City Safari: Fame and fortune on the Luce By Thom Nickels Contributing Editor
W
hen I inherited my great aunt’s desk (purchased by her father from Freeman’s Auction House in 1934), I knew the contents of the desk fairly well. I knew that among the scrapbooks and photographs there was a long typewritten letter signed by Clare Boothe
Luce, playwright, member of Congress, editor at Vogue and Ambassador to Italy (appointed by President Eisenhower) in 1953. Boothe Luce, a Republican feminist, was a hero of my great aunt’s. I dismissed my great aunt’s adulations then because Boothe Luce was a Republican, but the letter forced me to take another look at her life, a world filled with
psychedelics, elevator rides, stuttering and the glamour of fame. Boothe Luce dropped out of school at age 16, married a Manhattan millionaire at 20 with whom she had one daughter. Her husband’s ribald alcoholism caused her to seek a divorce in 1949, two years into the marriage. The death of her daughter in an automobile accident caused
her look into psychoanalysis and religion in 1945. Psychoanalysis did not work for her but a chance meeting with Bishop Fulton Sheen (my great aunt was fond of saying that they met in an elevator) initiated a series of meetings which resulted in Luce’s conversion to Catholicism. That conversion did not come easy. Thomas Reeves in his biography of Bishop Sheen, “The Life and Times of Fulton J. Sheen,” (2002), writes that Luce was a “tough convert,” who “lashed
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NAACP Black Media Forum Excludes Black Newspapers NNPA President and Black Publishers Call for Clarification and Inclusion By Hazel Trice Edney
A
recent NAACP “Black Media Speaks” forum plummeted into a conversation in which the future of hard-copy Black-owned newspapers was all but pronounced dead. To the shock of some of the members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), A federation of more than 200 Black-owned newspapers, there was not one Black newspaper journalist or publisher on the panel. continued on page 8
Hosted by NAACP President/CEO Derrick Johnson and moderated by journalist Ed Gordon of Ed Gordon Media, formerly of BET, the forum had been widely promoted by the NAACP as a discussion on the need for Black media during the coronavirus pandemic and continued physical attacks on Black people by police and others. But those topics were barely mentioned during the entire hour.
East Passyunk Avenue BID announces the return of The Singing Fountain Farmers Market at new location for Spring-Summer 2020 By Haywood Brewster
East Passyunk Avenue. For the new summer 2020 season, the Fountain Farmer’s Market will return and move to this brand-new temporary location that features more space and a change of layout to ensure the health and safety of farmers and patrons. “East Passyunk Avenue welcomes the return of our popular Farmers’ Market at a brand new location at East Passyunk and Dickinson, outside the South Philadelphia Older Adult Center,” said EPABID Executive Director Adam
E
ast Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District, Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation and Farm to City announce the return of the popular weekly Singing Fountain Farmers’ Market. Started last Wednesday, May 20th, and every Wednesday through the Fall, the Fountain Farmers’ Market will run every week from 3:30pm to 7:00pm in the outdoor area directly in front of South Philadelphia Older Adult Center (SPOAC) at 1430
Photo submitted by East Passyunk BID
continued on page 4
out at Sheen” frequently. She did not swim softly across the calm Tiber. According to Boothe Luce’s biographer, Sylvia Jukes Morris (Price of Fame: The Honorable Clare Boothe Luce), after her conversion she found it difficult to write “nasty plays about women.” Boothe Luce, who wrote her famous play, The Women in three days, gave up playwriting after her conversion. A Miami Herald reviewer, commenting on the second volume of Luce’s biography, wrote: “Conversion ruined her creativity. Henceforth she became preachy; her prose, which had been praised for its acerbic honesty, grew Xhesitant and predictable. The threat of dam...nation did not stop her from attempting suicide on multiple occasions over her husband’s infidelity.” The narcissistic and overbearing Boothe Luce never lost continued on page 4
CHRISTENDOM NOTICE: Sebastian
Wemay will NOT be pubBarry notlishing be exactly Wednesday, a household name here June 3,in2020. We will America...
be back on Wednesday
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BUDGET
Pennsylvania lawmakers unveiled a two-part budget strategy this week... Page 5
POLITICS.....................................3 NOTES ON MUSIC..........................7 FUNDRAISER................................8 CLASSIFIEDS..............................11
2 • PHILLYFREEPRESS.COM • UCREVIEW.COM • MAY 27, 2020
State Rep. Jim Roebuck ZOOM AND TELEPHONE TOWN HALL Topic:
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ABOUT JIM ROEBUCK:
PA State Representative Jim Roebuck, Democratic Chair of the PA House Education Committee (188th), is working from his West Philly home to serve his constituents and help them with all their needs, during the coronavirus pandemic. He assists voters with employment issues, food issues, PPE, etc. and other Covid-19 issues, and he also spends part of every day on the phone or teleconferencing with colleagues about education. He is working to extend LIHEAP. Since the schools are closed, he cannot tutor the elementary school students which he has been doing for years now. Rep. Roebuck can be reached on his cell phone at 215-817-7912.
