Thursday, May 23, 2013
The camp says it uses team sports to help gay men repress sexual urges. Senator Daylin Leach thinks its a terrible idea.
State Senator Daylin Leach is speaking out against a Wynnewood-based camp for men that, according to Philly.com, uses team sports to help gay men defuse their sexual urges. Held at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary this weekend, "Sports Camp" is run by a Catholic organization called Courage. The camp has five goals for its attendees, according to Philly.com, one of which is to encourage men "to live chaste lives in accordance with the Roman Catholic Church's teaching on homosexuality." It does this with daily prayer, mass, and regular games of softball, football, basketball, and soccer. The camp, not surprisingly, has drawn criticism from some quarters. State Senator Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery), in a statement released through his office, said…
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
'Some of the people who work here even forgot,' joked one Lower Merion judge of election.
Tuesday was, as expected, a slow day for many of Lower Merion Township's 43 polling stations. With none of the Lower Merion's commissioners facing a primary challenge, Paul Simpson, the judge of election at Church of the Redeemer, said the Bryn Mawr polling place had significantly fewer voters show than in previous primaries. "I'd say it's less, but this is a particularly unexciting election," Simpson admitted, joking that "some of the people who usually work here even forgot. I came close to forgetting." As of Tuesday night, final election results were not available, but unofficial vote totals can be viewed on the Montgomery County Board of Elections website.
Monday, May 20, 2013
The Franklin & Marshall College poll ranks what voters feel is important for the state.
The No. 1 issue that Pennsylvania voters care about is improving the economy, at least according to one poll. The Frankin and Marshall College poll of Pennsylvania voters for May 2013 found that, of 11 possible issues, the one voters said to be most important to them was improving the state’s economy. The poll listed a number of issues and asked voters to rank its importance on a scale of 1 to 10. The top two issues, “improving the state’s economy” and “help create new jobs,” both had a mean score of 8.9 among voters polled. The poll, which was conducted between April 30 and May 5, gathered responses from 526 registered voters, including 265 Democrats, 196 Republicans and 65 Independents. The poll’s results are listed below: What do you …
A rundown of what you need to know to cast your ballot on Tuesday.
Tuesday is Primary Election Day. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. For information on where your local polling place is located simply click here and fill out: A search result will show the closest voting spot and it will even provide directions on how to get there. Poll workers may ask you for a valid photo ID but you are not required to present photo ID to vote in this election. For first time voters, both photo identification or non-photo identification if it displays the name and address of the voter are acceptable identification. Also, a person is considered a first-time voter in a new precinct even if the voter has voted in another voting precinct in previous elections. A Pennsylvania driver’s license or ID card issued by the …
The library reopened on Sunday after 16 months of renovations.
The Bala Cynwyd Library is (finally) back open. After a 16-month closure to allow for renovations, Lower Merion Township reopened the 131 Old Lancaster Avenue library with a bang on Sunday, hosting guests and civic groups for an afternoon celebration. According to Phillymag.com, the library's redesign was extensive: [The] renovation of the Bala Cynwyd Library included the addition of 6,000 square feet, but the space that’s getting the most emphasis is a small seating area that visitors will see right as they walk in. Chairs are arranged around an ornamental fireplace that’s always been in the building but was pretty much ignored. Now it’ll serve as a focal point, looking more like a living room than a shelving area. Now that the library is…
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Where you can vote, and who you can vote for in Lower Merion.
To see a sample ballot for the 2013 primary election on Tuesday, you need to know in which precinct you reside. Find Your Precinct To find your precinct, you can search by your street address at the state elections website. Enter your county, town and street information, and it will tell you in which precinct you live and where your polling place is. Find Your Sample Ballot Once you know your precinct, click the appropriate link to find your ballot on the Montgomery County website. 2013 Montgomery County Sample Ballot
Saturday, May 18, 2013
One poll suggests that, while Pennsylvania voters might support medical marijuana use, they aren't in favor of legal pot.
Pennsylvania voters aren't in favor of legalizing marijuana, according to one pole. The Frankin and Marshall College poll of Pennsylvania voters for May 2013 showed that 54 percent of voters polled opposed to legalizing marijuana in the state. A similar F&M Poll at the beginning of February found that 55 percent of respondants were against legalizing marijuana. While voters don't support its outright legalization, 82 percent of those polled favor the use of marijuana for medical reasons if prescribed by a doctor. The poll, which was conducted between April 30 and May 5, gathered responses from 526 registered voters, including 265 Democrats, 196 Republicans and 65 Independents. The full poll is available for review here. The following …
Friday, May 17, 2013
The U.S. Census Bureau says black turnout nationwide, by percentage, exceeded white turnout last year for the first time.
A recent U.S. Census Bureau report shows that blacks had the highest voter turnout among racial identifications in the 2012 general election. Nationwide, 66.2 percent of black citizens voted, exceeding for the first time the turnout of white voters, which was 64.1 percent. In 2008, 66.1 percent of whites voted, to 64.7 percent of blacks. Back in 1996, white turnout was 60.7 percent and black turnout was 53 percent. Black turnout also exceeded white turnout in Pennsylvania last year, 65.2 percent to 62.5 percent. Read a Huffington Post report on the census findings, and see below for statistics comparing other voting demographics: Voter turnout is expected to be far lower in Tuesday's off-year primary election. Polls will be open from 7 a.m…
Thursday, May 16, 2013
The May Franklin and Marshall College poll shows that support for privatized liquor has dropped over three months.
If you are in favor of privatizing the state’s liquor sales, odds are good that your neighbor feels differently, at least according to one poll. The Frankin and Marshall College poll of Pennsylvania voters for May 2013 showed that voters are nearly split on the issue of liquor sales in the state. 47 percent of polled voters are in favor of ending state control. According to the poll, the 47 percent in May is “significantly lower than it was in February,” when 53 percent of voters were in favor privatizing liquor. “Support for selling the state stores has declined from February among both Republicans (54 percent, down from 61 percent) and Democrats (41 percent, down from 48 percent),” the study states. Additionally, the number of voters …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
According to poll results, more voters support same-sex marriage in 2013.
A majority of state voters said they are in favor of allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry, according to one pole. The Frankin and Marshall College poll of Pennsylvania voters for May 2013 showed that 54 percent of voters polled were in favor of allowing legal same-sex marriages. The 54 percent in favor is up from 48 percent in the previous year. The poll, which was conducted between April 30 and May 5, gathered responses from 526 registered voters, including 265 Democrats, 196 Republicans and 65 Independents. The full poll is available for review here. The following information representes the questions asked in the survey and the results given by voters. 1) Would you favor or oppose a constitutional amendment that would allow…
Richard Weisgrau
11:15 pm on Thursday, May 23, 2013
First, I don't think Sen. Leach is out of his depth. He cites (albeit not an academic citation) data that concluding that Gay Therapy ignores the genetic origin of homosexuality. There is substantial academic research to back up his claim. If the Senator is out of his depth, then so might be Courage because it can't cite any conclusive data that would show that sports is the way to repress … more ›