POLITICS

Bob and Claudia six months before Bob got Covid-19.

Dear Friends and

Readers,

Bob and I have been publishing the University City Review and Philadelphia Free Press for almost 34 years, since 1988.

That is a long run for a local community newspaper and we are very proud of it!

At this moment in time, though, due to an original bout with Covid-19 back in November 2020 from which Bob is still recovering, we are going to take a hiatus from the newspaper business.

We don’t know how long this will be, or if it will be permanent or temporary, but we are looking for the “right” person to assume responsibility for the newspapers’ growth – Someone who is filled with the love and energy for this kind of community endeavor.

We are grateful to all our many readers, writers and advertisers over our many years of publishing.

With our best wishes to all for a Joyous Holiday season and a Happy and Healthier 2022!

Bob and Claudia Christian Publishers University City Review and Philadelphia Free Press

The fabric of Philadelphia:

Without your patronage, businesses, restaurants, theaters and institutions do not survive. We all value the fabric of our city. It is what makes Philadelphia a great city. Please support local business.

Constitutional amendment would term-limit Pennsylvania Supreme Court judges

The Supreme Court Chamber in the Pennsylvania State Capitol building Nagel Photography | Shutterstock.com

Review UNIVERSITY CITY

By Victor Skinner The Center Square contributor

The House Judiciary Committee has advanced legislation to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution by creating term limits for the state’s Supreme Court Justices and appellate court judges.

House Bill 1880 would amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to impose a two-term limit for justices of the state Supreme Court for a total of 20 years, though those currently serving who exceed the threshold would be permitted to complete their terms.

Committee members approved an amendment during a meeting Monday to also extend the same restriction to judges on the commonwealth and superior courts.

“As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, I am pleased this important legislation was voted out today and is now on its way to the full House for consideration,” said Rep. Frank Ryan, R-Lebanon, the bill’s sponsor.

The bill and amendment were approved by the committee on a nearly party line vote of 15-8, with Rep. Mike Zabel, D-Drexel, the only Democrat to vote with Republicans. Committee Minority Chairman Tim Briggs, D-King of Prussia, offered a motion to table the vote because he said the committee hadn’t previously reviewed the legislation, and he believed all constitutional amendments deserve at least one meeting.

Rep. Emily Kinkead, D-Allegheny, agreed and said it was “incredibly improper” to vote the bill out of the committee.

“I believe we should have a hearing,” Kinkead said. “I believe we owe it to the people of Pennsylvania to … flesh it out.”

Committee Chair Rob Kauffman, R-Franklin, countered that amending the constitution requires the General Assembly to approve identical legislation in two consecutive sessions, before it’s presented to voters on the ballot.

Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court justices are elected to 10-year terms with a statewide “yes” or “no” vote for retention every decade. The seven-member high court is composed of five Democrats and two Republicans.

Justice Thomas Saylor, a Republican, handed over his chief justice roles earlier this year to Justice Max Baer as he approached the 75-years-old age limit to serve on the court and his term ends Dec. 31.

Baer, a Democrat, will be 75 in December 2022.

Democrat Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht are serving terms that run to January 2026. Democrat Justice Debra Todd’s term runs until December 2027, while Republican Justice Sallie Updyke Mundy’s term ends in January 2028.

Under current law, Mundy, Wecht, Dougherty, remain eligible for retention until 2037, while Debra Todd could serve until 2032 and Donohue until 2027, when they would reach the age of 75.

218 South 45th Street, 218 South 45th Street Philadelphia, PA 19104Philadelphia, PA 19104 Tel (215)222-2846 Tel (215) 222-2846 Fax (215)222-2378 Fax (215) 222-2378 Email Email editor@pressreview.net editor@pressreview.net graphics@pressreview.net newsdesk@pressreview.net graphics@pressreview.net Editor & Publisher Editor & Publisher Robert Christian Robert Christian Assistant Editor Associate Publisher Jack Firneno Claudia Christian Associate Publisher Controller & Bookkeeping Claudia Christian Alexandra Christian Bookkeeping Tina Davis Administrative Website & Social Media Dorian Korein Graphic Designers Graphic Designers Kasia Gadek Kelly Kusumoto Kelly Kusumoto Kasia Gadek Contributing Writers Contributing Editor Nicole Contosta Bob Behr Thom Nickels Haywood Brewster Contributing Writers Napoleon F. Kingcade Nathan Lerner Dea Mallin Marc Holmes III Bill Burrison Thom Nickels Contributing Reporters Tim Legnani Paulina Malek Christopher Doyle Nathaniel Lee Columnists Haywood Brewster Jennifer Jones Community Contributors John Lane Henry Lazarus Kam Williams Nicole Contosta Jim Brown Theater & Arts Contributor Sales Claudia Christian Richard Lord Tim Legnani Arts Contributor Social Media Paula Roberts Kelly Kusumoto Architectural Contributor David Traub Columnists John Lane Henry Lazarus Sales Claudia Christian Dorian Korein

Ryan argues “no jurist should be able to hold office indefinitely and 20 years is long enough.”