He has been endorsed by over a dozen important elected officials and education entities: • • • • •
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Rep. James R. Roebuck, Jr. (188th) 4712 Baltimore Avenue Phila., PA 19143
Governor Tom Wolf Congressman Dwight Evans 1776 PAC (Wendell Young) Sen. Sharif Street Hon. Jannie Blackwell (Chair of the United Ward Leaders of Color, and 1st Vice Chair Democratic Party of Philadelphia) Hon. Curtis Jones Former Governor Ed Rendell 60th Ward 46th Ward PFT (Phila. Federation of Teachers) PSEA (Pennsylvania State Education Association) ATSCUF (Association of PA state college and university faculty) Planned Parenthood AFSCME, Council 13 and Council 85 PA OPHTHALMOLOGY PAC PA House Delegation Clean Water Action 32 BJ SEIU
TEL 215-724-2227 Cellular 215-817-7912 jroebuck@pahouse.net
MAY 27, 2020 • PHILLYFREEPRESS.COM • UCREVIEW.COM • 3
O’Neal Introduces Bill to Privatize Government-Controlled Liquor Stores
H
ARRISBURG – In response to the governor’s shutdown of state liquor stores and recent failures by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) to adapt to a 21st century business model during the coronavirus pandemic, Rep. Tim O’Neal (R-Washington) recently introduced legislation to end government control of wine and spirit sales. “When Gov. Tom Wolf shutdown the liquor stores, he almost returned Pennsylvania to Prohibition and showed us why government should never be in control of alcohol sales,” O’Neal said. “Grocery stores and restaurants quickly and efficiently found ways to adapt to the pandemic while the PLCB, at Wolf’s direction, caused mass mayhem and turned Pennsylvanians into modern-day bootleggers.” House Bill 2547 would
close state stores, privatize the wholesale liquor system and create private outlets for liquor. It is similar to House Bill 466 of 2015, which was vetoed by the governor. “Act 39 of 2016 proved private industry can responsibly sell wine,” O’Neal said. “I have no doubt liquor sales can be done in the same effective and efficient manner.” Wolf ordered Pennsylvania’s governmentcontrolled Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores to close on March 17. Because the state has a monopoly on spirit sales, Pennsylvanians had no choice but to flock to Ohio, West Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey and other neighboring states. “All that business activity and revenue could have happened in Pennsylvania but was pushed over the borders,” O’Neal said. O’Neal noted Wolf’s shutdown of the state
By Haywood Brewster Staff Reporter
T
oday Councilmember Helen Gym (At-Large) introduced legislation to promote public health and safety through enforcing employers’ compliance with mandatory public health orders, and to protect workers who may face retaliation as a result of reporting COVID-19-related safety violations. The proposed bill would prohibit what it terms acts of retaliation, such as termination and reductions in pay and hours, against all Philadelphia workers who report or disclose violations of a COVID-related public health order in their workplace. It also would prohibit retaliation if workers decline to work in conditions that they reasonably be-
lieve to be illegally dangerous and unhealthy as defined by the Pennsylvania Department of Health or Philadelphia
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PA. Rep. Tim O’Neal
liquor stores is not the only reason he is calling for full privatization. The PLCB has had persistent problems for decades. “The PLCB drives up costs while at the same time decreasing selection and convenience,” O’Neal added. “But even more concerning is that the current system forces Pennsylvanians, small businesses and local family restaurants into doing
business with a government-run monopoly that’s rife with political favoritism.” Past polling shows that two-thirds of Pennsylvania voters support privatizing the state’s liquor system. Pennsylvania remains one of only two states in the entire nation where government wields complete control over all wholesale and retail sales
of both wine and spirits. “The state-controlled liquor monopoly was set up in 1939 to make it as inconvenient as possible to purchase wine and spirits in Pennsylvania, and it’s clear that is still its mission today,” O’Neal said. “The time has come to revisit ending this antiquated government system once and for all.”
Councilmember Gym Introduces Essential Worker Protection Bill, Advances Key Anti-Retaliation Protections Amidst COVID-19 Outbreak The bill would protect workers who report violations of public health orders in the workplace
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Department of Public Health. If enacted, the legislation would be enforced by the City’s Office of Labor.
The bill is cosponsored by Councilmembers Mark Squilla (1st District), Kenyatta Johnson (2nd District),
Jamie Gauthier (3rd District), Curtis Jones, Jr. (4th District), Bobby Henon (6th District),
continued on page 10
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LUCE
continued from page 1
her remarkable sense of humor. When it came to men she expected them to give up everything for her. Boothe Luce never wanted to stop living the life of a young woman. At age 80 she told Morris that she was “having an attack of the dismals.” Morris asked her what she meant. Boothe Luce responded, “It’s Saturday night and I don’t have any bows. A homosexual Admiral would be good. He’d come in a uniform but at the end of the evening I wouldn’t have to put out.” When Clare Boothe met Henry Luce he was the world- famous publisher of TIME magazine. He was also married with two children. Clare wanted to have an affair but she told him to settle his affairs first and then meet her in Europe. Morris maintains that Henry Luce always “had trouble sexually.” His sexual problems with Clare had everything to do with putting her on a pedestal. “After two years of
marriage he still couldn’t make love to Clare at all…as someone once said, it’s hard to make love on a pedestal.” When President Eisenhower appointed Boothe Luce Ambassador to Italy the Italian people felt insulted because Boothe Luce was not a man. Boothe Luce was also treated in less than ambassadorial terms by her fellow diplomats in the United States. Yet after only one week in Italy, Ambassador Clare Boothe Luce managed to win the hearts and mind of the Italian people. In 1965-66 in Miami, Clare met another cultural celebrity in an elevator. This time it was Abbie Hoffman who had the chutzpah to ask Luce if she had ever taken LSD. Luce said she had, to which Hoffmann replied, “I took it once,” to which Boothe Luce, a frequent LSD user, exclaimed, “Only once?” Morris writes that Luce’s departing words to Hoffman were, “See you in Nirvana.” The letter from Clare Boothe Luce to my great aunt is dated 1956 and was written in response
to a letter about a long forgotten minor political issue. While hardly a collector of autographs, I did check the signed letter’s possible worth and found it to be somewhere near $165.00. (This comes nowhere near the value of the signed personal letter to me from Elizabeth Taylor, valued at $1200, another story for another time.) The letter to my great aunt caused me to look deeper into Boothe Luce’s life, as well as her famous husband. I discovered that Henry Luce (1898-1967) had a serious stutter as a child. Luce’s stutter was apparently caused by a tonsillectomy at age 7 when the anesthesia wore off before the operation was over. This left him with a stutter. The stutter caused him to be made fun of and mocked as a student. When he transferred to an English boarding school a “speech correctionist” taught him to take a short breath before each sentence. This alleviated much of the problem but his stutter never entirely disappeared. The stuttering con-
took her LSD under the direction of English philosopher Gerald Head. “She always had good trips,” Morris said in one interview. No jumping out of windows thinking she could fly for Clare! When she talked Henry into taking LSD she may have heard from Head or others that the drug has something to do with the relationship between psychedelics and speech fluency. Did Henry Luce take LSD to help alleviate his stuttering? The marriage of psychedelics and speech fluency has been written about over the past few decades. In a 1970 piece on the effects of psychedelics on Language, Stanley Krippner observes that, “A permanent state of altered consciousness is neither practical nor desirable. However, the individual may return to the world of imprinting, conditioning, acculturation, and verbalization with new insights if his psychedelic session has been properly guided.” Many other references to LSD and speech problems pop up in the world
of so called independent drug journalism. In a blog entitled Speakingfreely (the author identified only as T.H.) we learn that, “….While under the influence of the mushrooms, an amazing change had occurred: I was neither stuttering, nor cycling through potentialities in my mind for word or phrasing substitutions….This was a profound experience at the time, because my stuttering had recently become more severe and was increasingly disrupting my life. Then, as if by magic, the mushrooms I ate that night induced a phenomenon of fullfluency that I had never imagined possible.” Henry Luce became a staunch advocate of LSD and even promoted its use in articles in many of his magazines. It should be noted that the taking of LSD was once regarded as a sacramental-like experience, an exercise in expanding one’s consciousnesses. It had not yet become a frivolous party drug “just to see the colors” or the face of an owl in the dining room wallpaper.
