Illegal Signs

I found this on the Metro today. One of my pet peeves is those ugly and illegal signs. This lady suggests you do your civic duty and rip them down.

There are strict limitations on posting signs on public property. A $75 fine is supposed to be levied against any person or company for every illegal sign found by the city.

But a recent report by the city controller found that thousands of the illegal signs litter virtually every neighborhood in Philadelphia. Not only are the signs hard to manage, the Controller’s Office reported, but tracking owners of the signs is hard.

http://philly.metro.us/metro/local/article/Fighting_a_grand_fight/9742.html

Similar story in the Northeast Times this week: http://www.northeasttimes.com/2007/0823/signs.html

Frankford Yellow Jackets - 1926 NFL Champions

Yesterday I posted a link to the best site I found with history of the Frankford Yellow Jackets. Eagles fans will be familiar with the team especially this year as its the 75th anniversary of the Philadelphia Eagles.

My introduction to the Yellow Jackets was when I met Mary and Levi my neighbors in our first house in Frankford. Levi and his family had lived in Frankford for eons. His family name goes well back to the time when Frankford was a town in its own right.

He told me that when he was young he used to sit on a wall in back of the nursing school on Penn Street and watch the Yellow Jackets play. When I read later that the Yellow Jackets played up at Frankford and Devereaux I though his memory may have failed him.

But as I was browsing the Yellow Jackets history, I found that it does note their early games were played at Wistar Park. If Wistar Park was in the area of Penn and Oxford then Levi was right as usual.

It's good to see the name of Frankford associated with champions once again even if it is only by way of a reminiscence.

Take a look at this article from The Evening Bulletin: http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm?newsid=18733115&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=6

At Mozaic

The photograpy of Jim Sell is on exhibit from August 1st. 'til September 29th.

Frankford fields getting an extreme makeover

If you noticed the improvements being made at the William Gambrell Playground down at Wakeling and Ditman Streets, this link from Philly.com will fill in the details:

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/sports/20070817_Frankford_fields_getting_an_extreme_makeover.html

"Tomorrow, the team will celebrate the opening of a new, first-class field, with new fencing, goal posts and a new mural.

Comcast-Spectacor, the Eagles, and the city - among other donors - contributed $1 million in materials and services to improve the field, including an artificial-turf playing surface. Mayor Street and Gov. Rendell have also pledged their support.
Artists from Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program created the mural, which includes images of the current Frankford Chargers team and its expansion team, the Frankford Yellow Jackets.

The new Fox network show "Extreme Field Makeover" will record the project. The show is aimed at American communities that have renovated fields in need of refurbishing. "

and:

http://digital50.com/news/items/PR/2007/08/18/NESA001/eagles-vips-celebrate-extreme-makeover-of-gambrel-field-home-of-pop-warners-frankf.html

I see vampires

I've had to get up early several times during the last few months to travel for work. So at 5:30 a.m. as I'm out loading the car with my tools, people are strolling by the house. Now these folks aren't walking by, they are strolling by.

When you walk to catch a bus or the el you move along to get where you're going. When you stroll you're in no great rush to get anywhere. They walk in two's and three's chatting as they go and always chat loud like it's 5 in the evening not 5 in the morning.

So I wonder who are these people who are either up very late or very early and have no place to be. They don't look homeless. They are fairly neat and clean. They don't seem to be crazy or escapees from an asylum.

The only answer I can up with is that they are vampires. The sun isn't up yet so they can still be out. I have never seen them in daylight so that fits. I guess they don't have to be anywhere because they don't work. They live by sucking the life from the community.

How did Frankford come to be populated with these creatures? How can we make them go away?

Mozaic Review

On Philly from the inside out, another great review for Mozaic. Read it here: http://www.uwishunu.com/2007/08/17/you-may-not-have-to-travel-as-far/

CBS3 Idiots - Well at least they fixed it

I emailed CBS3 the following tonight:

The story below indicates Pennypack park is in Frankford. It is not and now once again you have besmirched the reputation of our neighborhood. Get your facts straight.

The link to their story is here: http://cbs3.com/topstories/local_story_225142058.html

Feel free to blast them if you have time. Every time something bad happens within a mile of Frankford Avenue these morons call the neighborhood Frankford. If it's something positive they somehow manage to get the neighborhood correct.

On Wednesday I got this email:

Hey Gil, The article will be updated to reflect the correct section. Thanks for taking the time to write and for watching CBS 3.

and they changed the story to:

(CBS 3) PHILADELPHIA Philadelphia Police are searching for a suspect who allegedly sexually assaulted a female during a robbery in Northeast Philadelphia Saturday.A 29-year-old female told police she was walking in Pennypack Park when she was grabbed from behind by an unknown male at about 8 p.m.