“This amendment would put more power in the hands of the citizens of this Commonwealth by enabling voters to decide whether or not to limit the terms of our judges and justices,” he said in a statement.

one’s true self.

The narrative thrust of Carter’s Gospel proceeds this way: finding themselves locked up in a room together, the three figures start questioning why it’s the three of them there. After all, Dickens breathed his last 44 years after Jefferson, while Tolstoy didn’t join the other two until 40 years after Dickens died. No problem there though: it’s established early on that eternity, being timeless, can somehow twist to throw these three together a short time after each one’s demise.

After combing through a number of possibilities for commonality, the triad discovers that they had all penned their own personal versions of the Gospels. Jefferson then comes up with a good suggestion for how they might keep themselves busy during this early segment of eternity: they could put their heads and their writing skills together to produce a joint Gospel. Such a collaboration might even help them escape the locked room earlier if they do a really good job.

The three soon dis-

MOE BETTA UPSTAIRS & DOWN Fast Quality Hair Service

Tuesday SENIOR DAY Haircuts $10ALL DAY! Omar • Lanzo • Rasheed • MOE • Aaron

Mon - Sat 9:00am to 7:00pm • Walk-ins & Appointments 4252 Lancaster Ave., Phila, PA 19104 • 215-416-8544

VISA • MC • EBT • AMEX • DISCOVER • DEBIT

NOW OPEN

2210 South Street Philadelphia, PA 19146 215.545.CATS www.citycatvets.com citycatvets@gmail.com

Pam Rosser Thistle, REALTOR® Cell/text: 215-432-7790 Main: 215-546-0550 The Harper at Rittenhouse Square 112 S. 19th Street, Ste. 200 Philadelphia, PA 19103 pam.thistle@foxroach.com

Sold

2410 Delancey 2413 Spruce 2133 Green 279 S 5th 113 Naudain 624 Kenilworth 1420 Locust 2330 Pine 304 Cypress 1919 Chestnut 1617 Lombard 2509 Pine 2330 St Albans 1702 Panama 1839 Addison 1134 Waverly 507 S 24th 1632 Bainbridge 506 Pine St 426 S Taney 925 S 2nd 609 Lombard 1932 Bainbridge 2609 Aspen St cover that their agreeing on a Gospel is a hopeless task, as the different ways they view divinity and the historical Jesus are just too divergent to ever allow compromise. They also quickly discover that the personalities of top-tier geniuses such as themselves are anything but compatible.

As in Sartre’s No Exit, the three characters expend some energy picking at each other, before each is forced to admit that they may not actually have earned the revered status they enjoyed.

As you might expect with a work that throws three famous authors together in a small, locked room, this is most definitely a “talky” play. In theatre, talkiness is often considered a major flaw, but in this play, where the talk is so rich and vibrant, it becomes a virtue.

Another virtue: this is a diligently researched play. (Playwright Carter tells us that he spent 20 years just on the research, and another ten years writing the play.) It’s packed with historical and biographical tidbits that not only provide depth to the characters, but enhance the interaction between them. You’ll definitely enjoy Discord more if you know something about the lives and careers of the three historical figures. But even if you’re admirably familiar with the lives and works of these three men, you’re likely to be surprised at some of what comes out during some of the barbed exchanges.

The script is not only well-researched, it’s also well-written. (Carter claims that he has scratched out almost 200 drafts of this play.) The playwright has given us three sharply defined and nicely differentiated characters, and those sharp differences allow for the dramatic fireworks to eventually erupt.

The three are also defined by their speech. You can hear echoes of Jefferson’s writings in his dialogue, float on the brisk waves of Dickens’s prose in his speech, and get braced by the insistent preachiness in Tolstoy’s speeches. More, the author has sprinkled in some sly, well-placed humor in the script, not surprising considering that Carter has served for many years as a writer for Bill Maher’s satirical TV shows.