Philly neighbors something exciting to look continued from page 1 forward to every week while we continue to all Leiter. “We are excited stay Passyunk Strong, to be able to work with and follow health guideSPOAC, Farm to City lines.” and the local farmers to The outdoor popfind a new location and up Fountain Farmers’ set of protocols to make Market will run weekly for a safe and healthy from 3:30pm to 7:00pm shopping experience. The continuing into the fall beautiful weather has farm season. The market arrived and we look foris organized by Farm to ward to offering access City with locally grown in the heart of the neighfresh fruit and vegetables borhood to farm fresh produce. The opening of from Fruitwood Farm and Berry Patch Produce. the Fountain Farmers’ Market is a local tradition When open with a full the entire neighborhood selection of rotating seasonal inventory, look for looks forward to every everything from fresh year. While the circumfruit and vegetables, local stances and operations this year are very differ- honey, fresh cut flowers, ent, we want to give our baked goods and more. In accordance with soEast Passyunk and South
cial distancing and public safety needs, please take note of the following precautions that are new for this season: • Enter the market on Dickinson St. and exit onto East Passyunk Avenue. • Follow one direction shopping foot traffic pattern. • Wear a face covering while at the market. • Maintain social distancing by staying 6 feet from others. • Stay behind the rope or barrier in front of producer’s stand. • Be mindful of shopping quickly and then going on your way. Please stay tuned for a full list of vendors and produce available as the Farmers’ Market gets under way this week. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates about the Fountain Farmers’ Market directly here: https://www.farmtocitymarkets.com/markets/ the-fountain
nection interested me because I stuttered as a child. I’d go full red in the face, say “um” a million times barely able to get a few words out before gasping for breath. In high school I’d plead with certain teachers to allow me to do written classroom reports rather than oral ones. I was still stuttering as a freshman in college. The stutter left years later when I took a Learning Annex course on public speaking in Center City. The teacher, a former NYC ballet dancer, discovered how to fix it: She taught me how to breathe, a la Henry Luce. With Henry Luce, the more he slept, the more his stuttering seemed to abate. At one point Luce was talked into taking LSD by Clare, whom Morris says always wanted to try the latest thing. In 1959 LSD was the latest thing; it was also unregulated and there was no Dr. Timothy Leary on the scene. LSD was not only prescribed by psychiatrists for depressives and criminals but for the intelligentsia, who flocked to it as a way to enhance the mind. Clare
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EDUCATION SPECIAL SECTION
Pennsylvania lawmakers unveil two-part budget plan
know what exactly the financial situation is going to look like over the next year, we are going to do, I know, some unusual things.”
By Christen Smith The Center Square
P
ennsylvania lawmakers unveiled a twopart budget strategy this week as uncertainty over the state’s tax revenues grows. With filing deadlines extended until July 15, the extent of the budget deficit – which Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration projects could exceed $4 billion – will not be known, making it difficult for the Legislature to deliver a yearlong spending plan by June 30. “Recognizing that state revenues are being drastically impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and shutdown response, legislative leaders are moving forward with a temporary budget,” said Mike Straub, spokesperson for House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, in an email to reporters on Tuesday. “The plan is to fund the state for the next five months and then come back to the table to finish a separate budget for the final seven months of the fiscal year.” Wolf’s economic shutdown, imposed statewide on March 23, exacerbated the uncertainty – even as pandemic restrictions are being lifted in most regions. More than 1.8 million residents have applied for jobless benefits over the last 10 weeks, while revenue collections dropped 50 percent in the month of April alone. Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell said delayed filing deadlines undercut the monthly estimates by $1.7 billion – a figure he says will rebound when payments come into the department next fiscal year. About $395 million of the shortfall,
PA State Capitol
however, is due to reduced economic activity. The news generated some wary reactions Tuesday. The Commonwealth Foundation, a free market think tank based in Harrisburg, said the stop-gap measure pushes key decisions about cutting spending or raising revenue until after the November elections. “The longer we delay in addressing the budget deficit, the greater the likelihood of having to raise taxes on families who cannot afford another financial burden,” said Nathan Benefield, the foundation’s vice president. The $25 billion five month measure freezes spending at its current levels while lawmakers wait for delayed tax revenues to roll in – as well as any forthcoming federal aid that Congress may negotiate in the next coronavirus relief bill, anticipated in June. The legislature will also pass bills that appropriate about half of Pennsylvania’s $3.9 billion cut of CARES Act funding. Both chambers will vote on the plan’s supporting bills this week, Straub said. Wolf told reporters Tuesday that whatever the budget conclusion may be, it will “consider the unusual circumstances we find ourselves in.” “The hope is we
are moving with the General Assembly in a fairly good order to get to a budget,” he said. “All of us struggling to
Christen Smith follows Pennsylvania’s General Assembly for The Center Square. She is an award-winning reporter with more than a decade of experience covering state and national policy issues for niche publications and local newsrooms alike.
Notice of Nondiscriminatory Policy as to Students
Saint Mary's Nursery School Policy of Non-Discrimination in Services: Admissions, the provisions of services, and referrals of clients shall be made without regard to race, color, religious creed, disability, ancestry, national origin,English Limited Proficiency (LEP), age, gender or sexual orientation.
St. Mary’s Nursery School 3916 Locust Walk Philadelphia, PA 19104
Non Discrimination Policy Statement Equal Employment Opportunity An open and equitable personnel system will be established and maintained. Personnel policies, procedures and practices will be designed to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religious creed, disability, ancestry, national origin, age, or sex. Employment opportunities shall be provided for applicants with disabilities and reasonable accommodation(s) shall be made to meet the physical or mental limitations of qualified applicants or employees.
(215) 386-0321 • director@stmarysnursery.org
Program services shall be made accessible to eligible persons with disabilities through the most practical and economically feasible methods available. These methods include, but are not limited to, equipment redesign, the provision of aids, and the use of alternative service delivery locations. Structural modifications shall be considered only as a last resort among available methods.
