap-

plauded the news on Friday, Jun. 22, Gov. Tom

Corbett signed into law SB 1433, which reinstates

the Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance

Program.

“I was outraged that Gov. Corbett had again ex-

cluded HEMAP from this year’s budget proposal

because this program has successfully helped

homeowners across the state,” Washington said. “I

am happy that funds will now be available so

HEMAP may begin the process of helping thou-

sands of families on the brink of foreclosure stay

in their homes.”

For the upcoming fiscal year, Sen. John Gordner’s

(R-Columbia) bill – now known as Act 70 of 2012

– will allocate up to $18 million from the Home-

owners Assistance Settlement Fund to fund mort-

gage-assistance measures, with 90% of the funding

reserved for HEMAP and 10% reserved for fund-

ing consumer protection programs. An additional

$6 million will be available to immediately ad-

dress residual backlog from the program’s dor-

mancy. HEMAP will receive $12 million in subse-

quent fiscal years.

In January, Washington first introduced a bill

which sought to annually allocate $15 million in

table games revenue to reinstate HEMAP. While

Gordner’s bill provides less funding in upcoming

years, Washington indicated that any reinstatement

of HEMAP is a first step in the process of helping

families work their way through delinquent mort-

gages.

“Philadelphia has the highest number of foreclo-

sures in the state, and I am so glad that our hard

work will help families with underwater mortgages

see light at the end of the tunnel,” Washington

continued.

Washington noted that she is a HEMAP success

story.

“We all experience financial difficulties at one

point in our lives, and I was so grateful HEMAP

gave me the opportunity to stay in my home while

I got back on my feet,” she said.



State Rep. James Roebuck (D-W. Phila.), Demo-

cratic chairman of the House Education Commit-

tee, said a bill set for a vote in the committee today

is “school vouchers on steroids – the worst bill

yet.”

Roebuck said HB 2468 goes well beyond previous

bills to give out tax-funded private-school vouch-

ers, both from the Ridge era in the 1990s and bills

introduced in the current session.

“Make no mistake—it’s just vouchers through a

tax credit. The business donations would be 90%

reimbursed with state tax credits. It deserves care-

ful scrutiny just as the Shell Oil tax-credit proposal

does,” Roebuck said.

Roebuck said key areas of concern with the bill in-

clude:

More tax money being spent: The bill would spend

$100 million on vouchers in its first year, rising to

$200 million in the third year. Both figures are

higher than in any previous voucher bill, Roebuck

said.

Higher income limit: Families with incomes of up

to $75,000 could get a voucher. “That is not di-

rected at low-income families – a $75,000 income

is not poor,”” he said.

Higher amount per voucher: The bill would pro-

vide the highest private-school voucher amounts

ever proposed in a Pennsylvania bill – $8,500 for

non-disabled students and $15,000 for students

with disabilities. Roebuck said some private

schools would be likely to classify as many stu-

dents as possible as having disabilities, such as

reading disabilities.

No phase-in to focus on public-school students:

Previous voucher bills have included a phase-in

that would restrict the program to students cur-

rently enrolled in public schools. The new bill

does not.

Bailout for private schools: Roebuck said the lack

of a phase-in would mean 85-90% of the students

getting a voucher would already be in private

schools. “That is not how the bill is being sold, but

that would be the result,” he said.

A similar Ridge administration proposal es-

timated 87% of the vouchers would go to

students already in private schools. In this

session, the Senate fiscal note on SB 1 esti-

mated 67% of its vouchers would go to stu-

dents already in private schools.

Leaving the choice to the private schools, not the

students: Like all Pennsylvania voucher bills, the

legislation would not require private schools or

neighboring public school districts to accept any

student with a voucher. “Once again, the private

schools would do the choosing, not the students,”

Roebuck said.

Roebuck said his alternative to vouchers, All Stu-

dents Can Succeed (HB 2322), has bipartisan sup-

port and should be considered by all who want to

help children in the lowest-performing schools.

More information about his bill is available at

www.pahouse.com/Roebuck.

Roebuck: New Bill Is

‘Vouchers On Steroids’



DeLissio: Guv Should

Open Budget ProcessWith about a week to go before the end of the fis-

cal year, State Rep. Pamela A. DeLissio (D-North-

west) encouraged Gov. Tom Corbett to exert

leadership and support to provide a fair budget

process for all citizens of Pennsylvania.