It’s not only Scott Carter’s script that allows us to see the triad as three clearly distinct personalities, it’s also the compelling performances of the Lantern Theatre cast and the discerning direction of Armina LaManna.

All three performances are powerful and only strengthened by being played against the other two. Gregory Isaac plays Jefferson as a polished Virginia patrician with a serene Southern accent and a poised sense of noblesse oblige. You’re almost ready to take this Founding Father as a man incapable of even a blip of hypocrisy or inequity – until another character pokes deep holes in his shining image.

At first, Brian McCann’s Dickens struts about posing as a supremely confident liter-

CITY SAFARI

continued from page 1

looking into, the bulk of the organization’s focus is aligned with the progressive policies of Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner. Philadelphia has one of the highest rates of gun violence in the nation.

The goal of The Reform Alliance is the replacement of America’s justice system “with a restorative system that is fair, accountable and invested in rehabilitation, support and wellbeing.” All of this sounds quite benign on the surface but it is also suggestive that these grand “restorative systems” will end up in the hands of radical left. As of this writing, The Reform Alliance has certainly failed in one of its main goals: to “make communities safer and stronger.” Keep in mind that MIA organizers boasted that they were able to collect thousands of signatures in support of the Alliance during the 2021 festival. Supporting The Reform Alliance, of course, means supporting Larry Krasner.

There was a time when the ACLU did some good things for the American citizenry, but that “do good” era is certainly over. The ACLU in 2021 ary lion who is also the epitome of the British husband and father. Later in the play, he’s revealed to be a wounded hero showing the emotional sinkhole in his confidence. But then the focus shifts, and we see Dickens as quite ready to deliver wounds to others, even those closest to him. (That English accent could use a little more work though.)

Charles McMahon plays Tolstoy as a fervently truculent son of Mother Russia convinced that he has uncovered the secret formula for saving the world. His conviction splinters when he’s forced to admit that the formula hasn’t worked so effectively in his own personal relationships. McCann does an admirable job of showing how the inner turmoil of his character appears in the outward agitation.

Salutes are also due to set designer Lance Kniskern; costume designer Millie Hiibel; lighting designers Shon Causer and Isabella Gill-Gomez; and sound designer Christopher Colucci, who also provided the very appropriate original music.

Admittedly, this is not the kind of show that will excite everybody. But if you are a fan of the theatre of ideas, especially when you can see how the ideas infuse and define strong characters, The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy is a play you’ll quite enjoy.

The digital Lantern Theatre’s production of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy is available now through Dec. 19. After purchasing your ticket from the Lantern website, you’ll be able to choose when to launch the stream, after which you’ll have 72 hours to finish watching the show, ending on Dec. 19.

Photos courtesy of Live Nation

mirrors Marxist/Communist models with a social agenda reflecting the beliefs and convictions of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and the Southern Poverty Law Center, and champions positions and causes that are clearly antithetical to what has been called the American Way. One aim of the ACLU in 2021 seems to be the total remake of American society -- as explained quite powerfully in Mark Levin’s book, American Marxism.

Live Nation’s MIA concerts transform Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway into a street version of Astroworld with overflow crowds that often spill out into the surrounding neighborhoods. At one MIA concert several years ago, neighbors in the Art Museum area complained of drunk and drugged-out MIA attendees urinating or vomiting on their cars and property. Mayor Jim Kenney, who loves these outdoor city extravaganzas because they bring a lot of money into the city, has always turned a deaf ear to the residents of high-rise condos along the Parkway who have complained about the mayhem and noise created by MIA.

Many Parkway residents leave the city every Labor Day weekend as Live Nation invades Philadelphia. The city bends over backwards to accommodate MIA, rearranging or canceling bus routes, restricting parking and blocking off major and minor streets.

It’s really a case of Live Nation and MIA holding the city hostage for two days.

The tragedy at Astroworld, highlights the lethal mix of dark woke rap with Live Nation’s insatiable hunger for bigger and better concerts. It was Astroworld’s star performer, Travis Scott,

By Victor Skinner The Center Square contributor

Philadelphia city officials will require restaurants and entertainment venues that sell food to demand all who enter show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, though there are exemptions for religious or medical reasons.

“Starting Monday January 3, Philadelphia establishments that sell food or drink for consumption onsite will require that everyone who enters has completed their COVID vaccinations,” according to the city website. “Completing vaccinations means that they have received two doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.”