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Board Meeting Thursday, May 28, 2020 Location:
The Board Meeting will take place via Zoom Time:
5:00 PM Southwest | 5:00 PM West drbooker@ga-schools.org is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Global Academies Board Meeting Time: May 28, 2020 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) May 28, 2020 05:00 PM Jun 25, 2020 05:00 PM Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system. Monthly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/uJAsd-uqz4q4fsDfkBsiUeHklGO4EiBwg/ics?icsToken=98tyKuysrzssHNGQ sFz9c7UtW8H4b-G1kyVIuYdblz32ChVWSgj6Ec0WF7tdB9-B Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/541066550?pwd=YmZtdDkzdmNlWXd nR09EWjl5RDNOZz09 Meeting ID: 541 066 550 Password: 201294 One tap mobile +13126266799,,541066550# US (Chicago) +16465588656,,541066550# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) Meeting ID: 541 066 550Find your local number: https://us02web. zoom.us/u/kzIHJdWUX
6 • PHILLYFREEPRESS.COM • UCREVIEW.COM • MAY 27, 2020
Reports: Largest concentrations of ‘at-risk’ coronavirus patients are in states with best health infrastructures By Bethany Blankley The Center Square
M
any individuals considered to be the most at-risk for coronavirus live in states that had the best health infrastructures in place before state restrictions began in March, according to two recent analyses. Residents of West Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia were found to be the most vulnerable, according to personal-finance website WalletHub’s analysis of States with the Most Vulnerable Populations to Coronavirus. Whereas states with the best health care infrastructures already in place were North Dakota, West Virginia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Alaska, Kansas, and Arkansas, according to another
WalletHub report. Individuals with medical vulnerability, housing vulnerability and financial vulnerability living in Arkansas, Kentucky, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Tennessee reside in states with the best health infrastructures in place before the coronavirus shutdown, according to the reports. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 75 percent of patients hospitalized for the coronavirus are over 50 years old, and 90 percent have pre-existing conditions. The shutdown of state economies and ranges of preparedness highlighted strengths and weaknesses in the U.S. health care system, ranging from the level of supplies, to staffing, to bed counts, WalletHub says. During the coronavirus shutdown, “the news often focuses on the medically vulnerable – people who risk
the most serious symptoms if they contract the disease, such as the elderly or people with pre-existing medical conditions,” WalletHub financial writer Adam McCann said. “However, two other at-risk populations are just as crucial to protect – those who lack adequate living conditions and those without enough monetary resources to weather the pandemic.” To identify which states have the highest concentration of vulnerable people, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 28 key metrics in three overall categories: medical vulnerability, housing vulnerability and financial vulnerability. The data set ranges from the share of the population aged 65 and older to the share of the homeless population that is unsheltered and the share of the entire population living in
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poverty. To identify which states have the best health infrastructure, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 14 key metrics. The data set ranges from the state’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness funding per capita to the share of the population that is uninsured and the number of hospital beds per capita. States with the least vulnerable populations, according to the analysis, are Wisconsin, Wyoming, Connecticut, Iowa, Montana, Vermont, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Colorado and Utah. States with the worst health care infrastructure are Indiana, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Arizona, Michigan, New York, Virginia, Maryland and Connecticut. According to the findings, California has the highest share of the homeless population that is unsheltered (71 percent), about 33 times greater than those living in North Dakota, which has the lowest share of homeless at 2 percent. Texas has the highest share of the population that is uninsured at 17 percent, which is six times higher than the uninsured rate in Massachusetts, the lowest in the U.S. of 2.8 percent. North Carolina has the lowest unemployment recipiency rate of 9 percent, which is six times lower than in New Jersey’s, which has the highest in the U.S. of 57 percent. New York has the lowest Public Health Emergency Preparedness funding per capita of 95 cents. Vermont has the highest public hospital system quality, whereas New Jersey has the lowest, according to the reports. Alaska has the highest public healthcare spending per capita of $281 per person, compared to Nevada, which has the lowest spending per capita of $46 per person.
Philadelphia Free Press Area Polling Places – Center City
SOURCE: Philadelphia City Commissioners See: https://www. philadelphiavotes.com/
Zone: North 1 Polling location: KEARNEY SCHOOL, 601 FAIRMOUNT AVE Ward-Divisions: 14-01, 14-02, 14-03, 14-04, 14-05, 14-06, 14-07, 14-08, 14-09, 14-10, 14-11
Zone: Center City 1 Polling location: ANDERSON RECREATION CENTER, 740 S 17TH ST Ward-Divisions: 30-04, 30-05, 30-06, 30-09, 30-10, 30-11, 30-12, 30-13 Zone: Center City 2 Polling location: ARTHUR SCHOOL, 20TH & CATHARINE STS Ward-Divisions: 30-08, 30-14, 30-15, 30-16, 30-17 Zone: Center City 3 Polling location: UNIVERSAL CHARTER SCHOOL, 1427 CATHARINE ST Ward-Divisions: 30-01, 30-02, 30-03, 3 0-07 Zone: Center City 4 Polling location: MARKWARD PLAYGROUND, 338-46 S 26TH ST Ward-Divisions: 08-01, 08-02, 08-03, 08-04, 08-08, 08-09, 08-12, 08-13, 08-28 Zone: Center City 5 Polling location: KIMMEL CENTER, 300 S BROAD ST Ward-Divisions: 08-05, 08-06, 08-10, 08-11, 08-14, 08-20, 08-21, 08-34, 08-35 Zone: Center City 6 Polling location: CONVENTION CENTER,
1101 ARCH ST Ward-Divisions: 05-07, 05-08, 05-14, 05-22 Zone: Center City 7 Polling location: CONVENTION CENTER, 1101 ARCH ST Ward-Divisions: 05-06, 05-09, 05-11, 05-28, 05-29 Zone: Center City 8 Polling location: MCCALL SCHOOL, 7TH & DELANCEY STS Ward-Divisions: 05-03, 05-04, 05-05, 05-12, 05-18, 05-19, 05-36 Zone: Center City 9 Polling location: GREENFIELD SCHOOL, 22ND & CHESTNUT STS Ward-Divisions: 08-07, 08-15, 08-16, 08-18, 08-25, 08-27, 08-29, 08-33 Zone: Center City 10 Polling location: CONVENTION CENTER, 1101 ARCH ST Ward-Divisions: 05-01, 05-02, 05-13, 05-16, 05-24, 05-25, 05-31, 05-35, 05-37 Zone: Center City 11 Polling location: BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL, 550 N BROAD ST Ward-Divisions: 08-17, 08-19, 08-22, 08-23, 08-24, 08-26, 08-30, 08-31, 08-32 Zone: Center City 12 Polling location: THE PAINTED BRIDE, 230 VINE ST Ward-Divisions: 05-10, 05-17, 05-21, 05-26, 05-27, 05-30, 05-32, 05-33, 05-34
MAY 27, 2020 • PHILLYFREEPRESS.COM • UCREVIEW.COM • 7
Philadelphia Youth Orchestra
A
postponement in the forthcoming Philadelphia Youth Orchestra broadcast gives us more time to anticipate this happy event, now set for May 31 from 4 to 6 pm. on WRTI, 90.1, when Maestro Louis Scaglione conducts a world premiere by Alan Mackwell, soloist Michael Ludwig in Glazunov’s stunning Violin Concerto, and Carl Orff’s beloved and sensuous “Carmina Burana” with the Mendelssohn Club Chorus,the Philadelphia Boys Choir and a trio of vocalists; Alexandra Nowakowski and John Viscardi, both recent graduates of the Academy of Vocal Arts, and Eric Rieger. The amazing PYO artists range in age from 14 to 21. Esteemed local violinist Jennifer Koh has commissioned 40 works for solo violin including one by Curtis faculty member David Serkin Ludwig that can be heard from her own studio via YouTube, definitely soothing sounds when we need them. https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCubJ72cwKAGSW38GBzBChxQ More local musical opportunities include Opera Philadelphia which is streaming “digital premieres” through May 29. A full schedule is listed as are the performance at operaphila.org; the Barnes Foundation presents on a daily basis a short series of curatorial talks on highlights of their celebrated collection including intriguing commentary and appearances by other experts. A slew of arts options beyond films and TV is
available every weekday and one on weekends selected by the NY TIMES Culture Desk including performances, discussions, art fairs and more. nytimes.com/ arts The NY TIMES also suggests as a relief from lockdown in one’s own home, a chance to tour famous homes of historic figures on line: John and Abigail Adams, Emily Dickinson, Edward Gorey, Edith Wharton, Louisa May Alcott and Mary Baker Eddy, all available along with many others by a Google click. We suggested a virtual trip to NYC last week and here’s another to allow you to pretend you’re not at home. The great Parisian painter, avant-garde saloniste and society portraitist, Marie Laurencin, is being honored by the first show in NYC since her death in 1956, a rapturous look at pastels, costumes, feathers and beautiful women. galeriebuchholz.de As the capital of dance in our nation, NYC offers two fascinating ways to see at home what you can’t see elsewhere. NYC Ballet’s Spring Season is on view now at nycballet.com with works by Wheeldon and Balanchine. Dance at City Center from its Fall For Dance series offers a charming playlist at nycitycenter.org First Person Arts, an important part of our theatre community, posts prompts, stories, playlets and other theatrical moments every week or so, funny, touching, topical and more, on its web page, firstpersonarts.org, and on its social platforms.