In a letter to Corbett, DeLissio complained of the

“less-than-democratic process” surrounding this

year’s budget studies. Democrats have been shut

out of the discussion by Republican majorities in

Senate, House and Governor’s Mansion.

“In reference to the budget the minority party is in-

deed a stakeholder. The minority party represents

45.5% of the citizens of the Commonwealth, yet

the minority party has been and continues to be ex-

cluded from budget discussions and negotiations.

“My testimony at the Appropriations Committee

hearings in March spoke about the lack of inclu-

sion in last year’s budget discussion and stated that

I sincerely hoped that the process would be differ-

ent this year. The process has not changed. The

process as it is currently unfolding is unacceptable.

Excluding representatives of 5.7 million citizens is

unacceptable.”



OPINION:

Marcellus, Liquor Sales

Are Alternatives To AVIby Alfonso Gambone

(Gambone is running for State Senate in Philadel-phia’s 1st Dist.)

Despite his opposition to Mayor Michael Nutter’s

Actual Value Initiative, State Sen. Farnese (D-S.

Phila.) has yet to offer any alternative measure to

solve the Philadelphia School District’s budget

shortfall. Under Nutter’s plan, AVI will generate

approximately $90 million in revenue for the City.

While the Mayor may believe that he is putting the

needs of our city’s children first, his plan fails to

consider the negative impact on Philadelphia resi-

dents, particularly the elderly and young families.

AVI will drastically increase the real-estate taxes

of over 57,000 residents.

It is my firm belief that government policy should

focus on our future but respect the past. Philadel-

phia’s young families often weigh the decision of

whether to raise their children in the city or move

to a suburb. The mayor’s proposal provides these

families with yet another reason to move out. In

addition, the measure threatens our city’s elderly

residents who often live on fixed incomes.

While the consolidation of administrative support

services may allow the city government to de-

crease the size of the school district budget, lay-

offs, consolidation, and other budget measures will

not completely solve the school’s budget prob-

lems. While Sen. Farnese may believe that his op-

position to AVI is sufficient, I believe

Philadelphians want and expect more from their

elected representatives in Harrisburg.

There are opportunities in Pennsylvania which can

provide sources of revenue to reduce our state’s $4

billion budget deficit and provide funding for

school districts and other infrastructure improve-

ments. Opportunities such as natural gas explo-

ration in Marcellus Shale will not only provide a

source of revenue for Pennsylvania, it will create

jobs and make our State the model for energy in-

dependence throughout the country.

While Marcellus is located hours from our city,

proceeds would be disbursed based on population

meaning Philadelphia stands to get the most rev-

enue from the development of this natural re-

source. Despite this revenue opportunity, Sen.

Farnese voted no on the Marcellus Shale bill for

natural gas exploration. Rather than seeking to

maximize the potential of Pennsylvania’s natural-

gas reserve he believes that we need to put a sever-

ance tax on the gas drilling industry. A severance

tax, like any new tax, provides just another disin-

centive for investors.

Farnese, however, doesn’t pretend to hide his op-

position to private enterprise and free markets. He

also opposes the privatizations of the Pennsylva-

nia’s Liquor Control Board despite the fact that

privatization could generate between $1.1 billion

and $1.6 billion for the Commonwealth. These

proceeds, like natural-gas development funds,

would be distributed based on population, with

Philadelphia taking the lion share to fund the


THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORDschool district and other infrastructure projects.

The LCB’s operating costs are the cause of the re-

tail markup which drives Pennsylvanians to other

states to buy their wine and spirits. Over the last

10 years, the LCB’s revenue has grown at a rate of

3.5% while expenses have grown at a rate of 5.5%.

A privatized system would recapture these lost

sales and improve profitability while reducing

price and create private-sector jobs.

Marcellus Shale and private liquor sales are real

alternatives to AVI. These alternatives can provide

a source of funding to Philadelphia’s School Dis-

trict and infrastructure improvements while pro-

tecting Philadelphians from higher taxes. In these

tough economic times, we need our leaders to pro-

vide us with real alternatives to our economic

problems.

Lutheran Seminary

Anoints A New DeanThe Rev. Dr. J. Jayakiran Sebastian assumes the

post of Dean of the Lutheran Theological Semi-

nary at Philadelphia Jul. 1. He succeeds the Rev.

Dr. J. Paul Rajashekar, who has held the post for

12 years and will now focus his energies on a vari-

ety of interests, including returning more fully to

the classroom as the Luther D. Reed Professor of

Systematic Theology.