The decree applies to patrons, employees and children over age of five years, three months. Employees and kids will be required to have at least one dose by Jan. 3 and to finish the vaccine series by Feb. 3.

The city is phasing in the mandate by allowing negative COVID-19 tests within the past 24 hours until Jan. 17, after which “everyone will need to be fully vaccinated.”

The new rules apply to many, but not all, places where groups gather to eat indoors in public, including restaurants, cafes, bars, sports venues, movie theaters, bowling alleys, convention and catering halls, casinos and food courts. It does not apply to K-12 lunchrooms, early child care facilities, hospitals, soup kitchens, congregate care facilities or residential or health care facilities.

It also does not apply to places that typically sell food or drinks for offsite consumption, such as grocery stores, convenience stores or stores in the Philadelphia International Airport.

“People with proof of valid religious or medical exemptions and children under five years and three months are exempt from the mandate,” according to the city website. Those with exemptions, however, still would need a negative COVID-19 test within the past 24 hours to enter establishments that seat more than 1,000.

City Health Commissioner Dr. Sheryl Bettigole blamed the mandate on rising COVID-19 case rates, a new omicron variant of the coronavirus and the alleged risk of transmission from visiting indoors unmasked when she announced the decision Monday during a virtual news conference.

“I don’t want to close our restaurants or the other types of businesses that sell food,” Bettigole said. “I want them to stay open and operate safely.

“Since we can’t make people wear masks when they’re eating, we need to increase the vaccinaof Philadelphians who are eligible for vaccines but did not get fully vaccinated, we need this additional safety measure to make us safer and avoid some of the worst outcomes we’ve seen in other states,” she said.

Shown are COVID-19 vaccination record cards in Glenside, Pa., on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021. Matt Rourke / AP

tion rate of people in those situations.”

“This announcement will help reduce the spread of COVID when people are enjoying the city’s restaurants and other establishments that sell food,” she said.

Bettigole encouraged folks to report establishments that do not comply.

“If you see an establishment not following the rules, you can call 311 and we’ll send out inspectors to educate them on the new mandate and to enforce, if necessary,” she said.

Bettigole pointed to the city’s unvaccinated residents as the reason behind the move, and she encouraged those who have resisted to reconsider.

“As the mayor said earlier, Philadelphia is doing a great job staying masked and getting vaccinated, but with hundreds of thousands

“If you haven’t gotten your vaccine yet, there’s still time to get fully vaccinated before this mandate goes into effect, and you can keep going out to eat and to enjoy yourself at covered entertainment venues safely.”

Celebrate Christmas at Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral CHRISTMAS EVE

Feast of the Nativity Friday, December 24, 2021 5:00 PM Festival Eucharist & Blessing of the Crèche

The Very Reverend Judith A. Sullivan, Presider & Preacher Dr. Thomas Lloyd, Canon for Music and the Arts Mr. Wesley Parrott, Cathedral Organist The Cathedral Singers

Organ Prelude: Prelude No. 54 (Une Jeune Pucelle) - Robert G. Farrell Variations sur un Noël Bourguignon - André Fleury

Choral Anthems: People Look East! - Besançon carol - arr. by Thomas Lloyd Behold the Star! - William L. Dawson O come, O come Emmanuel - arr. by Thomas Lloyd O Leave Your Sheep - French carol Quittez pasteurs - arr. by Kenneth Leighton Tomorrow shall be my dancing day - English carol - arr. Bob Chilcott When the song of the angels is stilled - Elizabeth Alexander In the bleak midwinter - Harold Darke

JUST DON’T TEXT JUST DON’T TEXT

Organ Postlude: PAEAN on ‘Divinum Mysterium’ - John Cook

CHRISTMAS DAY

Saturday, December 25, 2021 10:00 AM – Holy Eucharist The Reverend Dr. Phillip C. Bennett, Presider & Preacher Mr. Wesley Parrott, Cathedral Organist

ANDAND

Organ Prelude: The Rocking Carol (Prelude #55) - Robert G. Farrell

Balulalow - Peter Warlock Ms. Brenda Bonhomme, Soloist Organ Postlude: In dulci jubilo - J. S. Bach

performer, Travis Scott, after all, who announced at one of his concerts in 2015 for fans to jump the security barricades and follow their passion.