Lincoln Center at Home (http://lincolncenter.org/lincoln-centerat-home) is a great site for archival materials of all kinds. Among their dance offerings are performances by NYC Ballet, Alive Ailey, Ballet Hispanico, American Ballet Theatre, Virtual Workshop and others. Wilma Virtual Studio’s Teaching Artists are creating free lessons and prompts to inspire creativity in all ages and in such subjects as juggling, mask making, writing a haiku play, virtual bingo and others. Free; a donation is suggested. WilmaTheater. org wilma-virtual-org Pennsylvania Ballet’s notorious and beloved Shut Up and Dance won’t be a highlight this year but they have come up with something similar: on May 30 from 7:30 to 9 p.m., an “80’s Party” with the full PB company, riffing and dancing and behaving outrageously and also showing viewers how to do the Moonwalk, the Sprinkler, and Mastering the Running Man. An auction is also on tap. Register at paballet.org Free; a donation is suggested. A daily highlight of our lockdown is the series of free Met Opera HD videos offered every night at 7:30 p.m. and available through 6:30 p.m. the next day, all featuring the greatest opera stars of today in breathtaking productions with the world finest singers of today with an occasional archival treasure thrown into the mix. Here we go for the week ahead: May 29, Viewers’ Choice: Bellini’s “La Sonnambula” with Natalie Dessay and Curtis-trained Juan Diego Florez; May 30, Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore” with PrettyYende and Matthew Polenzni; May 31, R. Strauss’ “Salome” with Karita Mattila and Ildiko Komlosi; June 1, Bellini’s “I Puritani” with Anna Netrebko, Curtis’s John Relyea and AVA bass Valerian Ruminski; May 2, Berg’s “Lulu” with Marlin Petersen and Susan Graham; May 3, Gluck’s “Orfeo et Euridice” with Stephanie Blythe, Danielle de Neise, James Levine conduction. metopera.org
Theatre: Staying Power on Display
Two Gentlemen of Verona
By Richard Lord Contributing writer
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s Philadelphia’s theatres soldier on into the final week of May, the health of the industry is actually looking much better than it was at the beginning of the shutdown. Exhibit A: 1812 Productions, which, in addition to its ongoing Thursday night program (“I Put On Pants For this”) has a major event com-
ing up: a live stream of their Eventa du Schmancy on Crowdcast. This gala fundraiser/variety show will showcase the talents of over a dozen Philly performers who have worked with 1812 in recent years. The live stream will take place on Monday, June 8. You need to register with the company and when you do, you pay what you can to help out with the fundraiser. Meanwhile, Theatre Exile announces a new
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facing-down-the-lockdown program: Exiled with Exile’s Play Club. The Club is open to all lovers of theatre suffering the pangs of forced separation from their long-time love. The Exile Play Club will function like a book club, but with play scripts. Over the next three months, through August, the Club will feature a discussion of a play chosen for an online confab. The three plays continued on page 9
8 • PHILLYFREEPRESS.COM • UCREVIEW.COM • MAY 27, 2020
Celebrate our Upcoming 32nd Year with us! NAACP
A FUNDRAISING APPEAL
continued from page 1
“In 2020, for there to be a virtual panel on Black appy New Year Media and not invite or 2020 from the involve the NNPA or any University of our member publishCity Review in West ers to be on the panel Philadelphia and the goes beyond a mere Philadelphia Free Press oversight,” said NNPA in Center City! President/CEO Benjamin Chavis in an interview As we enter our 32nd about the May 20 forum. year of publishing free “We’re certainly going community newspato meet about it as part pers, we are reaching of our ongoing strategic out to you, our readers alliance between the and advertisers, to ofPhoto of first staff NAACP and the NNPA.” fer our many thanks $15,000, extended Hosted by NAACP for your enduring supIn 1998, we celebrated through the end of President/CEO Derrick port and interest. We March 2020, in order our tenth anniversary Johnson and moderated are happy that we have with a fundraising party to achieve our goals. by journalist Ed Gordon been successful in being at the Woodlands Cem- Although we are not a of Ed Gordon Media, able to deliver free local etery and we were able non-profit institution, formerly of BET, the news, as well as, feature to raise over $10,000 we have functioned as stories and local adver- that helped carry us for- a community resource, forum had been widely promoted by the NAACP tising on a weekly basis ward at that time. giving voice to neighas a discussion on the for all of these years. It borhood interests and Now, 21 years later, need for Black media has truly been a great we are entering a period concerns. Please help during the coronavirus feat, along with, as we dedicated to improving us to preserve your com- pandemic and continued like to say, “a touch of munity newspapers. our sustainability. We physical attacks on Black madness.” But, above are preparing financially people by police and othall, it’s been a labor of With appreciation and ers. But those topics were and organizationally for love of which we are the future. Our goals are gratitude, barely mentioned during proud! It is truly grati- to increase our stable of the entire hour. fying to have met and Robert Christian, Ediwriters, to increase our Chavis was particuworked with so many print and digital distri- tor and Publisher and larly taken-aback by rewonderful people, Claudia Christian, Asbution, to stabilize our marks from panelists many of whom are now cash flow, and to create sociate Publisher who painted a grim good friends. a Digital 32-year Compicture about the future As we go forward, we munity History Public P.S. Look for upcom- of Black newspapers. will be looking to you ing information about Archive. We are again Perhaps most notably for your continued sup- asking for your financial our 32nd year celebrawere comments by Earl port, not only as cheer tion in March 2020! support. “Butch” Graves, presileaders and readers, but To this end, we dent/CEO of Black Enalso as donors. have set about to raise terprise Magazine. Graves was responding to a caller who Name: identified herself as a second-generation pubAddress: lisher among those still “on the front line”. She asked how members of the panel would use Method of contribution: their positions to support Check (Please make checks out to either Philadelphia Free Press or University Black print publications. City Review, and mail to 218 South 45th Street, Phila., PA 19104. Phone At first, Gordon re215.222.2374) sponded briefly: “This Credit Card is all about survival Name on credit card: at this point.” Gordon mentioned how he’d Address: worked closely with Real Times Media CEO Hiram Jackson to assure the survival of several of his Black-owned newspaCredit Card Number: pers - such as the Michigan Chronicle and the Expiration date: Security Code: Chicago Defender - now fully online. Then Graves Billing Address: If it is different from your address weighed in heavily. “We can’t be tone deaf though,” Graves said. “The reality is it’s like those that are in retail that thought that retail would always survive... Print is not going to survive. It will not be here five years from now. That’s a hard pill to swallow but it is a reality. So, either you reinvent or
H
You can also go to GoFundMe.com and search for “Keeping Community Papers Alive in Philadelphia”.