Dr. Sebastian, 53, a resident of Philadelphia’s East

Mt. Airy neighborhood on the seminary campus,

has served on the faculty since 2007. Called

“Kiran” by colleagues and friends, he is the H.

George Anderson Professor of Mission and Cul-

tures, directs the seminary’s Multicultural Mission

Resource Center, and for the past three years held

the position of Seminary Chaplain.

He earned his Doctor of Theology in 1997 from

the University of Hamburg, Germany (Magna

Cum Laude). In 1991 he earned his Master of The-

ology from the Federated Faculty for Research in

Religion and Culture, Kottayam, India, where he

received the all-India prize for having the highest

grade in all branches of study for the degree. He

was awarded his Bachelor of Divinity in 1984

from the United Theological College in Bangalore,

India, where he was likewise honored for receiving

the highest grades during his studies. He holds a

Bachelor of Science from Bangalore University

(1980). He went on to teach from 1988 to 2007 at

the United Theological College.

Dr. Sebastian’s teaching background reflects his

wide-ranging scholarly interests and love of books

fostered by his family — especially his grand-

mother, whom he terms his foremost mentor, and

his parents and uncles, many of whom were pas-

tors and scholars.

Dr. Sebastian became an ordained pastor of the

Church of South India in 1985. The Church of

South India was formed in 1947 by a union of An-

glican, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Congrega-

tional traditions in what has been good-humoredly

called “the greatest coming together of traditions

to form a church since the Pentecost!” Being part

of such a church has made him feel “very comfort-

able” at LTSP, which he says is firmly rooted in its

Lutheran tradition but which has also welcomed

students from the range of traditions he has known

in India, as well as students from many other back-

grounds.

Dr. Sebastian says he is thrilled at his new oppor-

tunity as Dean at a seminary with a wide range of

interests that reflect his own, including foci on

public and global theology and strong Lutheran



roots that have been fed by other traditions, includ-

ing the school’s 30-year-old Urban Theological In-

stitute with its breadth of traditions and student

backgrounds. “Our Latino/Latina, Urban/Metro,

Multicultural, and Black Studies concentrations

and Interfaith perspectives reflect the changing de-

mographics of our landscape,” he says.

In a time when many focus on a “declining”

church, Dr. Sebastian cautions that decline is not a

part of church life everywhere. “The Bride of

Christ always has surprises for us,” he says. “A

Christian needs to ask, ‘Why is there this living

hope in us?’ We are here to tell the good old story

in a changing and messy context. We are not wit-

nessing to a dead faith but rather to the real, living

Christ, interacting with all of humankind and be-

yond.”

Founded in 1864, LTSP is one of eight seminaries

certified with the 4.2-million-member Evangelical

Lutheran Church in America, headquartered in

Chicago. It has more than 350 students and offers

numerous degrees — the Master of Divinity,

which qualifies students for ordained ministry; the

Master of Arts in Religion, often pursued by stu-

dents seeking a career as a church musician or di-

rector of Christian education; the Master of Arts in

Public Leadership, for those interested in profes-

sional ministry in faith-based social-service organ-

izations or a related field; and advanced level

degrees including the Doctor of Ministry, the Mas-

ter of Sacred Theology and the Doctor of Philoso-

phy. The seminary is located on a 13-acre campus

in Philadelphia’s East Mt. Airy neighborhood



Year-Old ‘Bread’

Celebrated On Main Line

AMONG THOSE on hand to congratulate Joel Perez and Georges Perrier on first anniversary of

their Art of Bread French bakery and cafe in Narberth are, from left, Walter I. Hofman, MD,

Montgomery Co. Coroner; Joel Perez, partner and manager of the Art of Bread; Patti & Michael

Scullin, Esq., Honorary French Consul of Phila. and Wilmington; Liz Rogan, chair of Lower

Merion Board of Commissioners; and Georges Perrier, partner in the Art of Bread. Photo by Bon-

nie Squires



DEREK GILLMAN, CEO of Barnes Foundation, came to pick up his daughter Mimi who is

working for summer at Art of Bread. Michael Scullin, Esq., Honorary French Consul of Phila.,

was delighted to talk with them at VIP reception. Scullin serves on board of Alliance Française de

Philadelphie which will be honoring Gillman at Bastille Day event at Independence Seaport Mu-

seum. Photo by Bonnie Squires

Philadelphia Daily Record

Documents

belmont picnic grove

belmont mansion

bowling party

open bar

fundraiser forstate

cash bar

i c r e c o r dc

p h i ap u b