“There’s not enough security to stop them all from hopping the fence,” he told the crowd. For that stunt, Scott, aka Jacques Bermon Webster, was sentenced to 1 year of court supervision after pleading guilty to reckless conduct charges. The rapper also made headlines that same year for kicking a cameraman off his stage.

At the ill-fated 2021 Houston concert, Politifact reported that Travis Scott preformed for 37 minutes “as a mass causality unfolded.” In 1969, Mick Jagger, claiming he never knew the fatal stabbing of Meredith Hunter was taking place, kept on singing “Under My Thumb.” Scott’s Astroworld concert, or a trip to its theatrical stage name, Utopia Mountain, cost fans $350 a ticket (resellers got $993.00 per ticket). At this year’s Astroworld event, fans rushed the security barricades, knocking them over in a mad rush. Some saw this as evidence that Scott’s concert was “Satanic,” although this charge was later lampooned in the press as absurd.

Travis Scott has offered his condolences to the loved ones of the people who died. “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night,” he’s on record as saying. “My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival.” Scott then offered to cover the victims’ funeral expenses. Live Nation stated that it was “heartbroken for those lost and impacted at Astroworld.”

Meanwhile, Philadelphia has its eyes set on the 2022 MIA Parkway concert when residents of the Parkway and the Museum area will either leave town or weather the two-day musical lockdown when the city is held hostage once again. You can be sure that the ACLU and The Reform Alliance will be there with their petitions and sign-in sheets, bringing in the masses -- while from behind the microphone audiences will hear the latest woke rap sounds of “F—k Trump” or whoever else happens to be on the Left’s current enemies list.

One thing is certain: Philadelphia’s MIA crowds will never shout “F--k Krasner.”

Need a Fresh Look for your Business without Breaking the Bank?

www.bananaark.com

HARRISBURG,

PA – 90 days have passed since a major federal disaster was declared for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania after the Remnants of Hurricane Ida left many Pennsylvanians with losses and damage. On September 10, 2021 President Biden signed the declaration that allowed FEMA to assist. The declaration provided Individual Assistance (IA) for eight (8) counties: Bedford, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, and York. Since then, between FEMA, the National Flood Insurance Program, and the U.S. Small Business Administration, more than $192.3 million in federal assistance has been approved for Pennsylvanians. FEMA and its federal partners continue working daily to support the commonwealth and its residents as they rebuild their lives and communities.

In the 90 days since the declaration, a total of 70,941 people in the eight designated counties have applied for federal assistance.

The registration period ends on Jan. 10, 2022.

You can still register by going online at disasterassistance.gov or by calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362. Lines are open 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Help is available in most languages.

More than $82.7 million in federal disaster funds have been approved, including: • More than $61.4 million in Individual

Assistance grants for housing assistance. • More than $21.2 million in grants for

Other Needs Assistance to homeowners and renters to repair or replace certain household items, pay for disaster-related medical and dental expenses, and certain other disaster-related expenses. • A total of 66,323

FEMA housing inspections have been completed. • The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved more than $42.5 million in low-interest disaster loans to repair and replace damaged property and contents. • All the above numbers continue to grow as FEMA and the SBA continue to process incoming registrations. • The National Flood

Insurance Program (NFIP) has paid policyholders more than $67.1 million for 1,819 claims filed to repair and rebuild flooddamaged property and contents. • The Disaster Recovery Centers closed on

November 20. During their mission, 1,712 survivors visited the centers. • During their mission, which ended Oct. 5, Disaster Survivor Assistance teams canvassed neighborhoods in all eight designated counties

There were 5,330 homes visited with 2,172 survivor interactions

Disaster response involves the whole community, including local, state, and federal agencies, the private sector, nonprofit, voluntary, and faith-based organizations. Volunteers have been working tirelessly to help Pennsylvanians who were impacted by the remnants of Hurricane Ida get back to a more normal life.

The following agencies have engaged in assisting survivors of the disaster: Pennsylvania VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster); Southeastern PA VOAD (SEPA VOAD); York County VOAD; Northeastern PA VOAD (NEPA VOAD); American Red Cross; Salvation Army; United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR); United Church Christ Disaster Ministries; Southern Baptist Convention; Pennsylvania SPCA; ACLAMO (Accíon Comunal Latino Americano de Montgomery County / Latin American Action Committee of Montgomery County); Team Rubicon; United Way 211; Lutheran Disaster Services; Lutheran Disaster Response; Presbyterian Disaster Response; Adventist Community Services; Chester County