you die. And the reality is that now Black-owned media companies need to accept that cold hard fact.” Dorothy Tucker, president of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and a long time reporter for CBS, Channel 2 in Chicago, had stated earlier that there are “170 AfricanAmerican newspapers that still exist.” And, she said, “It is critical that we as African-Americans support Black-owned media,” including historic Black newspapers that fought for the freedom of Black people and continue to do so. Underscoring the need for a Black newspaper representative on the panel, Chavis said Tucker’s number, 170, was inaccurate. Based on the NNPA member papers received at the D.C.-based NNPA headquarters, he said, there are 220 NNPA newspapers in print and 10 online publications that are Black-owned. Following up on Tucker’s point, Graves continued, “We probably don’t need 176 - or whatever the number is exactly, Dorothy...We will probably need less than that. But those will have to survive doing it a different way. You cannot continue to print and survive...We can see this right now. Print will not survive. Therefore, we will have to do something in a different capacity to make this work.” Chavis reflected on the videotaped forum. “It was like our epitaph. They were having the funeral, the eulogy, and the final rites.” But, he noted, this is historically how the Black Press has been treated. “For 193 years, the Black-owned press, since the days of Freedom’s Journal, has faced the negative speculative and false analysis - not just from White supremacists about the value of the Black Press - but sometimes the history will show that at one point some of our own people also attempted to undervalue the purpose, the mission, and the sustainability of the Black Press. By analogy, this is the same argument that people have said about HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and the same
questions about the need for the continuation of the historic Black church. If there’s any person of African dissent who does not know the value of the Black-owned church, Black-owned HBCUs; Black-owned newspapers; then that person or group of people of African descent needs to re-immerse themselves in the history and the long struggle of African people to build our own institutions, to build our own businesses, and to have our own voice in all of the media platforms print, digital, online and social media.” Chavis was not alone in articulating the views of the NNPA. Denise Rolark Barnes, normally a mild-mannered NNPA publisher and former NNPA chair, emailed a letter expressing “disgust” about the forum to NAACP Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications Aba Blankson. Barnes sent the letter after listening to her staff at the Washington (DC) Informer Newspaper express strong concerns about the omission of Black newspaper representatives. Barnes wrote, “I am sure by now you and President Johnson have heard from some of our Black Press publishers around the country expressing their disappointment with the NAACP’s participation in last evening’s Black Media Speaks event hosted [by] Ed Gordon. She wrote that the Informer staff felt “consistent disrespect by the NAACP and NABJ. They shared their observations about how often Black journalists are featured in discussions about Black Media, who have never worked for the Black Press.” Barnes continued, “Understandably, we are all bewildered about why the nation’s oldest civil rights organization would allow a discussion [about] Black media ownership without having someone from the nation’s oldest black media ownership organization - the NNPA - at the table. This happens all too often, and I join my colleagues in expressing my disgust.” The letter concluded, “What our readers know,
continued on page 9
MAY 27, 2020 • PHILLYFREEPRESS.COM • UCREVIEW.COM • 9
NAACP
cism as NAACP President Johnson took it to continued from page 8 task. “We run the Crisis and the NAACP is igno- Magazine. It’s been in rant of, is how the Black continuous publication,” Press is growing more he said. “But it’s not robust even in the midst timely. And we have to of COVID-19. We are recognize that until we the ones on the ground, can develop the publibringing to life the stocation to where people ries of how COVID-19 can consume it in this is affecting Black comnew media reality - that munities across the coun- they see the value in it - I try. We are telling the can’t fault others for not under-reported stories of investing in Crisis when our survival despite an we have not kept up administration that has with the times. That’s the abandoned us, and orga- reality across the board nizations - including the when we’re talking about NAACP - that ignores Black media.” us. In print, we report Johnson said the Crithese stories weekly, but sis has survived mainly online, we publish them because it’s been underevery day.” written. “Because if it Blankson responded had to stand up on its the next day, directing a own, it would have been letter to Barnes, Chavis, out of business 50 years NNPA Senior National ago. So, we have to figure Correspondent Stacy out a new business modBrown, and the “NNPA el to keep it moving.” Family.” Both letters Likewise, Graves were copied to the Trice said his late father, Earl Edney News Wire. Graves Sr., would not unStarting with how she derstand the decision he appreciates “the direct has now made to move feedback and your canBlack Enterprise almost dor”, Blankson contincompletely online. But, ued, “Our partnership he said, it has been done with the NNPA is impor- with great success and an tant to us. We value our astronomical increase in shared engagements and readership. take pride in sharing artiOther members of cles from the Washington the Black Media Speaks Informer, Afro, Defender panel were Jeff Johnson, and others in the weekly formerly of BET and news recaps distributed currently of the Rickey to our networks. While Smiley Morning Show; it was not our intent to April Ryan, White House exclude you, I recognize Correspondent, Amerithat was the impact.” can Urban Radio NetBlankson said the work, and CNN political Black Media Speaks foanalyst; and Jemele Hill, rum was one of several writer for the Atlantic events planned for this and host of her own year. “In addition to podcast, Jemele Hill UnNNPA, there are other bothered. voices we must include Near the close of the in future conversations, discussion, Gordon told especially those about the panel that he had media. I want to use this an idea that he would moment to strengthen be floating with each of our relationship.” them soon and he hopes She offered to “work at least a couple of them together to plan an would agree. He did not NNPA /NAACP spesay publicly what the cific event in the coming idea is. weeks.” Chavis concluded, Blankson did not “I am a loyal and lifeexplain how or why member of the NAACP members of NNPA or and I know we will work other reporters for Black this matter out. Both the newspapers were not NNPA and the NAACP invited to the “Black Me- need to be made strondia Speaks” panel in the ger together by working first place. Neither did together to help improve NAACP President John- the overall quality of life son respond to repeated of Black Americans and requests for an interview all others who cry out about the matter. for freedom, justice and However, the equality. Thus, the NNPA NAACP’s Crisis Magadoes not accept the euzine, a quarterly print logy, the final rites or the publication, was not epitaphs that are now bespared amidst the critiing untimely articulated
THEATRE continued from page 7
are works that have enjoyed full productions at Exile within the last ten years. Members are invited to read the designated script for that month’s discussion and then join in with others to give their takes on the work. Online scripts are provided to club members via Google Docs links or e-mail attachment to Club members. The first foray will be local playwright Bruce Graham’s North of the Boulevard, an examination of contemporary blue-collar blues reminiscent of early David Mamet. It’s a really strong play with charged dialogue that should elicit good discussions. The discussions will be held, via Zoom, on Wednesday and Thursday, June 3rd and 4th. Membership in the Club is free, but you must register in advance of the sessions. Once again, the most engaging portion of Philly lockdown theatre was served up by Lantern Theatre with their third Shakespeare Now! production. This time, the Lantern shed its light on Two Gentlemen of Verona, a very early work of the Bard. (Some scholars believe it to be Shakespeare’s first finished play.) Working off of only two rehearsals, the Lantern crew gave another convincing “staged” reading of the work (via Zoom). Being an early effort, Two Gentlemen shows many of the flaws and sprawls of a novice Elizabethan playwright. (Yes, even genius takes a while before it can take off into full flight.) The plot centers on two young swains who are the best by people who should know better.” Editor’s Note: The Washington D.C. Informer mentioned in this article and the University Review, as well as the Philadelphia Free Press, are both members of the Mid-Atlantic Community Newspaper Association (MACPA). Ron Burke, the Informer’s Advertising and Marketing Director is a past president of MACPA, and Claudia Christian is the current president of MACPA. – R.C.
of friends. One of them, Proteus, is madly in love with Julia, while his BFF Valentine is in love with adventure and about to leave for Milan to see what the wider world offers in the way of adventure. When he gets to Milan, Valentine promptly falls in love with the beautiful Silvia, daughter of the Duke of Milan. But the duke has already chosen a future husband for Silvia: Thurio, a wealthy but not very shrewd Milanese. Back in Verona, Proteus’ father insists that his son join his best friend in Milan. There’s a heart-wrenching farewell with Julia before he leaves, and the two pledge their undying love to each other before he departs. Upon his arrival in Milan, Proteus catches sight of Silvia, does the deep dive for her, and forgets all about poor Julia and his once tight friendship with Valentine. From there, things get even more tangled, with double and triple betrayals; cross-dressing which totally hoodwinks former intimates; a peeved duke and an aggrieved Thurio, and … well, a cluster of shenanigans in a nearby forest or back in town. But everything works out well in the end as young Shakespeare managed to tie up all the tangles, albeit rather implausibly. The Lantern’s Zoom rendition of this work was again commendable. Director M. Craig Getting guided the 11-member cast to a fine treatment of the text. As with their Henry IV, Pt. 1, the Lantern team again used a grid arrangement, with characters appearing in and exiting from individual panels as the script dictated. The grid worked better this time, with few glitches marring the flow of the production. And the performances were, once again, impressive considering the condensed rehearsal period. While the eponymous two young gentlemen are the central figures of the play, with their passions and betrayals driving most of the action, the two actresses playing the objects of the gents’ affections delivered the strongest performances in this production. Campbell O’Hare gave us a wonderfully feisty
and resourceful Julia, who could nimbly take every twist and turn fate and the plot presented her with. Silvia is a less interesting figure than Julia, but Michaela Shuchman’s Silvia was a thoroughly luminous creation that brought her every scene alive. Shuchman was often at her best while simply listening to other characters, using facial gestures to connect with the goings-on at a deep level. (The grid arrangement allowed this extra dimension.) Akeem Davis gave us an altogether sympathetic Valentine, a young lover trying to navigate the rough waters of Elizabethan romance. One shortcoming: Davis seemed unsure of the Zoom technology in the early going, as he delivered the lines in his first scenes in one forceful tone, without enough nuance. Matteo Scamell proved a fine Proteus, a congenial scamp all too ready to betray both his beloved and his best friend to win lovely Silvia any way possible. But Scamell also failed to find the nuance that would make the character more appealing in those early scenes. David Bardeen was
fittingly officious as the Duke, heedlessly trampling on the wishes and plans of his daughter and her own true love while being duped as only pompous parents can be. Benjamin Brown played Thurio wonderfully, eliciting a strange mix of sympathy and disdain from us viewers. Like Michaela Shuchman, Brown performed brilliantly with his facial gestures even when just listening. The less crucial roles were all handled well. The most notable of these roles are Launce and Speed, servants of the two central protagonists. Launce has the juicier role, including a famous soliloquy with his dog. However, while this Launce and this Speed were both good, Adam Hammet’s Speed was clearly the stronger. In fact, Hammet’s performance rates as one of the best in the entire reading. Dave Johnson’s Launce was also commendable, but slightly overshadowed by Hammet’s performance. As Lucetta, Julia’s maid, Annette Kaplafka was exemplary. In fact, the scenes that pair Lucetta and Juliet, often involved in some verbal sparring match, were continued on page 10
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10 • PHILLYFREEPRESS.COM • UCREVIEW.COM • MAY 27, 2020
How COVID-19 may change a trip to the dentist’s office
THEATRE
BILL
continued from page 9
continued from page 3
some of the best in this production. Charles McMahon delivered a solid, dependable Antonio (Proteus’ father), but wasn’t able do much with Eglamour, who is, admittedly, rather weakly drawn by Shakespeare. Arthur Lee Robinson handled his three smaller roles nicely and was especially notable as one of the three outlaws who take two different groups of main characters as captives. And we shouldn’t hold a nod of appreciation from Rebecca Smith, whose stage manager functions again kept the presentation moving along so smoothly.
Henon (6th District), Maria Quiñones Sánchez (7th District), Kendra Brooks (At-Large), Katherine Gilmore Richardson (At-Large), and Isaiah Thomas (AtLarge). The bill comes as workers and labor organizations have raised concerns that some employers may retaliate against workers who seek to have mandatory health mandates upheld during the current health crisis. “Right now, the least we can do is stand by our workers and ensure that calls for employers to follow the law and provide safe, healthy, and dignified workplaces are not met with backlash,” said Coun-
MAKE SURE THEY’RE IN THE RIGHT CAR SEAT
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cilmember Gym.”As businesses in our state and region begin to reopen, our goal must be to maximize both safety and economic security. This bill is about empowering workers to protect the public health.” “Hospitality workers can’t work from home, and our members may soon be faced with the prospect of returning to work before there is any treatment or vaccine for COVID-19,” said Rosslyn Wuchinich, President of UNITE HERE Local 274. “Workers need strong protections so they don’t fear retaliation for reporting conditions which endanger the health of our communities.” “I’m not getting the personal protective equipment I need, even though I have asthma and am working closely with patients,” said Monique Atkinson, a home health aide and member of One Pennsylvania. “I’ve lost cases for bringing up these concerns. As essential workers we deserve protection from retaliation when we bring up safety issues.” “We need to learn from the outbreaks we’ve already seen occur in workplaces across the country,” said Patrick J. Eiding, President of the Philadelphia AFLCIO. “I commend City Council for taking action to protect the men and women that are working every day to keep this city running. If workers don’t feel safe reporting a violation, then the public might not find out until it’s too late.” “Workers provide the profits, but oftentimes employees are working in a climate of fear,” said Richard Hooker, President of Teamsters Local 623. “Profits cannot come at the expense of our health. This bill protects the most essential resource America has: the worker.”
visit may be different as a result of COVID-19. Others include: • More safeguards s the coronaviagainst blood and saliva. rus pandemic When dentists work on swept the U.S., state governments man- your teeth, they can prodated that dental offices duce aerosols – droplets open only for emergency or sprays of saliva or blood – in the air. This procedures. But in the happens routinely when coming weeks, some the dentist uses a drill or dental practices may resume regular appoint- when the teeth are scaled or polished. With the ments in individual coronavirus pandemic, states where businesses there is an increased considered “essential” risk that the blood or are allowed to re-open. saliva may carry the When dentists do revirus and either directly open for full business, infect the dental staff, or the patient experience land on surfaces that the may seem the same in some ways, but in other staff or the next patient can touch, Bogan says. ways the offices will “Equipment that reduces reflect a “new normal,” patient spray will come says Dr. Kyle Bogan, into play for patient a general dentist and and employee safety,” speaker on workplace he says. “You’ll see preculture. procedural rinses with “Dentists are aca hydrogen peroxide customed to following solution, which is effecstringent infection contive at killing the virus trol precautions under normal circumstances to and reducing viral load in the mouth. There will lower the risk of transbe more use of rubber mission of infectious dams, a shield that fits diseases,” Bogan says. “These precautions help over top of the tooth and minimizes aerosols in the keep both patients and area. The high-volume dentists safe because it assumes all patients may suction used to suction have an infection, despite up spray will be used at a higher level. And some the reality that most dentists may be wearing won’t. face shields.” “But now I expect • An empty “waiting” patients will be given room. Seeing several temperature checks people in the waiting before an appointment and be asked to fill out a room reading magazines questionnaire regarding may be a thing of the past. “You shouldn’t go coronavirus symptoms. into an office until it’s All hygiene and safety your time to go in,” standards will be enhanced, and the look of a Bogan says. “There typical dental office will will be limited, if any, occupancy in waitbe different.” Bogan says those aren’t ing rooms, Offices will schedule more time the only ways a dental By Dr. Kyle D. Bogan, DDS
A
between appointments, both to maintain safe space between patients and to have sufficient time to clean up between patients. Parents or other people accompanying patients likely will have to wait outside the office. • Alternating office hours. “Offices may reduce schedules so fewer patients are there at once, reducing the chance for contact,” Bogan says. “Another option is longer hours on certain nights, in part to accommodate patients who couldn’t be seen during the shutdown – those who had to postpone non-essential appointments such as checkups, cleanings, and orthodontic adjustments.” “Along with having trust in your dentist’s ability to care for your needs, more than ever a patient has to trust in the cleanliness and safety of the dental environment,” Bogan says. “That’s what will help set an office apart, and anything less will result in a patient migration.” About Kyle D. Bogan, DDSDr. Kyle Bogan (www.drkylebogan.com) is a general dentist and a speaker/consultant on workplace culture. He is the owner of North Orange Family Dentistry.
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Review
12 • PHILLYFREEPRESS.COM • UCREVIEW.COM • MAY 27, 2020
Bala Nursing and Rehabilitation Center careworkers get special Facebook Live Concert from local artists By Yanina Carter
D
uring a time when life is so precious and first responders and essential workers are willing to put their lives on the line to help others during this coronavirus pandemic, it is amazing to see how far people will go to show these workers they are appreciated. A group of local performers is going to share their talents during a Pay it Forward Live Facebook Concert to honor these workers. Singing artist Valray of Valray Productions is giving backing in a big way.
Valray explained, “As artists (singers, dancers, musicians), we are not making money right now because of the shut downs due to the coronavirus pandemic. What I am doing will hopefully help my artists
“I have noticed that the patients at the Bala Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, (4001 W. Ford Rd) have not be coming out. I know it’s because of the pandemic, but I wanted to do something to lift their
“I wanted to show how much we appreciated the workers and the long hours and care they have provided to these seniors.” So Val has decided to pay it forward with a special concert on May 29th, 2 p.m. on
spirits, and to honor those heroes who work at the center.
a lawn across from the rehab center on 4001 W. Ford Rd. Valray Production Songstresses Celebrating Sisterhood will share an outdoor performance Pay it Forward on Facebook Live with artists: Sherry Butler, Tanqueray Howard, Michal Beckham accompanied by Rich Budesa, on piano and Lucky Thompson, on drums. Donations are being accepted at Paypal.me/Valray123. Val is asking people to honk their horns as they drive by and/or tune in to Facebook Live at 2pm. For more information call 267-979- 3940.
Staying home saves lives. Valray of Valray Productions
and put a smile on some employees and seniors faces.
MY SHELTER PETS ARE MY BEST FRIENDS
For more information, visit
coronavirus.gov
OLIVIA MUNN WITH CHANCE AND FRANKIE: ADOPTED 2014 AND 2016.
They’re a little bit of a lot of things, but they’re all pure love.
THESHELTERPETPROJECT.ORG